On Feb. 17, 19 University of West Florida journalism and public relations majors travelled to Troy, Ala. for the 25th Southeast Journalism Conference being held at Troy University.
The Voyager newspaper won fourth best newspaper in the Best of the South competition and UWF placed second overall in the on-site competitions.
The students participated in 14 on-site competitions that included everything in communications from media ethics, news reporting to photography and public relations.
“My on-site competition I was really confident about,” Kristen Dressel, who participated in the TV anchor on-site competition, says. “I know I screwed up somewhat on my competition, but I didn’t think it was enough to not place.”
There was also the Best of the South competition which is a mail-in competition. The Voyager staff mailed in clips for different categories back in November.
“I was really excited that I placed because it was a really last minute thing,” Kaycee Lagarde, who won fifth place in press photography for Best of the South, says. “Mike Greear, editor-in-chief, told me the day of the deadline that we had to send photos, so I rushed home and grabbed a few photos and sent them in.”
The conference consisted of workshops pertaining to journalism, the on-site competitions and a dinner banquet announcing the Best of the South winners on Feb. 18 and then a lunch banquet announcing the on-site winners on Feb. 19.
“The on-site competitions are really stressful,” Lagarde says. “I didn’t think I would place at all, I ended up getting third.”
In the Best of the South competitions the winners from UWF were Zach North, fourth place in the news-editorial artist/illustrator category; Kaycee Lagarde, fifth place in photography; Kristen Dressel, fifth place in television journalism; and Georgia Adams, sixth place in page layout and design. In the on-site competition the winners were W. Paul Smith, first place in current events; John McMullen, second place in sports reporting; Brittany Carr, John Strickland and Valerie Thornewell, second place in media ethics; Kaycee Lagarde, third place in copy editing; Sara Surber, Lauren Nash and Kristy Coleman, third place in public relations.
“To be in the top five was huge for us,” Mike Greear, editor-in-chief of The Voyager says about placing fourth best newspaper in the south.
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