ORLANDO, Fla. – The Black College Communication Association (BCCA) held its annual awards ceremony on Friday, November 1. The BCCA awards was a part of the National College Media Convention which was held in Orlando, Fla., from October 31-November 3.
Attending the BCCA awards were noted Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Southern University, Florida A&M University, North Carolina Central University, Tennessee State University, Clark Atlanta University, North Carolina A&T University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Albany State University, and Alcorn State University.
BCCA awards were handed out to select winners in the categories of: Best Student Newspaper – weekly and biweekly, Best Online Newspaper, Best in-depth Story or Series, Best News Story, Best News Coverage, Best features, Best Sports Story, Best Sports Coverage, Best Graphic Design, Best Layout, Best Commentary, and Best Individual Photo.
Representing the Southern Digest at the awards banquet was Gary Holloway, Janene Tate, Edith Wright and Kyra Jenkins.
“This was truly a wonderful experience for us. We got a chance to interact with other editors of other school papers to share ideas and experiences,” said Janene Tate, Digest A&E Editor.
The Digest picked up five awards in the categories of Best Online Newspaper, (second-place), Best Sports Story (second-place), Best Sports Coverage (first-place), Best Individual Graphic Design (Tied first-place) and Best Individual Photo (second-place).
Brandi Jade Thomas, former Digest Editor in Chief, won best Individual Graphic Design; Thomas also took second place in the Best Individual Photo category.
” I’m glad to see that the Digest is still benefiting from my work. The staff and I worked very hard to make the paper a success. I really must thank my Managing Editor Gary Holloway, News Editor Gabrielle Maple and advisor Derick Hackett for being there with me all the way,” said Thomas who is currently employed by the Associated Press in Chicago.
Current Opinions Editor A.J. Griffith teamed up with Frederic Batiste, last year’s yearbook editor, to capture second place in the Best Sports Story category for their feature article: Is Southern I-A ready? Due to the leadership of former Sports Editor Niqueta Williams, the Digest was able to win Best Sports Coverage.
“It was a lot of hard work but it was dedication that made my sports section the best in the BCCA,” said Williams.
The judges for the awards consisted of editors and writers for such established newspapers such as The Baltimore Sun, Newsday, The Gannett Co. and The Washington Post.
The BCCA is a not-for-profit organization, established through a grant from the Freedom Forum. Membership consists of administrators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with communications programs. The BCCA operates through annual dues from members and grants from foundations. The mission of BCCA is to identify resources necessary for strengthening communications programs at HBCU’s.
