N.C. State’s student yearboook, the Agromeck, edited by Mary Beth Hamrick, and its literary and arts magazine, Windhover, were recognized with a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association this spring. This is one of the two highest awards given nationally for college media.
“This award indicates that your publication ranks among the best in student journalism,” said Edmund Sullivan, executive director of CSPA.
A total of 1,771 newspapers, magazines and yearbooks published during the 2007-2008 academic year were eligible for judging in the 2009 Crown Awards Program. Crown awards will be presented to 34 magazines, 54 newspapers and 44 yearbooks. Collegiate Crown Award finalists will be presented during the College Media Convention at the CSPA Award ceremony on March 15 at the Marriott Marquis in New York, N.Y.
This will be the second time the Windhover literary and arts magazine has received a national CSPA award. The 2007 edition received a Gold Crown Award. The 2004 Agromeckyearbook received N.C. State’s first national Crown award for any publication. The 2007Agromeck yearbook received a Silver Crown Award. The fall 2005 and spring 2006Technician newspapers both received Silver Crown awards.
Thirteen college magazines were nominated for Crown awards, including the magazines at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina – Charlotte in North Carolina. North Carolina had three finalists, more than any other single state. Joe Wright and Hannah Richardson ware the co-editors of the 2008 edition. Other staff members included designers Joana Balasa, Elena Bondar, Nicole Kraieski and Becca Mayfield. The book was printed by Theo Davis Printing of Raleigh.
- American River Review, American River College, Sacramento, CA;*
- Dollars & Sense, Baruch College, New York, NY;*
- Flux Magazine, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR;*
- Grub Street, Towson University, Towson, MD;
- Hair Trigger 30, Columbia College, Chicago, IL;*
- Magazine World, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
- Rebel, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC;*
- Sanskrit, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Charlotte, NC;*
- Signatures, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY;*
- The Bridge, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA;*
- The Huron River Review, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI;*
- The Torch, Union University, Jackson, TN;
- Windhover, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.*
(* indicates Gold Crown Award recipient)
“The Windhover consistently ranks as one of the top publications in the nation,” said adviser Bradley Wilson. “The 2008 edition was consistently good from cover to cover. The staff worked hard to work on the design as well as the printed and audio-visual content.”
Nine college yearbooks were nominated for Crown awards, none other than the Agromeck in North Carolina. Mary Beth Hamrick was the editor of the 2008 edition. Other senior staff members included Managing Editor John Cooper Elias, Design Editor Bryant Robbins, Photo Editor Stephen Bateman. The book was printed by Taylor Publishing of Dallas, represented by Patrick Hunter.
- Aggieland, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX;
- Agromeck, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC;*
- Arbutus, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN;
- Ibis, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL;
- Royal Purple, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS;*
- Selah, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA;
- Sooner/Crimson Traditions, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK;*
- Talisman, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY;
- The Razorback, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.
(* indicates Gold Crown Award recipient)
The Crown Awards are considered at Columbia by panels of invited judges, working in small groups to review each publication. During Crown consideration, publications are judged on their excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing. Crown Awards summarize overall excellence in the entire publication and function as a “top-down” view of general excellence.
“While sales of the yearbook continue to decline, we have begun to consistently produce one of the best books in the nation,” said Wilson, also adviser to the yearbook. “I hope the students, faculty and staff will realize the value of this historical record and keep it alive. The yearbook is one of the first resources historians turn to when trying to get a reflection of the year.”
Other Crown award recipients are posted on the CSPA Site.
