North Texas Daily

Caitlyn Jones / Editor-in-Chief

Staff members of the North Texas Daily took home multiple awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in San Antonio this weekend. The organization recognizes media excellence in both two- and four-year universities.

At on-site competitions, visuals editor Edward Balusek won first place for sports photography and senior staff photographer Byron Thompson took the gold for news photography. Features editor Nicholas Friedman placed second in newspaper design. The publication also took home the bronze for the Best in Show category.

For previously submitted entries, views and digital editor Dalton LaFerney placed first in both news story and in-depth reporting for his articles on the fight for fracking and high carcinogen levels in McKenna Park, respectively.

Former staff writer Ehsan Azad tied for second in best sports feature story for his article on coach Dan McCarney’s recurring health problems while former staff photographer Harris Buchannan, senior staff photographer Ryan Vance and staff photographer Devin Dakota took the silver in the photo story category for their coverage of Homecoming.

Senior staff photographer Byron Thompson placed second in best video package for his video work on the story of UNT alumnus John Bramblitt, a blind artist. Editor-in-chief Caitlyn Jones received an honorable mention in the critical review category for her food review on Cups and Crepes while former news editor Joshua Knopp received an honorable mention for best editorial with his opinion on the fracking ban.

The North Texas Daily wasn’t the only group from the Mayborn School of Journalism to receive accolades at TIPA.

In the radio category, KNTU sports reporter Evan Nemec took first in best sportscast and second in feature story. For broadcast, NT Daily News placed second in best newscast while individual reporters Calah Kelly and Rolando Lorenty received honorable mentions for best news feature and best sports non-feature, respectively. Reporter Fabianna Opinones also tied for third in the public affairs category.

The Mayborn Magazine crushed the competition in the general magazine category, taking home the awards for overall excellence and sweepstakes. The staff tied for second in overall design while individual writers took home their fair share of hardware. Amelia Jaycen placed first in news feature story, Jamie Siegle first in feature story, Matt Jones first in column/essay, and Joanna Cattanach first in story package.

Congratulations to all the winners. The North Texas Daily looks forward to representing UNT next year at TIPA in Dallas.