The Brooklyn College Vanguard student newspaper is now the “Award Winning” Brooklyn College student newspaper.
The New York Press Association awarded the Brooklyn College Vanguard first place for “General Excellence” in the college newspaper section of their 2020 Better Newspaper Contest Awards.
“There is a lot to like about the Vanguard, but I especially loved its pursuit of hard news and watchdog journalism,” the award wrote. “The publication also has a good variety of stories, each displaying quality writing, design, and photography.”
The Ithacan at Ithaca College followed the Vanguard in second place, and The Hill News at St. Lawrence University took third. The Ithacan also won first prize for Best College Newspaper, which is awarded based on performance on all subsequent awards. The Vanguard’s Managing Editor Moises Taveras placed third for Best Feature Story.
“Great lede to begin with and then a fully developed story that does a stellar job of explaining the topic,” the award wrote of Taveras’s story, which was either his coverage on the Dead Sea Scrolls or BC’s Hackathon – the NYPA did not specify.
The New York Press Association has hosted the Better Newspaper Awards since 1930. Each year, NYPA members vote for submitted papers in several categories, including College Newspaper, or subsections like Best News Story and Best Column. This year was the first time the Vanguard submitted to the contest.
“The term ‘general excellence’ says it all,” said the Vanguard’s Faculty Advisor Anthony Mancini. “A well-deserved honor for Ryan Schwach and his dogged and dedicated staff.”
The Vanguard will receive a plaque with its award that will be put up in the office as soon as they let us back into it.