Student publications win awards, including 3 All-State Gold honors, at JEM/MHSPA Convention

On October 18, SPA publication students attended the 2023 JEM/MHSPA State Journalism Convention. The event featured keynote speakers Student Press Law Center attorney Jonathan Falk and Morgan Wolfe of KARE-11. Breakout sessions included writing editorials, storytelling photography, perfect page layouts, and journalism ethics with speakers from Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Star Tribune, Minnesota Reformer, and our very own Rita Li '24 who spoke about Borderless (American) Dreams a bilingual journalism project she founded. The day ended with the announcement of a number of state awards: All State, Gold Medallion, and Best of Show:

Journalism Educators of Minnesota (JEM) awards

• Iris: Art + Lit  |  All-State Gold, Magazine
• Ibid  |  All-State Silver, Yearbook
• The Rubicon  |  All-State Gold, Newspaper 
• RubicOnline  |  All-State Gold, Website

Convention Best of Show awards

• Iris: Art + Lit | First Place, Magazine
• The Rubicon  |  First Place, Newspaper 
• RubicOnline  |  First Place, Website
• Ibid  |  Third Place, Yearbook 

National Scholastic Press Association

• RubicOnline | Multimedia Story of the Year 
  • Multimedia Sports Story - Ivy Raya - Fencing’s first tournament leads to SPA dominance
  • Interactive Graphic - Staff - Thirsty? Fill it up.
  • Podcast - Alison Mitchell - Through Their Eyes: Ep. 5 ChatGPT and the rise of AI
• Iris: Art + Lit | Design of the Year
  • Sophia Bietz - Page Spread
  • Sophia Bietz, Echo Dayton, Hadley Dobish - Literary Magazine Cover

• The Rubicon (print) | Pacemaker Finalist

• The Rubicon (print) | All American w/4 Marks of Distinction

Minnesota High School Press Association (MHSPA) Gold Medallions

• Literary Arts Magazine Cover Design
  • First Place | - Sophia Bietz, Echo Dayton, Hadley Dobish 
• Newspaper Page / Spread Design
  • Fourth Place | McKinley Garner - The Rubicon - Between light and dark
  • Fifth Place | Johanna Pierach - The Rubicon - College search
• Editorial Cartoon
  • Second Place | Annika Kim - The Rubicon - “Liar. Liar.”
  • Fifth Place | Mimi Huelster - The Rubicon - “Promote a culture of acceptance and belonging”
• Editorial / Opinion 
  • First Place | Claire Kim - The Rubicon - Using accurate terms means the world
• Feature Story 
  • Second Place | Eliza Farley, Maddy Fisher, Claire Kim - The Rubicon -  What are eating disorders?
• Multimedia Story Package
  • Second Place | Ivy Raya - RubicOnline - Fencing’s first tournament leads to SPA dominance
  • Third Place | Clara McKoy - RubicOnline - Hop on Sushi Train
• Interactive Graphic 
  • Second Place | Staff - RubicOnline - Thirsty? Fill it up
  • Third Place | Staff - RubicOnline - What do you know about photography?
• News Photo
  • First Place | Rita Li - RubicOnline - Last ones remaining
• Photo Illustration 
  • Third Place | Clara McKoy - RubicOnline - It doesn’t stop at sushi
• Yearbook Spread Design 
  • Third Place | Leona Barocas, Sophia Bietz, Echo Dayton, Hadley Dobish - Ibid St. Paul Academy and Summit School In 10 Years
  • Fifth Place | Echo Dayton - Ibid - On the slopes
• Student Life Story 
  • First Place | Thomas Chen - Ibid - Immigrant story inspires Yash Kshirsagar
  • Third Place | Evan Morris - Ibid - Ben Chen is in for more than the win
• Yearbook Theme Package
  • Second Place | Leona Barocas, Sophia Bietz, Echo Dayton, Hadley Dobish - Ibid - Fill in the blank

Congratulations to all of our student-journalists!