Vanguard wins several top honors at ONPA

The Vanguard received several accolades Friday in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual collegiate newspaper contest.

At the awards ceremony, which recognizes excellence in college media at all of Oregon’s state universities and community colleges, the Vanguard received seven first-place, four second-place and seven honorable-mention awards.

Ian Ruder, opinion editor and sports columnist for the Vanguard, received the highest honors, winning first place awards in the best sports story and best columnist categories, as well as second place for best writing overall.

Former Vanguard photo editor and current production manager Amy Sly won first place for best photography.

The news section also received several nods. The staff won both first and second place in the best series category for coverage of the Higher One ID cards at PSU and the aftermath of the Southeast Asian tsunami, respectively. News writer Josie Mulberry and news editor Matt Petrie also won honorable mentions in the best news story category.

The paper overall also won an honorable mention in the general excellence category, and first place and honorable mention awards for best special section.