The Arka Tech student newspaper at Arkansas Tech University captured five awards during the 2017 Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), which was hosted by the University of Mississippi in Oxford Feb. 16-18.
As a staff, the Arka Tech brought home the third-place award for best opinion-editorial writing.
Amber Quaid earned sixth place in best news graphic designer and eighth place in best newspaper page layout designer. Karen Ricketts collected a fourth-place award for best special event reporter/editor, while Claudia Young finished third in an on-site competition for news photography.
Twenty-nine universities and colleges submitted 469 entries for the SEJC Best of the South competition.
“I am extremely proud of our staff,” said Young, editor in chief of the Arka Tech. “While some of our staff did not win awards, we branched out and tried new things, which is really what journalism is all about. I think this experience has made us better journalists. Although I am graduating in May, I know that they will make me proud next year as well. It’s been such an honor being editor for this team.”
The Arka Tech staff members attending the SEJC had an opportunity to hear presentations by journalists from the New York Times, the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, ESPN’s The Undefeated, the Miami Herald and Oxford Magazine.
Learn more about the ATU Department of Communication and Journalism.
