The Eagle wins 8th straight Best Overall Newspaper award

The Eagle’s student staff captured its eighth straight “Best Overall Newspaper” title in the Nebraska Collegiate Media Association’s annual Golden Leaf Awards, presented Saturday, this year at Concordia University, Seward.

The staff entered 26 of 35 categories in NCMA’s Print and Online competition, and earned 12 first places, including the Best Overall Newspaper title; nine second places; and eight third places.

“I already feel that we have a great staff,” Managing Editor Shannon Schneider said. “But winning these awards proves it.”

The Doane Owl, Doane University, Crete, finished second in the Best Overall Newspaper category, while The Antelope of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, finished third.

Contest judges, working media professionals based outside Nebraska, evaluated student journalists’ work that was published between Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2018. Individual categories covered news, sports, feature and commentary writing; news, sports and feature photojournalism; newspaper layout and design; and website content and design.

“I think coming off spring (2018) semester, we knew we had a lot to work on, and we were committed to improving,” former Co-Editor Torri Brumbaugh said. “As a young staff, we tried new things and simply tried to put out a great newspaper every week. It’s rewarding to know it paid off.” 

Brumbaugh, now of Chadron, served as editor in spring 2018 and was co-editor with Krystal Kesselring of Loganville, Georgia, in fall 2018. Both graduated in December 2018.

Kesselring took first in Best Feature Photo and third in Best Sports News Photo.

“We put in a lot of hard work and dedication,”  Kesselring said. “It feels nice to pull together as a team to win this award.”   

While The Eagle’s print edition excelled across all facets, the newspaper’s website, csceagle.com, did not fare so well. 

Since its launch in January 2011, csceagle.com has always finished in one of the top three spots in the Best Overall Website category, including first in 2012, and again three straight years, 2015-17. It finished second in 2014 an third in 2011. 

But this year, nothing. 

The site also finished out of the money in the Best Online Home Page and Best Social Media Main Page categories. 

However, The Eagle’s videographer Gregg Peterson, senior of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, took first and second in Best Multimedia Sports Story and Best Multimedia Feature Story.  

Wayne State College’s thewaynestater.com, captured the Best Overall Website title, while unkantelope.com took second, and cunesower.com of Concordia University, Seward, finished third.

“There’s no doubt we know journalism, and know how to do it,” The Eagle’s Adviser Michael D. Kennedy said. “The evidence is in The Eagle’s consistent performance in the print competition. But based on our performance in the website categories, we still have room, lots of room, for improvement.” 

NCMA did not run its student media competition in 2018 because it spent the year focusing on changes. Some of those changes included revamping its contest, and changing its name from Nebraska Collegiate Media Association to Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association. The new name becomes official in a few weeks, but appears on the 2019 awards. 

Individually, The Eagle’s Sports Editor and non-traditional student Brandon Davenport of Chadron, earned four first-place awards – one each for Best Sports News Photo and Best Sports Feature Photo – and a first for Best Newspaper Spread. 

Davenport teamed up with fellow reporter Devin Fulton, junior of Glenrock, Wyoming, to win Best Sports Game Story.

“It was an honor to win the Best Overall Newspaper title for the eighth time in a row,” Davenport said. “It shows The Eagle’s commitment to high standards.”

In addition to Best Overall Newspaper, The Eagle won staff awards for Best Overall Design and Best News Package.