Both of the journalism department’s student publications won national awards, one for the first time. 

The U-Highlights yearbook received a Silver Crown, its first time winning a Crown Award, and the U-High Midway newspaper and website received a Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in a ceremony held March 17 during the spring convention.

Crown Awards are selected by a panel of educator and journalist judges by the CSPA at Columbia University to recognize a student print or digital medium for excellence. Crown Award recipients can win either gold or silver. 

U-Highlights editor-in-chief Jackie Slimmon said it was rewarding to be recognized in a way they never had before.  

“Winning the award made me appreciate last year’s yearbook a lot more because I feel like I put a lot of effort into it,” she said. “As EIC, I can integrate what we did well into this year’s yearbook, but then also incorporate our own creative decisions.”

This is the 17th time the Midway has received gold, and its 26th Crown Award overall.

Midway editor-in-chief William Tan said winning the award is a reflection of the Midway staff’s hard work. 

“I know the Midway has put in a ton of work last year, this year, every year, and so I am just really pleased that the award is a reflection of all that,” he said. “To win gold is especially difficult, and so I hope members of the staff and Midway readers understand how incredible of an award this is.”