Student Media Earns 29 Awards At 2023 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention

Texas A&M University Student Media, which comprises The Battalion, Aggieland Yearbook and Maroon Life, received 29 awards at the 2023 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Convention. Twenty-eight of these awards included categories of writing, design, photography and audio production for content published during the 2022 calendar year.

“The TIPA Convention brings together students who work at a variety of student publications: newspapers, yearbooks, TV stations, radio stations, etc., for workshops, keynote speakers, live contests and networking opportunities,” said Battalion Editor-in-Chief Michaela Rush ’23.

In addition to the 29 awards earned at the convention, Megan Williams ‘25, editor-in-chief of Aggieland Yearbook, and The Battalion Assistant News Editor Ana Renfroe, were elected to the TIPA Executive Board as the student president and vice president, respectively.

“It was awesome to have our publications recognized on a state level and nice to have gratification that we’re doing something right,” said Williams. “I can’t wait to serve TIPA as the student president and put on another convention that was just as successful as this year’s.”

Rush said receiving these awards is an honor, particularly because 2022 was a challenging year for The Battalion. “Our print edition faced criticism, the staff spent time advocating for the importance of independent student journalism, and we operated during most of the fall semester without a full-time adviser,” she said. “The staff of The Battalion works tirelessly to create interesting, relevant and quality content for the Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station communities, so being recognized on a state level is a big achievement.”

Notably, The Battalion earned two Division I Overall Excellence Awards, TIPA’s highest honor, in the newspaper and news production audio categories. The publication has not won the newspaper award since 2019, and this is its first win in the news production audio category.

“In Texas, there are so many impressive student media outlets, we were up against strong competition from our peers, making the honors of Overall Excellence for newspaper and news production-audio that much more meaningful,” Rush said.

First-place awards were earned for the live contest, cover design, and podcast categories. Eight second-place awards, 11 third place awards, and five honorable mentions complete the tally.

Rush and Williams said they did not do this alone and had many to thank for the collective success.

“These awards simply would not have happened without all of the writers, photographers, designers, business staff and editors who worked on The Battalion’s various projects throughout 2022,” Rush said. “Their efforts and commitment to improvement helped us to have one of our most successful years since becoming a student organization. We also owe so much to our former adviser, Douglas Pils, for his constant encouragement and engagement, even following his departure from Texas A&M. Other critical supporters have been the faculty of the Department of Communication and Journalism, who have been mentors and listening ears, from small everyday questions to bigger planning projects for the future of the publication.”

Williams gives credit and kudos to Rush for her constant support. “I wouldn’t have been able to do anything this year without The Battalion Editor-in-Chief Michaela Rush,” she said. “While we’re both struggling, she’s been a shoulder to lean on during this year.”

As they take time to celebrate their success, ever-present deadlines remain for their publications and class work. Williams plans to pursue a career in artifact management and education in museums post-graduation. For now, she will continue to work on preparing the Aggieland Yearbook for final publication.

“The yearbook is going to be submitted in early June so I’m in the process of making pages and creating a book for which we can all be proud,” she said. “My photographers are doing an amazing job and I’m proud of my staff. I can’t wait to see what we create!”

Rush has her eyes set on a career in journalism after graduation this year. “The Battalion has taken these awards as a sign that we’re headed in the right direction, and we want to continue to invest in our existing platforms while also branching out with new ways to share stories with the Aggie community,” she said. “Now that we’ve taken time to celebrate these awards, we’re ready to get back to work and hand over the reins to our new summer and fall leadership teams.”

List of Awards

Division I Overall Excellence Newspaper: The Battalion
Division I Overall Excellence News Production – Audio: “The Batt Signal” and “Home Turf”

First Place
Live Contest – Print News: Ana Renfroe
Cover Design – Newspaper: Ishika Samant, The Battalion — November 17, 2022
Podcast: Jordan Epp, Grant Gaspard, “Tying things up with the Tigers”

Second Place
Breaking News Photo: Ishika Samant, Roe v. Wade Protest
Sports Action Photo: Robert O’Brien, Women’s Swim: A&M vs. Rice
Critical Review: Joey Kirk, Criticism: “Tár”
Program Production – Audio: “The Batt Signal”
General News: Kyle McClenagan, “Drumbeat of war: Possibility of conflict causes study abroad to be scrapped”
Special Edition Design – Print: Robert O’Brien, Fall Sports 2022
Sports Feature Photo: Robert O’Brien, Baseball vs. South Carolina
General Column: Caleb Elizondo, “A modest proposal”

Third Place
Best In Show – Website: The Battalion Staff, thebatt.com
Static Ad Design: Robert O’Brien, 3rd Floor Cantina
In-Depth Reporting: Casey Stavenhagen and Nathan Varnell, The Rudder Association
Overall Design – Web: The Battalion Staff, thebatt.com
Static Information Graphic: Cameron Johnson, Aggie Ring Day
Sports Game Story: Jordan Epp, 3 seconds, 2 yards, 1 dream
Photo Illustration: Robert O’Brien, The Rudder Association
Sports Column: Matthew Cobb, “‘Do or Die’: A&M must beat Miami to stay afloat”
General News Photo: Robert O’Brien, Muster 2022
Website: The Battalion Staff, thebatt.com
General News Audio Story: Kenzie Finch, “Episode 23: Exercising our civic duty”

Honorable Mention
Editorial: The Battalion Staff, “Print is not dead”
Overall Design – Newspaper: Robert O’Brien, The Battalion — November 10, 2022
Feature Reporting – Audio: Jack Lee & Caroline Wilburn, Norman E. Borlaug: The Aggie who fed the world
Newscast – Audio: Kenzie Finch, Caroline Wilburn, Jamie Whitley & Amanda Hare, Episode 18: Books, ballots and Bush
General Column: Robert O’Brien, The tragedy of the Class of 2024 photo

About Student Media
Student Media is a student-led unit of Student Life within the Division of Student Affairs. It produces three national award-winning publications; The Battalion newspaper, Aggieland yearbook, and Maroon Life Magazine. All are written, edited and produced by students and offer excellent opportunities to gain valuable experience for journalistic and related careers. Participation is not limited to any course of study or classification but rather is open to all interested students.