The Spectator, the unfiltered, uncensored voice of the students at Valdosta State University, recently earned seven 2023 Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest awards, including five staff and two individual recognitions.

The Spectator finished second in the General Excellence (Division A) category. Rounding out the top three were The Red & Black at University of Georgia in first place and Technique at Georgia institute of Technology in third place.

Madison Gruber, editor-in-chief of The Spectator, said this was the first time VSU’s college newspaper earned General Excellence recognition. She said it was exciting to celebrate the history-making moment with her advisors, Dr. Ted Geltner and Gregory Brown, and her team of student journalists, designers, photographers, and editors. 

The Spectator finished third in the Best Editorial or Editorial Series (Group II) category and second in the Best Campus Community Service: Editorial (Division A) and Best Campus Community Service: News (Division A) categories. 

The Spectator also finished second in the Layout and Design Excellence (Division A) category. The award-winning design, a front-page cover, was created by Gavin Ponder, an art major from Augusta, Georgia, who serves as graphics editor for the newspaper. It focused on encouraging students to exercise their right to vote.

“I was very surprised,” he said. “I didn’t know any of the covers were submitted for the competition. It was truly an honor to win this award.”

Austin Bruce, a mass media major from Quitman, Georgia, finished second in the Best Column (Group II) category.

“The column was a sports column about the football team, with the focus being on Coach Tremaine Jackson,” he said. “There had been people on social media wanting him ousted early in the season, so the column was me taking a stance, saying that he shouldn't be fired but should be given some leeway since he didn't exactly inherit a perfect situation.”

Bruce has worked for The Spectator since fall 2020 and currently serves as the sports editor. He previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from VSU in 2022.

Bailey Wilson of Glennville, Georgia, finished third in the Best Photo Essay (Group I) category for her coverage of VSU Housing and Residence Life’s annual Hallaballoo event on the Front Lawn. This was her first time participating in the Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, and as newsletter editor for The Spectator, she said she was quite surprised by a photography award.

Wilson joined The Spectator staff two years ago. She is an English major (focus in journalism) and a political science minor.

The Spectator was honored at the 2023 Georgia College Press Association Press Institute in early April. The annual Press Institute offers collegiate journalists from across the Peach State a day of learning and discussion with instructors and professional journalists, with a focus on helping the student journalists improve their craft and make connections.  

“These awards show our hard work is paying off one way or another,” Gruber said. “I am so glad that the staff was able to make Spectator history and rightfully earn the General Excellence award. I think the individual awards gave the winners a lot of motivation by proving that they can do anything they set their minds to. My hope is that it also proves to VSU that we are here, and we mean business.”

Gruber, an English major (focus in journalism) from Baxley, Georgia, joined The Spectator about 18 months ago, starting as a reporter and working her way to campus life assistant, entertainment editor, and now editor-in-chief.

“Journalism, as well as student-led journalism, matters because it plays a crucial role in society by informing the public about events, issues and ideas that affect them,” she added. “The work of journalism, including that of student journalists, is essential to a functioning democracy and well-informed public. Journalists do their job every day because they help to ensure that the public is informed and that those in power are held accountable for their actions.”

The Georgia College Press Association is comprised of 12 member newspapers — The Stallion at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, The Bell Ringer at Augusta University, Campus Carrier at Berry College, Six Mile Post at Georgia Highlands College, The George-Anne Statesboro at Georgia Southern University, The George-Anne Inkwell Edition at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus, Technique at Georgia Institute of Technology, The Cluster at Mercer University, The Roar at Piedmont University, The Red & Black at University of Georgia, The West Georgian at University of West Georgia, and The Spectator at Valdosta State University.