They took their talents from South Beach to Long Beach, Calif. for three days of workshops and networking, and to learn if two University of Miami publications would earn a “Best of Show” award. Students who worked on the 2017 Ibis yearbook, Distraction magazine and its website, traveled to the 34th Annual ACP Midwinter National College Journalism Convention in Long Beach and learned both publications were recognized with top awards in their respective category.

“I am thrilled that the University of Miami publications did so well in the mid-winter national competition. It is great that UM students from the Ibis, Distraction, and www.distractionmagazine.com are honored nationally. There are some very strong student publications out in there that we are fortunate to compete with for national recognition,” said Randy Stano, Ibis, Distraction magazine, and www.distractionmagazine.com editorial adviser.

The 2017 Ibis received first place or the top “Best of Show” honors at the convention in the Yearbook category. This is the second “Best of Show” award for the 2017 Ibis. The yearbook also earned “Best of Show” at the National Media Conference CMA/ACP in Dallas in late October.

“This is an incredibly humbling recognition of all the hard work my staff and I put into creating the 2017 Ibis. I’m so happy to be bringing this award back to our campus and keeping up with the tradition of the Ibis,” said Kaitlin Castillo, editor-in-chief for the 2017 Ibis

The November issue of Distraction magazine was also recognized at the convention with second place in the “Best of Show” competition for Feature Magazines. Gary Lundgren, associate director for ACP/NSPR said, “the feature magazine category was a competitive category with 10 collegiate publications honored.”

“It’s incredible that our November issue got second for ‘Best of Show.’ It was the first issue we published of the year, and it’s a great affirmation to our team,” said Marissa Vonesh, Distraction magazine editor-in-chief.

Distraction’s website, www.distractionmagazine.com, received an eighth-place finish in their category. The online presence of Distraction magazine is currently in a redesign and will preview a new format before the end of April.

The Ibis yearbook was first published in 1927 at the end of the university’s first year. It has been published annually since and has grown considerably. The most recent volume of the Ibis was 448 full color pages, and created by a staff of nearly forty.

Distraction magazine is committed to defining the culture of University of Miami’s student body. The publication is printed quarterly and serves as an entertaining and insightful “Distraction” to the daily stress of college life and features new trends in music, fashion, art, entertainment, and student interests. 

For a list of this year’s ACP Midwinter National College Journalism Convention winners visit, http://studentpress.org/acp/2018/03/03/2018-midwinter-convention-best-of-show-awards/.