SIUE’s Alestle Wins Four National College Journalism Awards
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s student newspaper, The Alestle, won four national awards during the 99th annual Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)/College Media Association’s (CMA) Fall National College Media Convention, held virtually Oct. 22-24.
“I am extremely proud of The Alestle staff,” said Program Director Tammy Merrett. “They have had many challenges to overcome this year related to COVID and other obstacles, and they persevered.”
The Alestle took first place in the CMA Pinnacle Awards in the Best Photo Package category. Editor-in-Chief Madison Lammert and former photographer Dominick Oranika won for their coverage of Black Lives Matter protests this summer.
Competition was not categorized by school size or frequency. Any school across the country and their news organization could compete in the same category. Other winners in the Best Photo Package category included Louisiana State University, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Texas A&M University and Mount Mary University.
The Alestle also won three Best of Show Awards during the convention. The staff took third place for its annual Back-To-School Survival Guide in a special section advertising category, co-sponsored by ACP and College Media Business and Advertising Managers.
Other winners in the Best of Show special section category included Indiana University, University of Kentucky at Lexington, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and California State University at Fullerton.
In the national Best Website category, the Alestle staff placed seventh in the category of schools with more than 10,000 students.
Other winners were Wichita State University, University of Texas at Arlington, Indiana University, Ohio University, University of Miami at Coral Gables, California Polytechnic State University, University of Hawai’ at Mānoa, California State University at Fullerton and California State University at Sacramento.
The Alestle’s Podcast Producer John McGowan placed eighth at the national convention for his recent episode of “Alestle After Hours: The Black Plague, The Spanish Flu and the Coronavirus.”
Other winners in the same category included Georgia State University, Ithaca College, California State University at Sacramento, Ohio Northern University, Appalachian State University, Pepperdine University, Elon University and Miami Dade College.
“This is our fourth year competing in the Pinnacles, and the first time our podcast was recognized in the convention’s Best of Show competition,” said Merrett. “The staff really needed this well-deserved recognition of their work.”
The Alestle has placed several times in recent years in the CMA Pinnacle awards and national ACP Best of Show competitions. The newspaper is consistently an American Scholastic Press Association top-ranked publication and regularly wins top awards in the annual Illinois College Press Association contest.
View their work at alestlelive.com.
