The Signal added 15 awards to their collection at the Georgia College Press Association’s (GCPA) Better Newspaper Contest in Athens, Georgia on Feb. 7. Honors include winning first in General Excellence (the top GCPA award) for the third year in a row and adding 3 staff members to the 2015-2016 GCPA Board.
Competing against some of the largest college newspapers in the state, The Signal proved its success by placing in 13 total categories with 18 nominees this year.
The Signal placed in the Best Website category for the second time since its redesign in 2012 and won 3rd. Additionally, The Signal placed 2nd in general categories of Sports, News, Features and General Photography.
Individual 1st place winners included Ciara Frisbie in Best News Article based on Investigative Reporting, Candra Umunna in Best Editorial or Feature Photograph, Ruth Pannill in Best Photograph – News, Nichole Place in Best Column, and Alex Kugaczewski in Best Entertainment Story.
Individual 2nd place winners included the staff members for Best Editorial or Editorial Series and Johnny Gipson, Becca Long, and Emily Lasher in Best Entertainment Feature.
Third place winners included Leah Jordan in Best Feature Story, Johnny Gipson in Best Entertainment Feature, Candra Umunna in Best Editorial or Feature Photograph, Lauren Booker in Best News Article based on Investigative Reporting, and Alec McQuade in Best News Article based on Investigative Reporting.
The 2015-2016 GCPA Board also added three Signal staff members with Antonio Garcia as President, Zoya Hasnain as Secretary and Ciara Frisbie as a four-year board member.
In 2012, The Signal rebranded its paper along with its website. The newspaper became a daily online news source with a mission to become more interactive with reach in general for web and print. Since then, The Signal has worked to engage with the Georgia State community through digital means, and these achievements were acknowledged this year with the Best Website honor at GCPA.
Panels this year at GCPA included topics on investigative reporting and adjusting news content for digital media. Assistant Director for Student Media Bryce McNeil and Arts & Living Editor Johnny Gipson also hosted a roundtable on Arts & Living coverage.
The Signal will finish off the year at the Southeast Journalism Conference on Feb. 28, as they are nominated for 11 individual awards to date.
