The Los Angeles Loyolan and Tower Yearbook have again been nominated for a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Loyola Marymount University is one of only two colleges in the country to have both their student-run newspaper and yearbook as finalists for this year’s awards.
“Being nominated for a Gold Crown award reflects the dedication and commitment that students put into their work,” says Tom Nelson, director of Student Media at LMU. “All media areas are completely student-run, which makes it even better when a prestigious organization like the Columbia Scholastic Press Association honors that effort.”
It is the third time in the Loyolan‘s history to be nominated by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for a Gold Crown Award. The Tower has won the Gold Crown three times, most recently for its 2013 book, according to Nelson.
“It demonstrates the talent that our student leaders possess in all aspects of creating media content,” adds Nelson. “It’s nice to have this opportunity to recognize and celebrate their hard work and ability.”
In the 2014-2015 year, the Loyolan published breaking news such as Timothy Law Snyder being named as LMU’s next president, award-winning articles including “Why I’m proud to be a losing Lion” by Andrew Rezk and “It happens here: an open letter” by Chelsea Chenelle and Loyolan special reports on sexual assault and race on campus. The Crown Awards honor student publications on both high school and college levels for print and digital formats.
“Crowns are selected for overall excellence in a head-to-head comparison,” according to the CSPA’s website. “During Crown consideration, publications are judged on their excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing.”
Both the Loyolan editor-in-chief Ali Swenson and Tower editor-in-chief Mali McGuire expressed their excitement in a Loyolan story announcing the nominations.
“I’m thrilled that we were nominated for a Crown Award,” says Swenson, a senior psychology major. “It’s one of the most prestigious awards for college journalism in the country, and it’s so encouraging to see that our staff’s dedication and effort has been noticed by a greater body. I’m also excited that our nomination was for a hybrid award — meaning one for both print and digital journalism — because we’ve really focused on reaching a digital and mobile audience in new ways in the past few years.”
McGuire, a junior biology major, adds, “I am very grateful for and proud of the staff I had the pleasure of working with last year to produce such a sophisticated, collaborative publication.”
The final Gold Crown Award winners for this year will be announced at the CSPA ceremonies in New York City in March.
Parts of this story originally appeared in a Jan. 15, 2016 article in the Los Angeles Loyolan.