Indiana Collegiate Press Association Online Winners
| Rank | Newspaper | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st place | The Observer, University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College | 26 points |
| 2nd place (tie) | The Ball State Daily News, Ball State University | 14 points |
| 2nd place (tie) | Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University | 14 points |
| 3rd place | The Reflector, University of Indianapolis | 7 points |
Best Animation/Interactive Graphic
COVID-19: Mapping the virus' impact on the tri-campus community
Judges' comments: “The interactive elements were well designed and encouraged me to click deeper. Well designed, worked across platforms and browsers.”
Saint Mary's 2010s by the numbers: Race and Ethnicity at Saint Mary's
Judges' comments: “The interactive chart only added to the quality of the journalism. Attractive, well designed. A very professional effort.”
Judges' comments: “This was an outlier and very different from the other submissions. Beautiful design and engaging descriptions drove me deeper than I thought I would go. Disappointed that there was limited interactivity and multimedia.”
Best Blog
May 30, 2020 protests in Indianapolis
Judges' comments: “Use of embedded tweets provided relevancy and currency, even months after the events.”
From the Archives: Father Malloy and the 1992 vote of no confidence
Judges' comments: “Blog page well designed and a pleasure to read.”
Best Breaking News Reporting Online
Two first-year students dead, sophomore hospitalized after car crash
Judges' comments: “Well consutruced breaking news reporting provided just the information my mind wanted as I read along. Style and tone appropriate to the topics.”
Jenkins tests positive for COVID-19
Judges' comments: “Also well done. Wish the headline was journalistically complete — people outside the university probably don't know who "Jenkins" is.”
Emotional crowd pleads for justice
Judges' comments: “Good use of supporting media helped keep a long piece interesting. Whle I am not normally a fan of a narrative style in "Breaking News" it worked to document the event.”
Best Facebook Page
Judges' comments: “Updated with a good mix of social media and news content. Approprate use of the platform and very current.”
Best News Feature Reporting Online
Judges' comments: “Beautiful design and extremely well executed.”
Judges' comments: “A very well produced feature. The reporting team used all media types to maximum benefit to tell Steve's story.”
Neighbors talk politics during a polarized presidential election
Judges' comments: “Timely and topical topic. The "off campus" focus on the community was refreshing.”
Best Overall Website
Judges' comments: “Lots of content, cohesive design made this page stand out.”
Judges' comments: “Exactly what a news website should be. Simple, fast and up to date.”
Best Overall Website Design
Judges' comments: “Well designed, easy navigation. Thanks for providing buffering and white space that makes content easier to acquire. Color coding is very helpful.”
Judges' comments: “Larger fonts and well designed layout. Loaded quickly and I was able to quickly navigate to the news content that I wanted.”
Judges' comments: “The "Accessibility Menu" made this page design stand out.”
Best Podcast
Students React Part I: COVID-19 Response and Reopening
Judges' comments: “In this podcast, students executed research on COVID-19 and racial injustice, conducted a survey, and wanted answers to their questions, answers that they wanted to share with their listeners, and that is when true learning occurs on all sides. This podcast assembles content among multiple hosts as the information was unfolding daily, and featured guests that attacked COVID-19 and racial injustice from multiple intelligences that encourage critical thinking. “The Sixth Seat” podcast was honest, authentic, and was well rounded for the amount of content that needed to be addressed.”
The Recap Episode 1: Notre Dame community remembers first-year students
Judges' comments: “This episode is a fitting tribute for Valeria Espinal and Olivia Laura Rojas. The interviews and the overall piece were touching and authentic. Well written and assembled — a reminder of the fragility of life and the sense of community at Notre Dame.”
Faculty and staff to host 'Black Lives Matter' series
Judges' comments: “Jacey Crawford and The Andersonian address the Black Lives Matter movement with concision. The production quality was good, and the appropriate audio elements were used. The script was well prepared, with good content, and assembled effectively. I am certain Jacey Crawford's name will be heard again, nice work.”
Best Slideshow
Local legends visit Ball State
Judges' comments: “Great package of images from what looks like an unplanned event. Nice assortment of photos of the celebrities and campus notables (and the interactions between them). Good visual storytelling.”
Judges' comments: “Fun photo package with a good variety of shots. Would like to have seen more images and more specificity in the cutlines.”
Judges' comments: “Some nice composition in these, as well as a good balance of different types of images. Would like to have seen all packaged in a single slideshow with cutlines for each image.”
Best Special Presentation
Judges' comments: “This presentation draws on a broad assortment of media offerings -— audio, video, photo, graphics -- to effectively support the story on the YOC. Not only is content delivered in a professional, concise manner, but editing is strong as well. Great work by everyone involved.”
What remains: Students return to a changed IU
Judges' comments: “The simple use of photos to illustrate students' return to a post-quarantine campus is not only interesting, it's an effective way to draw in the audience. There's value in examining familiar spaces following the pandemic quarantine. Good photo choices utilized throughout this presentation.”
The president's speeches: Looking back on Michael McRobbie's tenure by analyzing his words
Judges' comments: “This effort provides an unexpected, insightful analysis of the outgoing president's perspective over his tenure. It's an interesting look at the man and his focus and is a fresh way of approaching a retirement story.”
Best Use of Social Media
Judges' comments: “Excellent use of social media to highlight a story of considerable impact to your campus. The reverse type quotes provide a unifying visual element between platforms while adding emphasis and impact to the most important parts of the story. The mix of breaking news and followup reporting demonstrates the IDS' commitment to excellent journalism and telling the whole story.”
Student Response to the Confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Judges' comments: “An engaging and well-edited video that captures the competing protests and the controversy over Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. The use of modern editing techniques as opposed to a more traditional news video helps set the stage quickly for why the protest is happening and allows the voices of those speaking to stand out.”
Judges' comments: “Like most of the competitors in this category, the Franklin does a nice job of utilizing Twitter to push its web/print stories. But the Franklin takes it a step further than other entrants in this category by utilizing Twitter's immediacy functions to better engage its audience through live tweeting events and reaching out to the audience to share their own experience with some of the topics they cover.”
Best Video
How the Woodworth mac and cheese is made
Judges' comments: “This was a fun documentary video that serves both the regular audience who know about Ball State's incredible Mac and Cheese while providing enough context for those who don't to understand why it's a big deal. Great interviews with students and the chef who makes it paired with some delicious visuals keep the video engaging and informative from start to finish.”
Molly Kinder reflects on her experience as first Irish Guardswoman
Judges' comments: “A compelling interview anchors an important story about how hard it is to be the first woman to break a gender barrier. Molly Kinder did just that, and the video team here tells her story remarkably with archival imagery and a well-cut interview that captures not only how tough it was to be the first, but how tough it is to speak out about the way she was treated 20 years later. The subject's bravery is on full display, and the video team gives her a great platform with which to speak.”
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the fashion industry in surprising ways
Judges' comments: “Great storytelling through quick interview bites, compelling images and quality voice-over work. High quality audio and video quality and a leisurely pace make this an informative video that not only offers ideas for pandemic fashion but also explores how the pandemic has made fashion more accessible to all.”