The Iowa State Daily has been named the recipient of the digital news Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Crown Award for the 2023-24 academic year.

“[The award] really means a lot,” Andrew Harrington, the Daily’s 2023-24 editor-in-chief, said. “Last year was just a really special senior year for me — one of the greatest years of my life — and I got to spend it with people that were willing to put in the work and be dedicated to journalism while also having a fun time at college.”

Harrington attributed the success of the Daily to its culture.

“You need to find people that are willing to work and willing to work together and then the rest, the becoming great journalists, becoming professional journalists, that can come down the line,” Harrington said.

Harrington also emphasized collaboration, noting that everyone did their share.

“You don’t win an award like this if people don’t work together,” Harrington said. “It’s the sharing of ideas, it’s the working on content together, it’s the collaborating to have multiple bylines on one story.”

According to the CSPA, “A panel of Crown Judges assembles each year at Columbia University to view all entrants… They consider all aspects of value to the reader or viewer: content, design or presentation, coverage, photography as well as writing and editing.”

According to the press release from the Daily, the award is CSPA’s most prestigious honor. The Daily has won the award eight previous times, most recently in 2020-21. The Daily has also been the recipient of the Silver Crown Award eight times, most recently in 2017.

In the release, Sarah Lefeber, director and editorial advisor at the Daily, said she was proud to continue the mission of the Daily.

“The Daily has a storied history of national recognition because we’ve always put the education of students alongside the mission of serving our community with professional independent news,” Lefeber said. “We’re proud to continue that tradition.”

The Daily was one of two schools to receive the award this year, alongside the Los Angeles Loyolan at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Student newspapers at the Savannah College of Art and Design and Baruch College received the Silver Crown Award. Over 500 schools were in contention for the award.

2023-24 Iowa State Daily editorial staff:

Andrew Harrington – Editor-in-Chief

Eleanor Chalstrom – Managing Editor

Elizabeth Fogarty – Managing Editor

Tessa Hill – Co-Copy Chief

Taylor Kenny – Co-Copy Chief

Jay Waagmeester – Academics Editor

Ella Slade – Diversity Editor

Ben Demaries – Student Life Editor

Christian Royston – Sports Editor

Logan Shanks – Assistant Sports Editor

Sarah Currier – Arts & Culture Editor

Joseph Dicklin – Visuals Editor

Jacob Rice – Visuals Editor

Isabel Monaco – Engagement Editor

Caleb Weingarten – Opinion Editor

Biong Biong – Politics Editor (fall)

Cleo Westin – Senior Reporter (fall), Politics Editor (spring)

Mackenzie Bodell – Senior Reporter

Nicole Niemi – Copy Editor