CSPA awards MacJournalism 17 Gold Circle Awards

Of 91 first-place winners nationwide, seven are from Mac; MacPhotoJ captures four ATPI awards

Madison Olsen

After McCallum beat Calallen, 20-7, to make it to the fifth round of playoffs, senior Max Perez and Coach Thomas Gammerdinger celebrate the historic win. “The feeling of winning this game is indescribable,” Perez said. “Calallen is a really good team and that win just proved to us we were just as good and better. It really showed how much our hard work paid off, and I couldn’t be happier.” This image was part of Madison’s yearbook photo portfolio that won a First Place 2019 CSPA Gold Circle Award. Gregory James’ online story about the game also won a first place Gold Circle Award. Photo by Madison Olsen.

MacJournalism news team
February 2, 2019

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association announced via email on Thursday that it had awarded MacJournalism students 17 Gold Circle Awards in its annual national individual competition for yearbook and digital media staffs.

The 17 awards included seven first-place awards. The contest attracted a total of 5,309 yearbook and digital media entries submitted in 91 categories. There is only one first place winner in each category, so MacJournalism captured first place in seven of 91 categories in one of the most competitive individual scholastic journalism competitions in the country.

“I have had some pretty special staffs over the years,” adviser Dave Winter said. “I am not sure I have ever had seven first-place winners in one Gold Circle announcement until now.”

Shield co-editor in chief Sophie Ryland played in big part in MacJournalism’s success in the contest. The senior won five awards on her own and teamed up with 2018 graduate Aly Candelas for a sixth.

Madison Olsen, the only student who served on both the Shield and Knight staffs in 2017-2018, won four awards for her writing and her photography and was part of award-winning caption-writing team that also included 2018 yearbook co-editor-in-chief Elena Henderson and 2019 senior yearbook staffer Margaret Olson. Olsen won first-place in the yearbook photo portfolio category and second place in the digital media photo portfolio category.

On Friday, the day after the CSPA announcement, MacJournalism found out that it had placed four winners in the latest Association of Texas Photography Instructors Social Media Contest. Sophomore Bela Tapperson and freshmen Anna McClellan and Elly Schottman all earned honorable-mention awards for their photos that touched on the contest theme #ATPILightsOut. MacJournalism adviser Dave Winter earned a third-place award in the faculty division for his picture of Chinese lanterns in Chinatown, San Francisco.

The complete list of McCallum winners is listed below with links to the winning entries when possible.

2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Award Winners

Yearbook winners

Category 7 — Sidebar writing

First Place: Jacqueline McLellan, “Coming September 2018,” The Knight

Category 9 — Caption/cutline writing

Second Place: Elena Henderson, Madison Olsen and Margaret Olson, The Knight

Category 21 — Photo portfolio

First Place — Madison Olsen, The Knight

Fans, players, their parents and all of Mac nation responded with euphoria to the Knights’ 38-33 victory over arch rival LBJ at Nelson Field. Senior JB Faught made a touch down saving tackle, but LBJ still had a chance to score. Senior Tyrell Washington made the tackle that ended it all on fourth down ending the game for the Knights’ first victory over LBJ since 2014.Photo by Madison Olsen.

Digital Media winners

Category 1 — Breaking news

First Place: Madison Olsen, “Students Storm Capitol to Ask for Safer Schools,” The Shield Online

Category 4 — News feature

Certificate of Merit: Sophie Ryland, “Documentary Crew Explores Texas-Mexico Border, Considers How Trump’s Wall Would Impact Rio Grande,” The Shield Online

Category 5 — In-depth news/feature story

First Place: Sophie Ryland, “AISD: A Segregated District, Then and Now,” The Shield Online

Third Place: Sophie Ryland, “Teachers Fight for Their Right to Fair Pay,” The Shield Online

Category 7 — Personal opinion: On-campus issues

Third Place: Sophie Ryland, “We Regret to Inform You,” The Shield Online

Category 10 — Blogging

First Place: Max Rhodes, “Rhodes Traveled,” The Shield Online

Category 13 — Sports news

First Place: Gregory James, “Knights D Cages Calallen to Win Region IV Final, Extend Playoff Run,” The Shield Online

Third Place: Sophie Ryland, “Cheerleaders, Choir Join National Protest,” The Shield Online

Category 16 — General feature

Second Place: Kristen Tibbetts, “Sixteen Quinces,” The Shield Online

Category 22 — Single spot news photograph

Second Place: Madison Olsen, “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High Senior Jack Haimowitz Shares an Embrace,” The Shield Online

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High senior Jack Haimowitz shares an embrace after his emotional speech at today’s #marchforourlives at the Texas Capitol in downtown Austin. Haimowitz spoke of the awful Feb. 14 shooting on his campus. “What took place on Valentine’s Day not only stripped the students of Douglas of their innocence, but it brutally ripped 17 lives from their homes.” He also spoke of the resolve he and his classmates and have found since the shooting. “We are the change we never knew we needed, and we have found the strength that we never knew we were looking for. … Every day I see people not only wishing for change but refusing to accept anything else.” He also pleaded with the audience for unity. “If we ever wish to fully overcome the hatred and fear of a scale such as this, we must unite as Americans regardless of the societal, racial and physical constructs put in place to hinder our unification.” Photo by Madison Olsen.

Category 26 — Photography Portfolio of work

Second Place: Madison Olsen, The Shield Online

Najai Mckenzie Robinson of Crockett High School falls to her knees on the steps of the Capitol, screaming “Don’t shoot” to protest school shootings and discontent with gun-control legislation. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Certificate of Merit: Bella Russo, The Shield Online

Bella Russo
Junior Alexa Fannin spikes the ball between two Anderson defenders during the Knights’ 3-2 victory over the Trojans at Anderson on Friday night. Fannin, who played for Anderson last year as a sophomore, had eight of the Knights’ 51 kills for the match. Photo by Bella Russo.

Category 30 — Cartoon Portfolio of work

First Place: Charlie Holden, The Shield Online

Cartoon by Charlie Holden.

Category 39 — Video News Package

Third Place: Aly Candelas and Sophie Ryland, “Students Storm Capitol to Ask for Safer Schools,” The Shield Online

2019 Association of Texas Photography Instructors #ATPILightsOut Social Media Contest

Honorable Mention: Anna McClellan

Honorable Mention: Elly Schottman

Honorable Mention: Bela Tapperson

Third Place (Faculty Division): Dave Winter