The Student Printz staff remains in the top 10 of southeastern school newspaper staffs and brought home 14 awards for 2009-10 from the Southeast Journalism Conference competitions last week at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La.

SEJC’s annual Best of the South Competition allows students from schools throughout seven southeastern states to enter their best work from the prior year in a competition that pits them against peers. Students who attend the conference also have the chance to compete in an onsite competition which tests their skills further on journalistic efforts created especially for the conference.

Both sets of awards were presented during the conference.  “I am really proud of the students who entered the Best of the South competition and those who attended and competed at the conference itself,” said Maggie Williams, adviser to The Student Printz. “Our students ranked well -- against peers from other Mississippi schools as well as from institutions elsewhere in the southeastern states. This recognition is really special and well deserved.”

Based on results of both onsite and offsite competitions, The Student Printz ranked seventh in the overall standings for the year. SEJC officials announced that 330 entries from 32 schools were judged in the Best of the South contest and that 124 students competed in the onsite events that were part of the SELU conference.

In the Best of the South Contest, members of The Student Printz staff earned the following awards:

A first place finish in the Best Public Service Journalism category for a collection of news stories, photos and opinion columns discussing race relations in 2009 on the USM campus. The Wall Street Journal judge cited the entry as “very good” and called several pieces of the entry “solid,” while noting specific pluses included in individual pieces.
A second place award in the Best Special Event Reporter/Writer category to Lesley Walters, former news editor for The Student Printz, for  a series of news stories regarding the economic crisis the nation has faced in the last several years.
A third place certificate to cartoonist P.J. Rourke for a collection of his editorial cartoons.
Sebe Dale, the webmaster for The Student Printz, took home fourth place honors in the Best News Graphic Designer category for a series of graphics that accompanied news stories. Dale also heads the effort that garnered a fourth place certificate in the Best College Website category. The judge in that category cited studentprintz.com for its “good integration and use of technology,” and its “excellent use of multimedia.”
Bradley Jackson, the newspaper’s copy desk chief, won a fourth place award in the Best Newspaper Page Layout Designer category for a group of entries.
Tyler Cleveland, sports editor for The Student Printz, brought home a fifth place finish in the Best Sports Writer category for a collection of his work.
Aquila, the summer magazine produced by The Student Printz, came in fifth in the Best College Magazine category. The judge in this category cited the publication as “the exact kind of guide students need when they enter campus for the first time.”
Jonathan Andrews, a news writer for The Student Printz, was awarded ninth place in the Best Feature Writing category for a collection of his work.
“These awards are well deserved,” said Jesse Bass, executive editor of The Student Printz. “Everyone on the staff works hard. It’s nice when that hard work pays off with recognition like this.”