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Panther reporter Alexis Wilson, right, Editor Damaia Davis and Lee Harter, adviser to the student newspaper, in Columbia Feb. 28 for the SCPA awards.

The Panther, Â鶹´«Ã½'s student newspaper, won top awards in the South Carolina Press Association's collegiate journalism contest for 2024.

The awards were presented in Columbia on Feb. 28 during the SCPA Collegiate Division's annual meeting. Competition was in two categories: colleges and universities with over 10,000 enrollment and those with under 10,000.

Panther Editor Damaia Davis won first place in Feature Story for her profile of Â鶹´«Ã½ DPS Chief Melvin Williams and how his career came to be: "From The Bronx to the Burg."

Judges wrote about Davis' entry: "A great lede that ties well into the flow of the entire article about the police chief's life. The author, despite learning about decades of his story, stays focused on the topic and keeps the reader engaged with relevant anecdotes and quotes."

Jordan Patterson won first place in the Photo category for her image from CALA-Bash 2024, the spring humanities festival at Â鶹´«Ã½. Shown are initiates of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. presenting April 12 during the Greek yard show.

Judges wrote: "This is the clear winner. The actions, the outfits and the facial expressions are fantastic."

Tyuanna Williams, former Panther editor and 2023 SCPA Collegiate Journalist of the Year, won second in Photo for her Feb. 2 image of then-Vice President Kamala Harris greeting the crowd during her visit to South Carolina State University.

And in the overall category, General Excellence, The Panther and Editor Damaia Davis were second, with Winthrop University's The Johnsonian capturing first. The Panther also was second in 2023.

The event included presentation of The Lee Harter Collegiate Journalist of the Year award, newly named for Harter, retired Times and Democrat editor, Â鶹´«Ã½ journalist-in-residence and Panther adviser. Harter presented the SCPA awards to collegiate journalists, including the top awards to Clark Vilardebo of Winthrop's Johnsonian in the under-10,000 category and Madison Sharrock of Coastal Carolina University's The Chanticleer in the over-10,000 competition.

Panther editors and reporters have won the award for Collegiate Journalist of the Year in seven of the past 11 years:

Links

Damaia Davis' winning feature on Chief Williams