The Rider News Earns 11 N.J. Collegiate Press Association Awards

The Rider News, the student newspaper of Rider University, took home a robust 11 awards, including seven first-place nods, in the 2012-13 New Jersey Collegiate Press Association (NJCPA) College Newspaper contest. The 11 total awards match The Rider News’ previous high, set in 2008.

“I’m very proud of all the editors and the staff,” said Executive Editor and Journalism major Emily Eiermann ’13 in The Rider News. “We’ve worked really hard all year, and it’s great to see our efforts have paid off.”

Editors chose articles from the previous year to enter in the contest, in which two- and four-year colleges are judged separately. For each category, a staff writer could submit up to two articles. The winning staffers and their distinctions were:

• News Writing: News editor Katie Zeck ’14 and reporter Joe Petrizzo ’13 shared first place for “Let’s Get Fiscal” with an entry from Seton Hall.
• Feature Writing: Arts & Entertainment editor Nicole Veenstra ’13 shared first place for “Gleek snags break on reality show” and “Fulbright winner says ‘guten tag’ to Austria” with an entry from The College of New Jersey
• Biography/Personal Profile: Sports editor David Pavlak ’13 claimed first place for “Fenlator pilots life’s struggles and joys,” and “Thompson makes his mark,” while editorial staff news editor Jen Maldonado ’14 took third place for “Well, we’re not moving.”
• Editorial Writing: Editorial page editor Kristy Grinere ’13 shared first place for “Banishing the bad from the banner system” and “Shootings spark new safety tactics” with an entry from The College of New Jersey; and Petrizzo claimed third place for “Barack the vote: Obama to assist higher education.”
• Sports Writing: Pavlak received first place for “Rider looks to rock the rim this season.”
• General Photography: Photography editor Maggie Sarlo ’13 shared first place for “Superstorm Sandy” and “From snitch to witch” with an entry from Kean University.
• Sports Photography: Photographer Ben Strahle ’16 earned third place for “Women’s soccer wants wins in last two home games” and “Rider rallies, but falls in 6 a.m. game.”
• Layout & Design: The editorial staff claimed second place for “Weird NJ showcases the state’s spookiest secrets” and “Braving the bobsled.”
• General Excellence: The editorial staff claimed first place for the February 22, 2013, and December 7, 2012, issues. This category considers the entire issue for overall quality.

The contest was judged by active or former editors, writers and photographers of newspapers that are New Jersey Press Association members. The honored staff will receive their awards at the NJCPA’s Spring Awards Program and Luncheon Conference on Saturday, April 20 at the Courtyard Marriott Cranbury-South Brunswick in Cranbury.

Dr. Graham McKinley, professor of Journalism, and Dr. Thomas Simonet, professor of Journalism, are faculty a co-advisers for The Rider News. Allie Ward ’11 is a guest adviser.