Columbia Missourian Wins Gold Cup, 50 Missouri Press Association Awards
This Is Its Fifth Year in a Row to Receive the Top Honor in Class 2 Dailies
Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 24, 2015) — For the fifth year in a row, the Columbia Missourian is the winner of the Gold Cup in Class 2 dailies in the 2015 Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. The Gold Cup is awarded based on a point scale applied to the total number of awards received in the contest.
Overall, the Missourian won 48 of the awards; Vox Magazine, two. There were 15 entries that earned first-place honors. Missourian Managing Editor Jeanne Abbott and 10 students were on hand Sept. 12 to accept the awards on behalf of the publications during MPA’s annual convention in Columbia.
![Missourian Takes Gold](https://journalism.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/missourian-takes-gold-586x1024.jpg)
The Missourian is a digital-first publication that was founded in 1908 as a community newspaper. It covers Boone County and serves approximately 135,000 citizens. Vox is a weekly city magazine that focuses on the arts, culture, lifestyle and entertainment. The Missourian and Vox present content via video, audio and other multimedia. Both are available on a variety of platforms, including digital, mobile and social media.
The awards are as follows:
Gold Cup, Class 2 Dailies, Columbia Missourian
First Place
- Best News Photograph: “Journey for Justice Bus Ride” by Hannah Baldwin, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Feature Photograph: “Boy and Cow” by Timothy Tai, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About Religion: “Broadway Christian Church members install Little Free Library to promote literacy” by Daniela Sirtori, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Investigative Reporting: “The truth behind puppy mills, how bad breeders fare” by Josh Benson, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports Feature Story: “100th anniversary: The Kewpie craze” by Mark Selig, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Business Story: “Rare-book collector sets up shop in Columbia” by Josh Benson, Columbia Missourian.
- Best News Story: “Autism increases leave services struggling to meet demand” by Taylor Lower, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Breaking News Story: “Firefighter killed after walkway collapses” by Miranda Metheny, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports Columnist: “Maty Mauk’s confidence,” “Loss to UMKC,” “Shamburger showing” by Mark Selig, Columbia Missourian.
- Best News or Feature Obituary: “Sportscaster was beloved in Boonville” by Joe Guszkowski, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports Pages: Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Story About History: “100th anniversary: The Kewpie craze” by Mark Selig, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Photo Illustration: “Stereotypes challenge sense of belonging” by Shannon Elliott and Aaron Franco, Vox Magazine.
- Best News or Feature Series: “Our Blue Highways” by the Vox Magazine staff.
- Best Overall Design: Columbia Missourian staff.
Second Place
- Best Business Story: “MU freshman pioneers art-lettering business” by Sirrah Joof, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Coverage of Government: “August primary election” by Timothy Maylander, Chris Jasper, Scott Delhommer, Victoria Trampler and the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Feature Photograph: “Re-enactment of Battle of Centralia” by Hannah Baldwin, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Feature Story: “Drinking culture and sexual assaults” by Cassa Niedringhaus and Frances Webber, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Headline Writing: Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Information Graphic: “Interactive election results” by Travis Hartman, Roman Kolgushev and James Gordon, Columbia Missourian.
- Best News or Feature Obituary: “Rex Bandy was a painter on a mission to beautify the world” by Hannah Pederson, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Photo Package: “Tiger takeover” by Mark Kauzlarich and Abby Connolly, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports Feature Story: “Trying out to be a Missouri Tiger” by Mark Selig, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports Photograph: “Special Olympics” by Shannon Elliott, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About Education: “Achievement gap, funding challenges” by Caroline Bauman, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About Religion: “Columbia church gives Myanmar family a home makeover” by Rachel Jelinek, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About Rural Life or Agriculture: “Right to Farm divides Missouri” by Chris Jasper, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About the Outdoors: “Hunters slow to trade risks of lead” by Matthew Patston, Columbia Missourian.
Third Place
- Best News Photograph: “Black Lives Matter” by Timothy Tai, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Feature Photograph: “Golden Knights Parachute Team” by Kylee Gregg, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About Religion: “Faith in the balance” by Lindsey Davison, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Business Story: “Missouri woman spreads her wings” by Abby Kass, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About the Outdoors: “Paddlefish pose management challenge” by Christine Coester, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Sports News Story or Package: “Michael Sam Package” by Brandon Foster, Alexander Smith, Matthew Fairburn, Greg Bowers and the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Feature Story: “Inside Fulton State Hospital” by Claire Boston, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Front Page: June 5, June 8/9, June 20/21, the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Breaking News Story: “Last alarm” by Joe Guszkowski, Columbia Missourian.
- Best News or Feature Obituary: “Steven Nagel” by Sabrina Russello, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Story About History: “Descendant of MU founder atones for slavery” by Richard Webner, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Military Story: “Veterans Treatment Court” by Katherine Knott, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Page Design: “Yourself in four years” by the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best News or Feature Special Section: “Progress Edition – Bright Ideas” by the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best News Story: “Offender pushes for registry changes” by Bailey Otto, Columbia Missourian.
Honorable Mention
- Best Business Story: “McMillen brothers” by Veronica DeStafano, Columbia Missourian.
- Best News Story: “Reporting sexual assault not required for MU faculty” by Caroline Bauman, Columbia Missourian.
- Best Breaking News Story: “‘Shear failure’ lead to walkway collapse” by the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best News or Feature Obituary: “Elbert fought for change in Columbia” by the Columbia Missourian staff.
- Best Military Story: “Historic mural” by Jasmine Ye Han, Columbia Missourian.
Updated: September 10, 2020