This month, the U-High Midway newspaper received a national award, the U-Highlights yearbook received a state award, and four photojournalists received individual national awards.
The 2024-25 U-High Midway has been recognized with its 29th Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The Crown Award is one of the most prestigious honors given to student publications nationwide and recognizes excellence in journalism from the previous school year, recognizing outstanding reporting, writing, design and digital presence.
Editor-in-Chief Sohana Schneider said the recognition reflects the dedication of the entire staff.
“I was really proud of the work that everyone put in,” she said. “So much time and effort went into it from so many people.”
The award adds to the Midway’s long-standing legacy with 29 Crown Awards over a century of publication.
“This legacy is something we’re aware of,” Sohana said. “It’s important to remember what has been done before and try to carry that forward.”
The U-Highlights yearbook has once again been recognized as one of the best in Illinois. The 2025 yearbook earned first place in Overall General Excellence at the Illinois Journalism Education Association contest.
Editor-in-Chief Ruby Koyner said the honor is a meaningful culmination of a year’s work.
“It’s very fulfilling to see all the work that we put in really get some recognition,” she said.
The staff faced challenges during production, including a transition to a spring delivery schedule, which required major adjustments to deadlines and workflow. Once the team adapted, they were able to meet the new demands and complete the book successfully to distribute in June.
Ruby credited the yearbook’s success to the school community itself. She noted that U-Highlights stands out because of its ability to highlight small, meaningful stories and reflect the unique experiences of Lab students.
“Our book is so reflective of our community and the year that we had,” she said.
For the staff who worked on last year’s book, the award serves as validation of their dedication.
“So much hard work goes into the book all year round,” she said. “It’s really nice to see that our work accumulates into something people recognize not just in our school, but statewide and even nationwide.
Four individual U-High photojournalists received five awards from the Association of Texas Photograph Instructors national contest. Students from 130 schools representing 15 states, Canada and Great Britain submitted 6,072 entries.
After just a few weeks in the photojournalism program, Davis Dyson received an award in the beginning division for students in grades K-9. Davis’ winning photo highlighted one individual who stood out from the crowd.
Davis said, “I think to be able to take a photo of a crowd and be able to see the subject clearly and to be able to capture the emotion is really cool.”
The list of U-High photojournalist winners is below.
Advanced Division:
- Simon Vaang, first honorable mention, portfolio
- Simon Vaang, honorable mention, documentary/street photography
- Calder Wong, honorable mention, documentary/street photography
Beginning Division:
- Davis Dyson, honorable mention, student life
- Jianna Hong, honorable mention, nature
