The Bell Ringer brings home four first-place wins at the GCPA awards

Staff report

The Bell Ringer student newspaper recently won multiple awards at the Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest on March 6th.

There were four first place wins spanning across multiple categories, along with one second and one third place finish.

Two of the Bell Ringer’s first place wins were in the Best Column category. Madi Oglesby, the Bell Ringer’s opinion editor, placed first with her piece titled “Three things I’ve learned as a college freshman”. An article inspired by her journey through her first semester in college.

“I loved writing that piece. It gave the readers a little bit more insight on me as a person and my journey here at AU,” Madi said about her first place win. “I’m so grateful for everyone here at the Bell Ringer for helping me get here.”

Rodrigo Burgos-Avila, the editor-in-chief of the Bell Ringer, also won first place in the Best Column category with his article titled “The cost of a $5 bet.” This explained the dangers of sports betting, particularly with the younger generation. 

The judges from the GCPA awards had this to say about Rodrigo’s piece: “This piece is personal and introspective. It outlines an opinion and offers some solutions. Well written.”

In the category of Best Review, Ana Winters also won first place for her review on Author Rick Bragg and his visit to Augusta University this past Fall. This article was titled “Author Bragg tells tales of the South”.

“I was so excited to win first place for Best Review, especially since it was my very first piece for the Bell Ringer,” inters said about her win. “This award really motivates me to keep writing and improving.”

The final first place win for the Bell Ringer was in the category, Best Photograph: Sports. This award was given to Lydia Williams, a graduate student at AU and the photo editor of the Bell Ringer. This photo was an amazing action shot of a play by the women’s basketball team. 

Lydia felt immense gratitude and appreciation for this award stating, “I attend almost every Augusta University home basketball game, both women’s and men’s, so this recognition means a lot to me. Balancing that while working two jobs and being a full-time graduate student hasn’t always been easy, which makes this recognition even more meaningful.”

Further, she outlined her passion for these sports and the hard work she puts in every day.

“I’m grateful that the time and dedication I’ve put into covering these teams has been rewarded,” she said. “Women’s sports are especially important to me, and I’m glad to see women’s athletics receiving the recognition they deserve. Being able to help document those moments and tell those stories through my photography is incredibly meaningful. Winning this award for a photo from a women’s game makes it even more special.”

Opinion editor, Madi Oglesby, also finished in second place in the Best Column category. The article that came in second place was titled “Why I no longer blame the university for my lack of flex dollars.” This piece was inspired by her aggravation with her amount of flex dollars, but ended with her discovering that there really was more to the story. 

The judges commented on this article, stating: “I liked that rather than simply complaining about how flex dollars are available to students, the writer contacted the university to learn more about how flex dollars work and will be changing next school year.”

Finally, editor-in-chief Rodrigo Burgos-Avila also finished third place in the category Best Sports Story. This article was titled “Jaguars roll to 20th win, Quarles hits 575 career victories.” A story following the women’s volleyball team and their consecutive victories, along with head coach, Sharon Quarles, hitting her 575th win. 

“Winning these awards from the Georgia College Press Association means a lot to me, especially knowing the level of student journalism across the state,” said Burgos Avila about his two awards. “Being recognized alongside publications like The Red & Black from the University of Georgia is really humbling, and it motivates me to keep growing as a sports journalist and editor.”

Each of these awards were so well-deserved. Being judged alongside bigger publications such as The Red & Black at the University of Georgia is a huge deal for the Bell Ringer and all of its staff. 

Now, it is time to keep on writing and see where else these stories take the Bell Ringer staff members.

Editor-in-Chief, Rodrigo Burgos-Avila, and Opinion editor, Madi Oglesby attend the GCPA awards and display their two certificates. (photo by The Bell Ringer staff)

Note: The image above was taken by Madi Oglesby at the GCPA Better Newspaper Contest.