The Antelope received 36 honors at the recent Golden Leaf Awards put on by the Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association. The event, hosted at Wayne State College on March 23, aimed to recognize outstanding work in college media and celebrate journalism excellence.
Facing off against seven other schools, The Antelope awards include Best Overall Newspaper for the third year in a row, Best Overall Design, Best Social Media Presence and Best Overall Website.
This year’s success builds upon The Antelope’s track record at the Golden Leaf Awards, following last year’s performance where UNK students secured top positions in five out of nine main categories and 19 out of 36 subcategories.
Eligibility for submission was limited to materials published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, reviewed by a panel of journalism experts from various parts of the United States.
The awards ceremony brought together students from different colleges such as Peru State College, Bethel College, Concordia University, University of Nebraska-Kearney, Chadron State, Doane University, Black Hills State and Wayne State College.
The Antelope took home awards in many different categories, in everything from writing news stories to producing radio segments.
“The Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association is like our conference and we want to win our conference every year,” said Rob Breeding, adviser of The Antelope. “That’s always our goal. The students did really well, they put out great newspapers and I’m very proud of them.”
Another achievement for The Antelope was Josie McCormick’s win for Best Overall Website. McCormick, The Antelope’s web designer, exhibited appreciation for the award.
“Winning the award was awesome,” McCormick said. “Working with the team was a blast, and being the web editor was one of the best experiences of my life. This award means a lot to me.”
Among the students representing The Antelope at the awards were McCormick, Shelby Berglund, Traeton Harimon, Jenna Heinz, Rachel Ostdiek and Sami LaMarre.
Golden Leaf Awards
- Best Overall Newspaper – 1st Place: The Antelope
- Best Overall Website – 1st Place: Antelope Staff
- Best Social Media Presence – 1st Place: Antelope Staff
- Best Overall Design – 1st Place: Antelope Staff
- Best Sports Game Story
- 1st Place: “Mindset change helps senior capture coveted title”, Traeton Harimon
- Best General News Story
- 2nd Place: “Fraternity faces third hazing allegation since 2022”, Amarha Bridger
- Best Sports Feature Story
- 2nd Place: “Tennis player regains rock solid confidence on the court”, Traeton Harimon
- Best Breaking News Story
- 1st Place: “Repairs lead to pipe leaks within Bruner Hall”, Jenna Heinz
- 3rd Place: “Industry setbacks delay sorority move-in to 2024”, Jenna Heinz
- Best Arts & Entertainment Story
- 2nd Place: “The best studying atmosphere is found at Kitt’s”, Brianna White
- Best Editorial
- 1st Place: “We support UNK’s incident prevention measures for campus safety”, Grace McDonald
- 2nd Place: “Are construction officials spreading themselves too thin?”, Grace McDonald
- Best Multimedia Sports Story
- 1st Place: “Lopers rebound after abrupt coach change”, Shelby Berglund, Traeton Harimon and Jon Willis
- Best In-Depth Reporting
- 1st Place: “Budget cuts drafts, protests and eliminations”, Amarha Bridger, Jenna Heinz and Rachel Ostdiek
- Best General News Photo
- 2nd Place: “Spring concert makes comeback after three years with Yung Gravy”, Shelby Berglund
- Best Breaking News Photo
- 1st Place: “Proposed budget cuts spark student-led protest”, Shelby Berglund
- Best Sports Feature Photo
- 1st Place: “Defensive back Tre O’Guinn”, Kosuke Yoshii
- 2nd Place: “All-time leading rounder”, Shelby Berglund
- 3rd Place: “Loper record-breaker golfing through her final season”, Shelby Berglund
- Best Feature Photo
- 1st Place: “Student unleashes Godzilla’s rampage through artwork”, Shelby Berglund
- Best Newspaper Front Page
- 3rd Place: “The Tempest: Shipwrecked and madly in love”, Kolton Maturey
- Best Newspaper Spread
- 1st Place: “International Food and Culture Festival”, Chris Terry
- 3rd Place: “Japanese Summer Festival: Students usher in lively traditions with dances, songs, dishes”, Kolton Maturey
- Best Display Ad
- 1st Place: “Just for Ladies Fitness”, Lily Roby
- 2nd Place: “Share your story with us-College of Business and Technology”, Sami LaMarre
- Best House Ad
- 2nd Place: “Follow us on social media”, Antelope Staff
- Best Audio Pregame or Post-Game Show
- 1st Place: “Jon Willis Pregame”, KLPR Radio
- 2nd Place: “Elija Mosier Pregame”, KLPR Radio
- Best Audio Feature Story
- 1st Place: “Focus on UNK”, Maggie Wells, KLPR Radio
- 2nd Place: “Focus on UNK”, Kade Mohr, KLPR Radio
- Best Audio Promotional Announcement
- 1st Place: “KLPR Daybreak Promo”, Alex Hammeke, KLPR Radio
- Best Audio Public Service Announcement
- 2nd Place: Osteoporosis”, Maggie Wells, KLPR Radio
- Best Audio Sports Play-By-Play Announcing
- 2nd Place: “UNK Volleyball”, Jon Willis, KLPR Radio
- 3rd Place: “UNK vs NW Missouri St”, Traeton Harimon, KLPR Radio
- Best Video Sports Story
- 2nd Place: “UNK Volleyball breaks division II regular season attendance record”, Traeton Harimon
