UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Student Media Wins Press Association Awards

April 3, 2019

Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Senior Director of Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303

The University of Texas at Tyler has announced that its student media won six awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association's 2019 convention in Corpus Christi.

Student media programs from colleges and universities throughout the state submitted entries and were judged in divisions based on enrollment and publication schedules.

Award recipients included UT Tyler students working on The Patriot in the fall and the Patriot Talon last spring.

"I am so proud to see the continued winning streak of our student media," said Dr. Dennis Robertson, chair of the Department of Communication. "With a big rebranding effort, news products such as the Inspired Minds literary magazine and much staff turnover, Patriot Student Media Productions is tackling a lot, and these awards affirm its commitment to journalism."

For spring 2018, Chandler Gibson of Dallas won first place in the Division III general column category. His column, "The Blue and Orange Needs to Go Green" was a plea for more on-campus recycling. Gibson also won third place in critical review.

The staff as a whole won second place for a feature-page design about the new university president. Aji Fatou Sakho of The Gambia garnered a second-place award in the breaking news category.

Additional awards won by The Patriot staff included:

• Shasta Carwell of Palestine, first place in general news for "Choosing to Stay to Serve Others."

• Vince Tobin of Poynor, first place in the sports column category for "Division 2 – The future of Our Sports."

A member of the prestigious UT System, The University of Texas at Tyler focuses on student success and innovative research in the more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered. With more than 10,000 students, UT Tyler has facilities in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.