N.C. State’s student yearboook, the Agromeck, and its literary and arts magazine, Windhover, will be recognized with a Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association this coming spring. “Our students continue to produce some of the finest publications in the country, even at a school without a journalism degree,” said Bradley Wilson, adviser to both media. “They work hard every day to document the activities of some 30,000 students and additional faculty and staff as well as to give them an outlet for creativity.”
N.C. State’s student yearboook, the Agromeck, and its literary and arts magazine, Windhover, were recognized with Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at the CSPA convention in New York City, March 16.
“This award indicates that your publication ranks among the best in student journalism,” said Edmund Sullivan, executive director of CSPA.
Of the 1,888 current CSPA members eligible to enter the Crown Awards, 1,355 magazines, newspapers and yearbooks actually submitted copies for this particular judging. Publications were judged on writing/editing, design, concept, photography, art and graphics.
Five newspapers, six magazines, and two yearbooks received Gold Crown Awards while 18 other collegiate publications received the second highest CSPA award, known as the Silver Crown. Gold Crowns have been presented annually since 1982, and Silver Crowns have been given since 1984.
This is the first time the Windhover literary and arts magazine has received a national CSPA award. The 2004 Agromeck yearbook received N.C. State’s first national Crown award for any publication. The fall 2005 and spring 2006 Technician newspapers both received Silver Crown awards.
Twelve college magazines were nominated for Crown awards, none other than theWindhover in North Carolina. Lauren Gould was the editor of the 2007 edition. Other staff members included designers Libbi Levi, Paul Venuto, Joshua Smith and Becca Mayfield; Literary Editor Minori Sanchiz, Music Editor Joel Mikkelsen, readers Alison Harmon and Victoria Renz. The book was printed by Theo Davis Printing of Raleigh.
“The Windhover consistently ranks as one of the top publications in the nation,” said adviser Bradley Wilson. “The 2007 edition was spectacular not only in terms of its design, but in terms of its content. And how good it was became evident when they disappeared so fast during distribution. It’s an awesome magazine from cover to cover.”
College Magazine Gold Crowns
- American River Review, American River College, Sacramento, CA;
- Blue Moon, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA;
- Flux, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR;
- Grub Street, Towson University, Towson, MD;
- Hair Trigger 29, Columbia College, Chicago, IL;
- Windhover, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
College Magazine Silver Crowns
- Baily’s Beads, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, PA;
- Collage, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN;
- Dollars & Sense, Baruch College, New York, NY;
- The Bridge, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA;
- The Huron River Review, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI;
- The Lens, Carleton College, Northfield, MN.
Ten college yearbooks were nominated for Crown awards, again, none other than theAgromeck in North Carolina. Brandon Wright was the editor of the 2007 edition. Other senior staff members included Managing Editor Mary Beth Hamrick, Design Editor Mark Fenimore, Photo Editor William Alligood, Sports Editor John Cooper Elias, Greeks/Organizations Editor Melissa Patzwaldt, Marketing Manager Jamie Rochelle, Assistant Marketing Manager Jon Clemmons. The book was printed by Taylor Publishing of Dallas, represented by Dave Ehinger.
College Yearbook Gold Crowns
- Sooner/Crimson Tradition, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and
- Ibis, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
College Yearbook Silver Crowns
- Aggieland, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX;
- Agromeck, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC;
- Arbutus, Indiana University at Bloomington, Bloomington, IN;
- Illio, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL;
- Royal Purple, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS;
- Selah, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA;
- Talisman, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY;
- The Razorback, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.
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 winners are posted on the CSPA Web Site.