Members of The Appalachian student-run news organization received 19 national college media awards at MediaFest22, the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention, held Oct. 26-30, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Additionally, their adviser, Allison Bennett Dyche, was recognized as a Four-Year Distinguished Newspaper Adviser of the Year for 2022. The convention serves student and adviser members of the hosting organizations — the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and the College Media Association (CMA). This year, the convention also partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
Members of The Appalachian student-run news organization received 19 national college media awards at MediaFest22
The Appalachian participated in three prestigious national college media competitions: the ACP Pacemaker and Individual Awards, the CMA Pinnacle Awards, and the ACP Best in Show Awards.
The ACP Pacemaker Awards are collegiate journalism's preeminent awards. They are judged by a team of professionals who review the coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, design, photography, and graphics of each entry. The Pacemakers are the most competitive and honored prizes at this level and are often called the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism.
The Appalachian was named a winner of the Online Pacemaker Award for their website, The Appalachian. A total of 31 online sites from universities across North America were selected as finalists, and only 17 were chosen as winners, showcasing the best student-run news websites in the country. "Today's best online sites are platforms for rich multimedia storytelling," ACP associate director Gary Lundgren said. "Deep and diverse coverage with strong engagement and interactivity distinguish the best student-produced sites."
The Appalachian was also named a finalist in the Innovation Pacemaker Award category for their entry of their Best of Boone annual readers' choice survey and print edition and how it serves both the campus and local communities. The ACP website notes that the Innovation Pacemaker Award is "designed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and reward student media for the courage to take chances to improve service to their customers, readers, and communities." The Innovation Pacemaker Award is a newer category, starting in 2020. The Innovation category is open to entries from all types of student media outlets — newspapers, magazines, broadcasts, and websites — making the competition for the award fierce.
The ACP Individual Awards "recognize the top levels of national achievement within an academic year," and entries are judged by "professionals with experience and expertise" in each category, according to the ACP website. In this competition, The Appalachian earned nine accolades (included in the list below) for their work in the 2021-2022 academic year.
According to their website, the CMA Pinnacle Awards "honor the best college media organizations and individual work" and includes two broad categories: Organizational and Individual. In the Pinnacles competition, The Appalachian was presented with five awards (included in the list below) for their work in the 2021-2022 academic year.
"Last academic year, our staff jumped into revitalizing our print production, buying into recruitment and newsroom community, and producing stellar journalism for the App State and Boone community," said Emily Broyles, who served as editor-in-chief of The Appalachian during the 2021-2022 academic year. "These awards from ACP and CMA, especially in the Pacemaker category, show the passion and high-quality work students at The Appalachian put in daily to serve readers. It also shows the great leadership of adviser Allison Bennett Dyche. I am tremendously proud of everyone at The Appalachian for this recognition and am so happy to see their continued success this school year." Broyles, who graduated from App State in May 2022, now works as an audience growth producer in the southeast region for the McClatchy Company, an American publishing company based in Sacramento, California.
The ACP Best in Show Award winners "represent the best student media represented at the convention," said Ron Johnson, Communications Director for ACP. More than 500 collegiate students and advisers were registered for the convention, representing universities across North America, from San Diego, California, to Ontario, Canada. The Best in Show Awards recognize achievement in organizational and individual competition categories, ranging from Best Newspaper to Best Social Justice Reporting, and every university registered for the convention is eligible to compete in the Best in Show Awards. The Best in Show Awards are primarily for work from June to October 2022.
The Appalachian competed in the categories for large schools, with student populations over 20,000. The Appalachian was recognized with three awards in the ACP Best in Show competition.
Aubrey Smith, current editor-in-chief of The Appalachian
"I am so honored and excited that The Appalachian has received recognition from CMA and ACP for the hard work of our staff," said Aubrey Smith, current editor-in-chief of The Appalachian. "Our staff works tirelessly on top of their classwork and already heavy workloads to provide pertinent information to our community and campus, an enormous responsibility our team eagerly takes on. The Appalachian would not be where it is today without the dedication of our student journalists, and I am beyond proud to lead and work with such a determined and talented staff. "Smith previously served as Arts & Culture Editor of The Appalachian during the 2021-2022 academic year. She is a junior journalism and public relations double major in the Department of Communication.
During the convention, Allison Bennett Dyche, adviser to The Appalachian, was recognized with the CMA's Four-Year Distinguished Adviser of the Year award. Dyche was one of four newspaper advisers nationwide to receive the honor.
Additionally, six students and one adviser attended the convention to represent Appalachian State University. Students in attendance were: Aubrey Smith, Editor-in-Chief of The Appalachian; Andrew Rice, Political Editor of The Appalachian; Samuel Cooke, photographer for The Appalachian; Sarah Kruger, sports reporter for The Appalachian; Ashton Woodruff, sports reporter and photographer for The Appalachian; and Alex Urquiza, sports reporter for The Appalachian and producer and reporter for AppTV. Allison Bennett Dyche, the adviser to both The Appalachian, also attended the convention.
The Appalachian relies on advertising revenue and donor support to fund its operations. Please click here to support the student journalists at The Appalachian through a monetary gift. To learn more about advertising opportunities with The Appalachian, please visit: Advertise with the Appalachian. To learn more about other ways to support The Appalachian and its mission, please get in touch with dycheab@appstate.edu or 828-262-6770.
The following awards were presented to The Appalachian by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) for their annual Pacemaker & Individual Awards national competition. The complete list can be found here: Student Press Pacemaker Finalists. The awards were presented Oct. 28, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
2022 Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Pacemaker Awards
Online Pacemaker Award
• Winner, The Appalachian website, staff, The Appalachian
Innovation Pacemaker Award
• Finalist, Best of Boone annual readers choice survey/orientation guide, staff (entry put together by Aubrey Smith, Gabrielle Troutman, Cameron Burnett), The Appalachian
2022 ACP Individual Awards
2022 Best Use of Social Media, category
Social Media Reporting
• Honorable Mention, "Report shows faculty of color retiring early due to 'toxic work environment,'" Cameron Stuart and Hollie Moore, The Appalachian, 12/08/2021
Multimedia Story of the Year, category
Photo Slideshow
• Third Place, "From Blue Ridge to Blue Room: Local tree selected for White House display," Jesse Barber, The Appalachian, 11/18/2021
Podcast
• Fifth Place, "BOO-ne, Episode 1: Appalachian Witchcraft & Folklore," Ella Adams, Mia Mendez, Evan Byrd, The Appalachian, 10/21/2021
Story of the Year, category
Editorial
• Second Place, "Nikole Hannah-Jones, the UNC System does not deserve you," staff, The Appalachian
Photo of the Year, category
Sports Game/Action Photo
• Honorable Mention, "Women's soccer falls 2-1 to Coastal Carolina," Samuel Cooke, The Appalachian
Advertisement of the Year, category
Digital Advertisement
• Fourth Place, "Best of Boone last day of voting," Xanayra Marin-Lopez, The Appalachian
• Honorable Mention, "Best of Boone 2022 voting," Xanayra Marin-Lopez, Mia Mendez, Meg Powell, The Appalachian
Newspaper Special Section/Advertising
• Second Place, "Best of Boone 2022," staff, The Appalachian
Media Kit
• Honorable Mention, "The Appalachian 2022-2023 Media Kit," Jessica Kimes, The Appalachian
The following awards were presented to The Appalachian and The Peel by the College Media Association (CMA) for their annual Pinnacle Awards national competition. The awards were presented Oct. 27, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. The complete list can be found here: College Media Association.
2022 CMA Pinnacle Awards
Individual Awards
Design Pinnacles
Best Advertisement
• Honorable Mention, Appalachian Nails & Co., Makenzie Hamrick, The Appalachian, Best of Boone 2022 edition
Online Pinnacles
Best Multimedia Breaking News Story
• Second Place, "UPDATE: University employee arrested for hidden camera in residence hall," Jenna Guzman, The Appalachian, 10/27/2021
Best Viral Video
• Honorable Mention, "Best of Boone Promotional Tweet," Xanayra Marin-Lopez and Mia Mendez, 02/21/2022, The Appalachian
Photo Pinnacles
Best Photo Package
• Honorable Mention, "Mountain music and Mountaineers: Luke Combs returns home," Max Correa, 09/07/2021, The Appalachian
Advertising Pinnacles
Best Rate Card/Media Kit
• Honorable Mention, The Appalachian Media Kit 2022-2023, Jessica Kimes
The following awards were presented to The Appalachian and The Peel by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) for their fall Best in Show competition at MediaFest22. The awards were presented Oct. 30, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
2022 Best In Show Awards
Podcast
• First Place, BOO-ne, Episode 2: Monsters of the Backwoods, Ella Adams, Evan Byrd, The Appalachian
Digital Newsletter
Four-year campus
• Second Place, The Appalachian, staff
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Four-year campus with more than 15,000 students
• Eighth Place, The Appalachian, September 2022 print edition
The Appalachian Students with Awards
The Appalachian Students with Awards