L&C’s Student Newspaper Collects 17 ICCJA Awards

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College’s student-run newspaper, The Bridge, earned a total of 17 awards in the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s (ICCJA) annual competition.

“The Bridge staff members enthusiastically provide news to our campus and the surrounding communities,” Bridge Advisor Louise Jett said. “To be recognized for those efforts by the Illinois Community College Journalism Association is a great honor. Every single staff member should be incredibly proud. I know I am.”

The 17 awards earned by The Bridge were among the 141 handed out in the 2019 Award for Excellence in Illinois Community College Newspapers competition.

“I am extremely impressed by how many awards the staff earned in the Open Division,” Jett said. “Due to our school size, we compete in Division 2 with the other smaller schools, but all the community colleges go head-to-head in the open categories. Earning six Open Division awards is amazing!”

Bridge Editor-in-Chief and Occupational Therapy student Dillon Neibel received an Open Division Honorable Mention for Reporter of the Year. He was humbled by the recognition.

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“I am deeply honored to be a part of such a talented group of individuals,” Neibel said. “I am also appreciative of our incredible advisor Louise Jett. Without her, I would not have been able to accomplish what I have, and I’m sure many, if not all of The Bridge, feels the same way.”

The Bridge students collected awards in the following categories:

• 1st Place, Staff Editorial, Division 2, “Letter to the Governor” - Staff
• 1st Place, Arts Review, Division 2, “ADAM is the Most Disgusting Excuse for Representation I have Ever Seen” - Ashtyn Britt
• 1st Place, Sports Photo, Division 2, Men’s Soccer Photo, Page 1B, Sept., 2019 - Trevor Ayres
• 1st Place, Feature Photo, Division 2, “Alton Expo Fun” - Trevor Ayres
• 1st Place, Headline, Division 2, “Post Leaves Community on the Fence” - Alexander Gent
• 2nd Place, Feature Photo, Division 2, “Children and Bubbles” - Krystie Morrison
• 2nd Place, Page Design, Division 2, Page 12A, Oct. 2019 - Alex Johnson
• 2nd Place, Sports Photo, Division 2, Women’s Soccer Photo, Page 1B, Sept. 2019 - Trevor Ayres
• 2nd Place, News Story of The Year, Open Division, “L&C Board of Trustees Coverage” - Dillon Neibel and Alexander Gent
• 2nd Place, Editorial Cartoon, Open Division, “Four Boardsmen of the L&C Apocalypse” - Dillon Neibel and Alex Johnson
• 2nd Place, Editorial Writer of the Year, Open Division - Ashtyn Britt
• 2nd Place, Podcast, Open Division, “When We Get to It: The Bridge Podcast” - Ashtyn Britt, Olivia Bettorf and Alex Johnson
• 3rd Place, Mike Foster General Excellence, Division 2 - Staff
• 3rd Place, Arts Review, Division 2, “Consuming Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Stadium Arcade” - Dillon Neibel
• 3rd Place, Staff Editorial, Division 2, “Board Votes No on Investment” - Dillon Neibel
• 3rd Place, Graphics, Open Division, “Soybean Historical Timeline Infographic” - Alex Johnson
• Honorable Mention, Reporter of the Year, Open Division - Dillon Neibel

The ICCJA, located at Eastern Illinois University, offers learning opportunities and recognition for community college students across the state who are sharing news and creating content to keep their campuses and communities informed.

ICCJA award winners are announced each spring.

For more information about The Bridge, contact Jett at ljett@lc.edu or visit www.thelcbridge.com.

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