Best college newspaper in Ohio: The Miami Student wins big in 2023

The year isn’t over, and The Miami Student has already won 17 awards for their work ranging from the fall semester of 2021 to all of 2022.

The staff’s most exciting wins were at the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awards, which celebrate the best journalism in the state. For its work in 2022 under former Editor-in-Chief Cosette Gunter and former Managing Editor Abby Bammerlin, The Miami Student won best overall college newspaper, beating Ohio State University’s The Lantern which came in second.

“The coverage is newsy and sometimes ambitious. It is consistently substantial,” judges wrote.

Current Editor-in-Chief Sean Scott and Managing Editor Luke Macy also won first place in the print small category for their investigative reporting on the former provost’s resignation in 2022. At the Greater Cincinnati SPJ awards, their story won first place for written investigative reporting among all newspapers in addition to a best student special project award in the college division.

“First-rate planning and persistence by the Miami Student. This work would put professionals to shame,” judges wrote.

In the college category at the Ohio SPJs, opinion editor Devin Ankeney won second place in opinion columns for showing “clarity,” “style” and “fearlessness,” according to judges’ comments. Mike Vestey received second for sports stories in which he showed “a good range of ability with both columns and straight sports stories.”

At the SPJ Mark of Excellence awards, The Student won seven awards in region four, which includes Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.

Sam Norton received a first-place award for his opinion columns, and Ames Radwan received one for their recipes in their series “The Weekly Veg.” The Student was also the only publication awarded with best affiliated website.

Graci Hicks placed as a finalist for The Miami Student Magazine with her piece “A life almost taken, mine forever changed”; Radwan was also a finalist for three of their opinion columns; Jessica Monahan placed as a finalist for her sports photo “The battle of Ohio” and Maggie Peña was a finalist for three of her food columns.

In the highest division for the Ohio News Media Association’s college competition, which included content from the 2021 to 2022 school year, The Student took home four awards.

The Student’s website won its first award of 2023, receiving first place in the category. Meredith Perkins was also awarded first place in opinion writing for her columns, which includes “How college works when your arms bend backwards.” Macy received second place for arts and entertainment and third place for his headline “The fun never dies in ‘The Afterparty.’”

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