Students in the newsroom of WKU’s College Heights Herald brought home the General Excellence Award for college news organizations – the top honor from the Kentucky Press Association – for the third year in a row Thursday night at the KPA awards banquet.
And, for the first time, the Herald advertising staff brought home the General Excellence Award for advertising among KPA’s associate publications. For the past three years, the Herald advertising/creative staff has led college newspapers in the state, but this year, the Herald won first place for General Excellence in the entire category, which includes a number of specialty commercial publications.
Herald editors-in-chief during the contest period were Taylor Harrison (Fall 2014), a May 2015 graduate who now lives in New York City; Cameron Love (Spring 2015), a Mount Washington senior; and Kae Holloway (Fall 2015), an Owensboro senior. Herald advertising managers during the contest period were Zachary Tatoian (Fall 2014, Spring 2015), a May 2015 graduate who lives in Lexington; and Mackenzie Grubbs (Fall 2015), a Verona senior.
“I’m enormously proud of our students’ work, the strength of their journalism and their creativity of the business side of the Herald,” said Chuck Clark, director of WKU Student Publications. “Our students are setting the pace for their peers in college news organizations.”
Individual award winners announced Thursday at banquets in Lexington and Madisonville were:
NEWS CONTEST
First Place:
- General excellence: Staff of the College Heights Herald.
- Breaking news: Trey Crumbie, a May 2015 graduate who lives in Bardstown, and Shelby Rogers, a May 2015 graduate who lives in Orlando.
- Sports column: Elliott Pratt, a December 2014 graduate who lives in Oldham County.
- Sports story: Kyle Williams, a December 2014 graduate from Louisville.
- Sports feature: Jonah Phillips, a Louisville senior.
- Business story: Andrew Henderson, an Olive Hill sophomore.
- General news photo: Emily Kask, a sophomore from Glastonberry, Connecticut.
- Photo essay: Mike Clark, a Bowling Green senior; Jeff Brown, a senior from Tucson, Arizona, now in Burlington, Iowa; and Ashley Cooper, a junior from Festus, Missouri.
- Sports photo: Nick Wagner, a senior from Ada, Minnesota.
- Sports photo essay: Abbey Tanner, a sophomore from Germantown, Tennessee; and Mike Clark.
- Sports section: Staff, led by Sports editors Kyle Williams (Fall 2014) and Jonah Phillips (Spring and Fall 2015).
- Editorial page: Staff, led by Opinion editors Tanner Cole (Fall 2014), a senior from Gallatin, Tennessee; Jacob Parker (Spring 2015), a December 2015 graduate; and Mollie Moore (Fall 2015), a Louisville senior.
Second Place:
- Column: Jackson French, a May 2015 graduate who lives in Bowling Green.
- Sports feature: Elliott Pratt.
- Enterprise story: Jonah Phillips.
- Ongoing coverage: Shelby Rogers, Trey Crumbie.
- Picture essay: Brittany Greeson, an Owensboro senior.
- Special section: View of the Hill, Abby Belknap, a Louisville senior.
Third Place:
- Breaking news: Taylor Harrison.
- Feature story: Kyle Williams.
- Sports story: Kyle Williams and Elliott Pratt.
- Business story: Jessica Voorhees, an Edgewood sophomore.
- Multimedia: Luke Franke, a Spring 2015 graduate from Louisville; Alyssa Pointer, a senior from Fayetteville, Georgia; Emily Kask; and Bria Granville, a Georgetown senior.
- Breaking news photo: Nick Wagner.
- Sports photo essay: Harrison Hill, a Louisville junior; Emily Kask; and Nikki Boliaux, a junior from St. Louis, Missouri.
- Special section: Housing Guide, staff.
Honorable Mention:
- Column: Will Hyde, a May 2015 graduate from Bowling Green.
- Sports feature: Billy Rutledge, a Bowling Green junior.
- Enterprise story: Lashana Harney, a Winchester sophomore.
- Feature photo: Nick Wagner.
- Sports photo: Luke Franke.
- Graphic: Katherine Sproles, a Bowling Green junior.
- Front page: Staff.
- Headline: Charley Nold, a Louisville senior.
ADVERTISING CONTEST
First Place:
- General Excellence: Staff of the College Heights Herald.
- Department/discount: Zachary Tatoian.
- Hardware/appliances: Zachary Tatoian.
- Food/alcohol: Zachary Tatoian.
- Real estate: Zachary Tatoian.
- Clothing: Emily Lindeau, a Scottsville senior.
- Signature page: Staff.
- Entertainment/dining: Zachary Tatoian.
- Special sections: Zachary Tatoian.
- Group promotion: Staff.
- Political: Zachary Tatoian.
- Lawn and garden: Emily Lindeau.
- Special publications: Zachary Tatoian.
- Ad series: Emily Lindeau.
- Sporting goods: Emily Lindeau.
- Special events: Emily Lindeau.
- Newspaper promotion: Emily Lindeau.
- Digital ad: Emily Lindeau.
- Online series: Bradley Greenwell, a Fort Thomas senior.
Second Place:
- Department/discount ad: Zachary Tatoian.
- Entertainment/dining: Zachary Tatoian.
- Special sections: Staff.
- Group promotion: Zachary Tatoian.
- Political: Zachary Tatoian.
- Lawn and garden: Zachary Tatoian.
- Special Publications: Staff.
- Use of color: Zachary Tatoian.
- Ad series: Staff.
- Special events: Zachary Tatoian.
- Digital ad: Emily Lindeau.
- Online series: Staff.
Third Place:
- Clothing: Zachary Tatoian.
- Entertainment/dining: Zachary Tatoian.
- Special sections: Staff.
- Special publications: Zachary Tatoian.
- Use of color: Emily Lindeau.
- Ad series: Bradley Greenwell.
- General ads: Zachary Tatoian.
- Digital ad: Bradley Greenwell.
Certificate of Merit:
- Financial: Zachary Tatoian.
- Professional services: Zachary Tatoian.
- Furniture: Emily Lindeau.
Honorable Mention:
- Special sections: Emily Lindeau.
- Use of color: Zachary Tatoian.
- Special events: Emily Lindeau.
The editorial adviser for the College Heights Herald is Carrie Pratt. The advertising adviser is Will Hoagland.
The College Heights Herald is published in print Tuesdays and Thursdays during the academic year with a circulation of 8,000, and around the clock at WKUHerald.com and on WKUHerald mobile apps for Apple iOS and Android devices.