In February, the staff of The Cavalier
Daily received some news worth bragging about: It had won a whopping 23
awards in the Virginia Press Association’s annual competition, a record for
the student daily.
"To not only set a record with 23 VPAs
won, but also eclipse last year’s total by 10, has really lit a fire under
the staff," said Cavalier Daily Editor-in-Chief Brandon Almond. "I couldn’t
be prouder of everyone who puts in so much work day in and day out, and have
confidence that this time next year, we will once again have broken our own
record."
The awards spanned 19 of 37 categories,
including a first place showing by the news staff for their spot news
writing in the Sept. 12 issue. The editorial, life, special projects, sports
and production departments also took home their share of honors.
According to John Clark, CD
editor-in-chief 2001-’02, The Cavalier Daily was the only college paper to
compete with professional papers.
While most college newspapers compete in
their own category, The Cavalier Daily submitted entries in the Daily
Publications Under 100,000 a Week category.
Other newspapers in this group included
the Culpeper Star-Exponent, Manassas Journal-Messenger, Hopewell News, and
Northern Virginia Daily (Strasburg).
Of those papers, only the professionals
at the Northern Virginia Daily took home more awards (49) than did the
student staff of The Cavalier Daily.
The Cavalier Daily also proved its mettle
in two competitions against college papers, winning 10 Gold Circle Awards
from the Columbia University School of Journalism and the Mark of Excellence
Award for the mid-Atlantic region from the Society of Professional
Journalists.
According to Sam Le, managing editor for
The Cavalier Daily during 2001-’02, this is the first time The Cavalier
Daily has entered either competition.
The Gold Circle Awards are presented in
specific categories, much like the VPAs. The Sept. 12 issue won first place
for design, and a lead editorial concerning David Horowitz’s antislavery
reparations advertisement was honored with second place.
The Mark of Excellence names The Cavalier
Daily as the best college newspaper in the mid-Atlantic region, which
encompasses Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. In September, the SPJ
will pick from its 12 regional winners the best college newspaper in the
country.
"I think we’re fortunate to have been in
this region," Le said, "because we competed against some big schools with
strong journalism departments," like the University of Maryland and the
University of North Carolina. "If we win the national award, we’ll be on the
top of the mountain."
The two first place awards for the
paper’s Sept. 12 issue, the VPA’s and Columbia’s, are a testament to the
strength of the staff, Le said. "It was a team effort from everyone."
Le credits strong coverage of the Sept.
11 tragedy and a high level of talent on the staff for the number of awards
the paper garnered this year. However, he also has high expectations for the
years to come as The Cavalier Daily continues to submit to all three
competitions.
