The Signal wins 2022 Columbia Silver Crown Award
The Signal won their third Silver Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) March 30. All three Gold Crown Digital News finalists were awarded Silver Crown Awards for 2022.
“When I took over as Editor-in-Chief, I never expected that my time would be marked with a global pandemic and multiple social justice movements,” said former Editor-in-Chief Emily Wolfe. “As the university and our social world shifted, so did The Signal. We operated over Zoom and altered the way we interviewed, wrote and edited articles. I am so unbelievably proud of each person on staff for their work and dedication. While I’m so honored that CSPA recognized The Signal as worthy of a Crown Award during this unprecedented time, I am more appreciative that I was blessed with such an amazing and hardworking staff.”
The Signal was announced as a finalist for the 2022 Gold Crown Award in February. This is the fourth time The Signal has won a Crown Award. The Signal won Silver Crown Awards in 2016 and 2019, and a Gold Crown Award in 2020.
“I am continually in awe of the work done by The Signal staff,” said Manager of Student Publications and The Signal adviser Lindsay Humphrey. “No matter what obstacles they face, be it rapidly changing news, difficulties tracking down sources, balancing a full workload with a full course load, to navigating their way through a global pandemic, this group of students produces award-winning journalism every single week. And they’re publishing almost the same amount of work a staff double their size would! I could not be more proud of the staff, and I am thrilled that they are receiving this recognition for all of their hard work.”
The Signal won two awards from the Associated Collegiate Press at the 2021 Fall College Media Convention:
- Former Editor-in-Chief Emily Wolfe won 1st place for Multimedia Story of the Year: Interactive Graphic – “How ‘The Big 6’ led the Civil Rights Movement”
- Former Online Editor Alyssa Shotwell won 2nd place for Multimedia Story of the Year: Blog – “Alyssa Curates the Internet”
The Signal editorial staff attended the College Media Association Convention in New York City from March 9-12. There, The Signal received the following recognitions at the Apple Awards:
- Honorable Mention for Best Facebook Page
- Second Place for Best COVID Coverage
At the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Convention, The Signal staff participated in on-site competitions against 300 students from 29 colleges across the state. Editor-in-Chief Miles Shellshear won Honorable Mention for the Public Relations Release Writing competition. Managing Editor of Content & Operations Troylon Griffin II won 1st place for the Headline Writing competition.
“It feels absolutely phenomenal and very validating to win these awards,” said Griffin. “I’ve been working in journalistic settings since I was in high school so to be recognized in college for my journalistic endeavors is truly something I’m proud of. I’m happy to have participated in the competitions put on by TIPA this year!
The Signal also won the following awards from TIPA:
- Third place for Overall Excellence – Website
- Third place for Web Design – Overall
- 2nd place for General Column for “IMO: Recognizing the power and necessity as a student journalist”
- Honorable Mention for Static Information Graphic for “INFOGRAPHIC: UHCL employs Hawks through student jobs”
