The 2019-20 Rocky Mountain Student Media staff
Students from Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation received several prestigious national and regional awards from professional media organizations during the 2019-20 school year.
“With a production and administrative team led by students, we take special pride in our award-winning content and staff,” said Austin Harvill, chair of the RMSMC Board of Directors. “We know our structure encourages students to strive to be their very best, to lead their peers, and that drive is apparent this year.”
Nationally, the Princeton Review named the Rocky Mountain Collegian as the sixth-best college newspaper in the nation following a national survey of 140,000 students from 385 colleges. The paper ranked ninth the previous year.
The RMSMC Marketing and Advertising Department was honored by the College Media Business and Advertising Managers and Associated Collegiate Press with first-place awards for Best Innovative Idea for the Ram Deals coupons app, Best Print Ad Campaign and Best Audio or Underwriting Spot. The Broadcasters Education Association recognized KCSU with a second place award in the Sound Engineering and Production category and an award of excellence for PSA, Promo or Commercial.
Commercial Broadcasters, Inc., recognized Collegian Television (CTV) with three national awards for sports reporting, sportscast and social media, and recognized KCSU for station promo. The Associated Collegiate Press recognized the Rocky Mountain Collegian’s editor-in-chief, Forrest Czarnecki, with an honorable mention for feature photos.
Regionally, the Society of Professional Journalists recognized the Collegian for top honors in editorial cartoons and breaking news photography. College Avenue magazine was awarded best nonfiction news story, and CTV won first place for Online/Digital News Videography. Regional winners are automatically entered into SPJ’s national contest; awards will be announced over the summer.
Below is the full list of winning entries.
Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Business and Advertising Managers:
Print Ad campaign, First Place, RMSMC Staff
Best Innovative Idea, First Place, RMSMC Staff
Audio ad or underwriting spot, First Place, KCSU Staff
Guerrilla Marketing/Strategy/Program/Event, Third Place, RMSMC Staff
Social Media Promotion, Third Place, RMSMC Staff
Cross Platform Social Media Campaign, Honorable Mention, RMSMC Staff
Sales Strategy for a Special Section, Honorable Mention, RMSMC Staff
Associated Collegiate Press:
Feature Photo, Honorable Mention, Forrest Czarnecki
Broadcasters Education Association:
Sound Engineering and Production, Second Place, Mia Sawaya, KCSU
Promo or Commercial, Award of Excellence, Julia Battagliese, KCSU
Collegian selected for Poynter’s College Media Project
The Rocky Mountain Collegian was among 10 student media publications chosen by the Poynter Institute for its 2020-21 College Media Project.
The yearlong accelerator program will offer just-in-time support for student journalists grappling with the coronavirus, among other challenges. The free initiative provides participants with custom in-newsroom training, regular online seminars and support for a reporting project.
Since its inception in 2017, Poynter’s College Media Project has served a total of 12 student media groups. This year, the program expanded to coach 10 diverse and impressive publications.
Poynter received nearly 100 applications for the project. Applications were screened for potential, need, commitment, diversity in student population, school size and type. The selected student media organizations will receive $1,500 to spend on a reporting project or event that advances civil discourse on campus; customized training for the entire staff during a newsroom visit; and online training with fellow participants throughout the academic year focused on watchdog reporting and civic dialogue. Poynter’s College Media Project is tuition-free, thanks to support from the Charles Koch Institute.
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st-century public discourse.
College Broadcasters, Inc.:
Best Station Promo (Audio), Third Place, Julia Battagliese and Ave Martin
Best Sports Reporting (Video), Fourth Place, CTV
Best Sportscast (Video), Fourth Place, CTV
Best Social Media Presence, Fourth Place, CTV
Princeton Review:
Best College Newspaper, Sixth Place, Rocky Mountain Collegian
Society of Professional Journalism Mark of Excellence awards:
Non-Fiction Magazine Article, First Place, Leta McWilliams and Kenia Ortiz, College Avenue Magazine
Editorial Cartooning, First Place, Ryan Greene, Rocky Mountain Collegian
Online/Digital News Videography, First Place, Collegian Television Staff
Breaking News Photography, First Place, Matt Tackett, Rocky Mountain Collegian
Breaking News Photography, Finalist, Forrest Czarnecki, Rocky Mountain Collegian
General News Reporting, Finalists, Austin Fleskes and Ravyn Cullor, Rocky Mountain Collegian
In-Depth Reporting, Finalist, Samantha Ye, Rocky Mountain Collegian
Feature Writing, Finalist, by Austin Fleskes, Rocky Mountain Collegian
Best Student Magazine, Finalist, College Avenue Magazine
Feature Photography, Finalist, Colin Shepherd, Rocky Mountain Collegian
General News Photography, Finalist, by Anna von Pechmann, Rocky Mountain Collegian
SPJ Ethical Practices in Journalism:
Leta McWilliams and Kenia Ortiz, College Avenue Magazine
Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation is a not-for-profit company that employs students to produce media for the Colorado State University and Fort Collins communities. Located on the CSU campus, RMSMC employs nearly 300 students annually to produce independent student media each school year on a variety of platforms, including The Rocky Mountain Collegian and Collegian.com, KCSU-FM radio, Collegian Television and CSU TV11, College Avenue Magazine and Student Video Productions.
