Colorado Mesa University’s fully student-run and produced Horizon Magazine was up against stiff competition at the National College Media Convention (NCMC), including California State University – Fullerton, Pepperdine University and The King's College.
Horizon Magazine was nominated for three Pinnacle awards, including Best Feature Page, Best Photo Package and Best Photo Illustration. CMU came home with two of the three awards — Best Photo Package and Best Photo Illustration.
The Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association put on the NCMC each year. This year, Horizon Magazine Photo Editor Megan Dirksen and Managing Editor Jenna Kretschman traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to attend. The duo gained valuable insight from the keynote speakers, teaching sessions and critiques and were excited to bring home the two awards.
"I'm hoping that this semester and next semester we can create some stories we can also submit," said Dirksen. "And then hopefully in the
“Weekend Wanderlust: The Beauty Surrounding Grand Junction” from the fall 2017 issue won Best Photo Spread. The spread included natural landscape photos from areas surrounding Grand Junction. Dirksen and Ammon Pierce took the photos, Kayla Miller wrote accompanying copy and Jesus Almader designed the spread.
"I'm the one who pitched that story idea. So when I pitched it I already had ideas in mind," said Dirksen. "I wanted to highlight what is around our school, and then I wanted to capture it in a way that would make other people want to go there."
The photo illustration that won was from the spring 2018 article called "Architect of Emotions." Student Eystin Salum wrote and took photographs for the story and the illustration was done by John Spriggs. The article's theme centered on human emotions; how they are all different and how we can control or change them. The photo and illustration were designed to showcase the complexities of human emotions.
Dirksen and Kretschman are the only Horizon editors returning next semester as the rest of the editors will graduate in December.
"We're hoping to use what we learned at the convention to implement into our magazine next semester," said Dirksen.
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“Weekend Wanderlust: The Beauty Surrounding Grand Junction” from the fall 2017 issue won Best Photo Spread. .
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The photo illustration that won was from the spring 2018 article called "Architect of Emotions.".
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