Pictured: 2021 Edda Staff
Augustana’s student-run publications, the Edda and The Augustana Mirror, placed in the top 10 of their respective categories in the 2021 Best of Show Competition at the National College Media Convention — the nation's largest gathering of collegiate journalists, media students and advisors.
The Edda took home seventh place in the Yearbook Category, which included all universities — placing alongside schools with more than 20,000 students. Olivia Washburn ‘22 and Carly Rahn ‘21 were editors-in-chief of the submitted 2021 yearbook. Washburn also earned an honorable mention in the category of Portrait Photography for the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.
The Mirror placed fourth in its category of newspapers serving 4-year campuses with 10,000 students or fewer. The team, led by Editor-in-Chief Olivia Bertino ‘23, submitted the Oct. 8 print issue, the “Viking Days Edition,” to be judged.
“I'm so proud of what our team has done thus far,” Bertino, a journalism and marketing double major, said. “We're a very young team, but that's not holding us back. Everyone, from the section editors to our beat reporters, gives 100% to this publication. We're still learning, but I've never met a group of people more committed to producing worthy content for our campus.”
Professors of Journalism Drs. Janet Blank-Libra and Jeffrey Miller serve as advisors for the yearbook and newspaper, respectively. Miller said both publications “punched above their weight” due to the population and capacity of universities they competed against.
“When people see Kansas State University and Baylor University (in the rankings), or that the winning school has nine journalism faculty and 80 students, they will better understand what we have to offer,” Miller said.
“We’re very proud of the students for being able to compete in that way,” Blank-Libra added. “Our students know why they're doing the work that they're doing. They do it for all the right reasons; they care about serving the Augustana community.”
Blank-Libra attributes the continued success of the publications to continuity within the staff.
“I think that both the Edda and Mirror staff that came before were strong, and as a result, they passed along a publication that was already doing well,” said Blank-Libra. “But, the students who come in each year have their own vision and their own goals, and they want to make the publication better.”
While participation in a publication for two semesters is required for journalism majors, many of the students who are involved come from outside of the major. Eleven of the 16 editors of the 2021 yearbook came from other majors.
“For students who like to write, have design skills or enjoy photography, this is a natural outlet for them,” Miller said. “It’s also important to the maintenance of our community and important to it historically.”
Blank-Libra added that being a part of a publication teaches students how to meet high standards, work as a team and develop tangible skills, such as using InDesign.
Washburn, who is continuing her role as this year’s Edda co-editor-in-chief, is a communications/business major and journalism minor. She had previous publication experience in high school and was recruited to the staff by Blank-Libra.
“Many of our first-year staff members join the Edda without any prior experience with journalistic writing, photography or page design,” Washburn said. “Our job as editors-in-chief then comes into play, as we work closely with our staff to teach these skills as quickly as possible so we can begin designing the yearbook early in the fall semester.
“The Augustana community and all of the exciting, memorable moments on and around campus that we are able to capture and preserve every year are what makes the Edda something to be proud of,” Washburn added. “From success in our athletic programs to our unbelievable academic achievements and opportunities, we’re never short of great things to share about Augustana.”
The National College Media Convention is held annually in different cities across the country, but was held virtually this year. Last year, the Edda took home eighth place and The Mirror fifth place in the same rankings.
To learn more about The Mirror, visit augiemirror.com.
To learn about the Edda, visit facebook.com/AugustanaEdda.