Sidelines staff members hold awards earned by student journalists at the Southeast Journalism Conference on Feb. 19. From left are: David Taylor, Dylan Aycock, Amanda Freuler, Brinley Hineman, Meagan White, Greg French and Sarah Taylor.
Student journalists from Middle Tennessee State University won nine awards in the Best of the South competition at the Southeast Journalism Conference on Feb. 19, including four first-place finishes in several of the most competitive categories.
Meagan White won first place in the Best Opinion/Editorial Writer category, and John Connor Coulston won first in the Best Arts and Entertainment Writer category.
Erin Thomas, who graduated in December, won first place in the Best Radio Feature Reporter competition.
Rounding out the top honors was first place in the Best College Website category, honoring the redesign of http://www.mtsusidelines.com that went online in 2015.
“I couldn’t be happier about the awards brought home by our student journalists,” said Leon Alligood, faculty adviser to Sidelines. “It’s very rewarding to see their hard work recognized.”
Sarah Taylor won three awards: a second in Best News Writer, a third in Best Multimedia Reporter and a 10th in the College Journalist of the Year categories.
Sidelines staff photographer Greg French was recognized with sixth place in the Best Press Photographer category.
In addition to the Best of the South honors, several students also won in on-site writing, photography and specialty contests. Sarah Taylor won first place in the multimedia contest. Dylan Aycock, current Sidelines editor-in-chief, won second place in feature writing. Brinley Hineman and Amanda Freuler won third place in the media ethics contest and Meagan White earned honorable mention in the news photo competition.
Students from 35 universities and colleges in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee participated in the conference, held at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville.
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