As Newswire celebrates winning its first ONMA title, we thank you for reading

Last Friday, Newswire was awarded the Frank E. Deaner Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Award. This is the second time Newswire has placed in the top three and the first time it has  taken home the gold.

The Ohio News Media Association collegiate awards have been given annually for the past 13 years, and the Frank E. Deaner Award is given to two college papers based on student enrollment to recognize them as the best newspapers in the state. 

The Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Award is named after longtime Ohio journalist Frank E. Deaner, who served as the executive director of ONMA for 20 years. During his tenure, he created the collegiate journalism contest, hoping to motivate and inspire students to join the profession.

Ohio State’s student-run newspaper, The Lantern, won in the large university category (enrollment about 10,000) and Newswire won the small group category (enrollment below 10,000).

These awards were given to recognize outstanding collegiate journalism during the 2020-21 school year. They are divided into 10 categories. Newswire won eight awards in seven categories, alongside its general excellence title. 

Other schools with distributions below 10,000 people in Newswire’s division include Ohio  Northern  University, Cedarville University, Otterbein  University, University of Findlay, Capital University and Ashland University.

This is the fifth year Newswire has entered the ONMA contest; last year, it finished third for the Deaner.

In-Depth Reporting, First Place

Awarded to Editor-in-Chief Alex Budzynski, Multimedia Managing Editor Hunter Ellis and Show Manager Chloe Salveson

Winning story: “Patriot Front posts propaganda on Xavier’s premises”

Alex is a senior communications and PR double major. Hunter is a senior Philosophy, Politics and the Public (PPP) and French double major. Chloe is a sophomore PPP and English major. 

Headline Writing, First Place

Awarded to: Education and Enrichment Coordinator Joseph Cotton and Staff Writer Emily Croft

Winning headline: “Makerspace mines for diamonds”

Joseph is a senior PPP and economics double major. Emily is a sophomore PPP major. 

Judges commented: “Great headline that tells me what I want to know and makes me think. Solid.”

Opinion Writing, First Place

Awarded to: Staff  Writer Andrew Zerman

Winning opinion: “What’s at stake for the Supreme Court”

Andrew is a senior English and education double major.

Judges commented: “A stand-out among the long and competitive line of submissions this year. This writer showed strengths in clarity, logic and presentation.”

Arts and Entertainment Writing, Second Place

Awarded to: Staff  Writer Ben Thomson

Winning  review:  “The clockmaker’s masterpiece entertains all”

Ben is a junior English and Digital Innovation, Film and Television double major.

Judges commented: “Excellent story telling by Thomson, who really nails the reviews for me. They’re making me do a Netflix search tonight.”

Sports Coverage, Second Place

Awarded to: Sports Editor Joe Clark

Winning edition: Nov. 23, 2021, Basketball Edition

Joe is a senior PR and communications double major. 

Judges  commented: “Nice mix of stories.”

Opinion Writing, Third Place

Awarded to: Education and Enrichment Coordinator Joseph Cotton

Winning opinion: “Vive la revolution, Gamestop”

Judges commented: “Fun, insightful columns.” 

Design, Third Place

Awarded to: Newswire staff, with special thanks to Arts and Entertainment Editor Kate  Ferrell and Back Page Editor Aidan Callahan

Judges commented: “This newspaper had a very traditional vibe to it which made it come across very authentic! The graphics selected for the stories really enticed me to read the story.”

News Coverage, Third Place

Awarded to: Newswire staff, with special thanks to former campus news editor and current  Education and Enrichment Coordinator Joseph Cotton and Editor-in-Chief Alex Budzynski

Judges  commented:  “Very good reporting.”