A student-led media group at Georgia Southern University (GSU) is being commended for their ingenuity.
The George-Anne Media Group was recently awarded the Pacemaker Award, one of the highest national honor among student media.
“This award feels like someone finally noticed us,” said Maya Albert, a senior marketing and graphic design major, as well as the editor-in-chief of the Creative Division for the George-Anne Media Group. “They see what we’re doing now, and we can do so much more.”
The award comes from the Associated Collegiate Press and recognizes creativity an organization uses to reach new audiences.
The George-Anne Media group is being celebrated for its Media Zone, which was launched last spring in the hub at the Fielding D. Russell Union.
The Media Zone is similar to an old-fashioned town square. The zone is a local center for Eagle Nation to interact with daily topics, featuring news articles, student polls and photos of the day.
“It felt good to win it, especially after all the hard work we put toward it,” said Tamara Tanksley, a computer science senior and editor-in-chief of the Deep Dive division. “It took a lot because you have to get other people involved and have them take part in the vision that you have. I think that was the most difficult part of having the media zone there.”
On top of the Pacemaker Award, GSU’s student media group has earned a number of additional awards. These include:
George-Anne Reflector Magazine’s Spring 2022 edition, led by the Creative Division editor-in-chief Kayla Hill and then Reflector editor-in-chief Lauren Sabia
- First place for print design in the Best of Show contest
- First place for best magazine cover in the College Media Association Pinnacle Awards
- Second place for best magazine feature page/spread in the Pinnacle Awards
Your Newsroom, led this fall by executive producer Nayia Worrell and news director Ashley Watts
- Third place for sports package in the College Media Association Film and Video Festival, Justin Helms, football recruiting
- Third place for news package in the Film and Video Festival, Ashley Watts, Teal House 5K
- Third place for broadcast sports story in the Best of Show contest, Ke’juan Humphries, Men’s soccer
- Fourth place for broadcast news program in Best of Show for the Sept. 28, 2022, newscast
- Seventh place for broadcast news story in Best of Show, Haley Perini, Statesboro Service League Attic Sale
- Honorable mention for best video newscast in the Pinnacle Awards for the Jan. 26, 2022, newscast