The Barry Buccaneer, Barry University’s college newspaper won two awards recently from the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Mark of Excellence competition and two more in the Florida College Press Association (FCPA) contest.
The Buccaneer brought home first place in feature writing and second place in general news photography for SPJ’s Southeast region encompassing Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The Mark of Excellence award is geared toward university student journalists. The paper also earned two more awards from FCPA, which is open to all student journalists in Florida colleges and universities. The Buccaneer was awarded first place in photography and second place in the feature design category.
Jackisha Fanfan took first place in the feature story category for a story about the injuries wearing really high heels can cause. The story included interviews with Barry’s School of Podiatric Medicine professors and was well-told from top to bottom.
The Buccaneer also took second place in the general news photography category with a photo that freelancer A.J. Gonzalez took of the annual College Brides Walk to bring awareness to domestic violence. The photo is an action shot and is extremely well-composed – “you can see the emotion in the photo,” said Buccaneer faculty advisor Susannah Nesmith.
This same photo won first place in the FCPA news photo category.
“I’m so proud of the students who won these awards and the BUC editors who edited them and shepherded them through the publishing process,” she said. "They all worked hard, and continue to.”
Susan Dorta won second place in FCPA’s feature design category for her layout of a two-page feature on alumni tips for new graduates.
“I am very proud that the hard work of the Buccaneer staff and the faculty advisor, Susannah, has been recognized,” said College of Arts and Science Dean Karen Callaghan. “The overall quality of the paper has been improving and the Buccaneer is now competitive with the publications of other colleges and universities in this region. Congratulations to all who helped produce these great contributions.”