Baylor student publications praised

This version corrects that Baylor’s student publications won 75 awards, not 72.

Security guards escort two women out of a staged press meeting during a news contest at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention Thursday in the Hilton Hotel in Fort Worth. Writers and photographers from schools all over Texas participated in the contest. This photo won third place in the news photo contest.
Nick Berryman | Lariat Photographer

Students reined in 75 awards

By James Stockton
Reporter

Baylor student publications won big this past weekend at the 2011 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference, where the Baylor Lariat, Round Up yearbook and Focus magazine came home with 75 awards combined.

Among the 75 awards were editor of the year won by Austin junior Nick Dean of the Lariat, designer of the year won by Ryan Brinson, former Editor for Round Up, and photojournalist of the year won by Daniel Cernero, former photo editor for the Lariat.

The Associated Press Managing Editors of Texas, recently not associated with TIPA, also named the Baylor Lariat second best among all college newspapers in Texas and Focus magazine earned third best in the nation from the College Media Advisers.

“Overall, the large number of awards is impressive in that we’re competing with every other college and university in the state,” Paul Carr, director of student publications, said.

About 60 colleges are members of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

The Lariat, which won 32 awards at the TIPA conference, captured first place for in-depth reporting, first place for online interactivity, second place for best of show and many other first, second and third place awards.

Dean, the editor in chief of the Lariat, was awarded Editor of the Year for 2010.

“I don’t want to be pinpointed out of the entire group of staffers I work with,” Dean wrote in a letter outlining why he deserved the award. “I’m not the great one. We — as a group — make a great paper.”

Along with the Lariat, the Round Up yearbook won 28 awards, including first place for overall excellence and cover design, and Focus magazine earned an honorable mention for overall design in addition to four other awards.

The conference, which began Thursday, included on-site competitions and workshops, and culminated in a banquet Saturday where the awards were given out.

“It speaks to the talent of those individuals,” Carr said. “They not only knew what they were doing, but also worked to excel at it.”

The student publications at Baylor are no strangers to winning awards. Last year, the Lariat, Round Up and Focus magazine combined to win 53 awards at the TIPA conference and a total of 93 awards in all competitions entered.

“[They] do great work,” Julie Freeman, assistant media adviser, said. “It’s nice to have it recognized by other people.”

A full list of the awards won at the contest is available here.