Agromeck wins Silver Crown; individuals recognized nationally

N.C. State’s yearbook, the Agromeck, received a Silver Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at the association’s national convention in New York City March 19.

Jaime Trivette edited the 2004 edition of the 102nd edition of the Agromeck, funded through advertising sales and student fee monies. Other senior staff members included Austin Dowd, photography editor; Josh Bassett, designer; Lucy Tatum Austin, student life editor; and Erik Snyder, academics editor. Bradley Wilson is the yearbook staff adviser.

“I thought the book was good, but I guess I was a little partial,” said 2004 editor Jaime Trivette. “I just never expected that so soon after Agromeck was brought back to life that it would win a Silver Crown.” Four college yearbooks received Gold Crown awards.

• Citadel, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA;
• Ibis, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL;
• Petit Jean, Harding University, Searcy, AR; and
• Royal Purple, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.

Five college yearbooks received Silver Crown awards.

• Agromeck, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC;
• Arbutus, Indiana University at Bloomington, Bloomington, IN;
• La Vie, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA;
• Sooner, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK;
• The Bluestone, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

“Winning the Silver Crown is a major accomplishment, but even more than that is the fact that we brought back a dying yearbook in two years and made it competitive with some of the best yearbooks in the nation. Being a university without a journalism major and still winning a Crown with a staff of engineers and science major is amazing,” Trivette, herself a biology major, said.

The Agromeck was the only North Carolina collegiate publication of any kind to be named a finalist. This is the first time the Agromeck, or any N.C. State publication, has received a Crown award, one of the nation’s two highest awards for college publications. The Gold Crown award, given since 1982, represents the top 2 percent of media in the nation.

“All the effort and time everyone put in made this book a success,” Trivette said. “Our photos and design helped win the Silver Crown. Last year, our photographers grew under the leadership of Austin Dowd (and continue to do so) and the design turned out beautiful with all the time and effort that Josh Bassett put in.”

The Crown Awards are considered at Columbia by panels of invited judges, working in small groups to review each publication. During Crown consideration, publications are judged on their excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing. Crown Awards summarize overall excellence in the entire publication and function as a “top-down” view of general excellence.

“One objective measure of the quality of student media publications and programs are regional and national competitions,” Wilson said. “Such competitions also serve as a comparative measure to peer institutions, and in the case of N.C. State, a comparison of how State students match up to students at institutions with journalism degree programs. Based on the recognition the publications have been receiving, I’d say we’re competing quite favorably.”

In addition to the overall Crown award, six spreads from the 2004 edition of the Agromeck, received top individual honors from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

• First place, Division Page Design, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd
• First place, Yearbook Advertising Spread, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd
• Second place, Organizations or Greeks Spread for Yearbook, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd
• Second place, Yearbook Color Spread, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd
• Third place, Yearbook Student Life Spread, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd
• Certificate of Merit, Yearbook Academic Spread, Josh Bassett & Austin Dowd

“Columbia is proud to give these awards to these energetic and talented student journalists,” Edmund J. Sullivan, CSPA Director, said. “We congratulate them on their enterprising work.”

College student journalists sent 4,571 entries in the same 75 categories in the separately judged collegiate division. A total of 498 First, Second, Third Place or Certificate of Merit awards were given in the collegiate division. According to CSPA, the Gold Circle Awards recognize outstanding student writers, editors, designers and photographers in the country. The Gold Circle is the largest national competition for individual achievement in college, university and senior high school publications throughout the United States. The program offers 75 categories for individual entries in verbal and visual categories for newspapers, yearbooks, magazines and videos.

More information on the individual awards.

Other Crown winners are posted on the CSPA Web site: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cspa/2005CollegiateCrowns.html.