The Spectator earned 10 awards on Feb. 21 at the Illinois College Press Association’s annual conference in Chicago.
The two-day conference brought together more than 240 students representing 27 university student news organizations from across Illinois. The meeting included sessions about journalism and how to improve student publications, with opportunities for networking and an awards luncheon.
The awards are divided into three divisions: large school (7,000+ students), medium school (2,300-6,999 students) and small school (less than 2,300 students). With 1,141 undergraduate students enrolled, CUC competed under the small school division. Entries in each category are critiqued by an independent panel of judges.
The Spectator staff took home 2nd place among small schools for General Excellence – Website in addition to several awards that were presented to individual staff members:
- 1st place (open competition) – Entertainment & Culture Podcast, “Who Spectates the Spectators?” Episode 4 by Eric Perry and Katelyn Whitlock
- 2nd place (small schools) – Sports news story, “CUC Cuts Men’s Lacrosse Program” by Fatima Martinez
- 2nd place (small schools) – Feature photo, “CUC baseball team prepares for what they hope is a special 2026 season” by Nathaniel Clayton
- 2nd place (small schools) – General news photo, “Students participating in a Bingo Night held in the Cougar Den” by Nathaniel Clayton
- 3rd place (small schools) – Headline writing, “Turning Lemons into LemonAid: Community Comes Together for 9/11 Memorial, Charity Event” by Katelyn Whitlock
- 3rd place (small schools) – Sports game story, “CUC Dance Wins CIT for the First Time” by Jonathan Aungst
- 4th place (small schools) – News story, “Budget ‘Shifting’ Leaves SGA With No Money Left to Spend” by Eric Perry
- 4th place (small schools) – Sports feature story, “Pitching Led the Way for a Special Season for the Cougars” by Jonathan Aungst
- 4th place (small schools) – In-depth reporting, “Where Does the Student Activity Fee Go?” by Eric Perry
