The Impact Wins Most NYPA Writing Awards In The State

The Impact Wins Most NYPA Writing Awards In The State

The Impact won six New York Press Association awards, a record for the publication, and earned the most writing awards in the state for the first time in its history.

Alexis Lynch, Amber Perez, Valerie Lopez and Francesca Simone were awarded a first place award in the News Reporting category for their story on vaping.

“A deeply reported look at an important public health matter, this story has an impressive variety of context and personal anecdotes. It teaches us about the economic implications of vaping and makes us feel for those who struggle with its use,” the judges commented.

Lynch won a second place award in the Feature Writing category for her story about a ballet dancer who battled cancer

“A feature story works best when it opens a window into someone else’s world. This story by Alexis Lynch did just that. It was complete. It was compelling. It was a tribute to both writer and subject,” commented the judges. 

Also in the feature category, Simone won an honorable mention for a story about a high school student who created and donated masks to front line workers

“I loved the amount of detail in this well structured story that offered readers an understanding of the scope and importance of this effort,” said one of the judges. 

For the second consecutive year, Perez won second place in the Column Writing category for her “Mind of Amber” column, notably stories about sexual assault and self-harming

“Powerful and personal, with an interesting take on why being a survivor is not the same thing as being a victim,” commented the judges.

With Lopez’s win in the News Reporting category, she ties Nicole Acosta as having won four NYPA awards, which is the most in Impact history.

“To get on the podium once is quite an achievement. Four times in college career is nothing short of  amazing,” said Prof. Michael Perrota, who has been the publication’s advisor for 16 years. 

Julianna Ilyse and Steven Keehner teamed up to win a third place prize in the Editorial Writing category.  They tackled topics on racism, the election and the struggle of COVID-19

“Heartfelt commentary on the biggest issues of the day,” the judges commented. 

The Impact website, located at www.theimpactnews.com, won a first place award in the Best Website category. 

“There are a lot of things to like about this website, especially its clean design that was easy to navigate. But what made it a winner was content choice, headlines and presentation that was expertly aimed at a digital audience,” said the judges. 

The NYPA is an annual contest that judges categories in which every college in the state of New York is eligible. The contest is judged on a calendar year, and every submission must be published by Dec. 31. Size of the college, staff or budgets are not taken into consideration during the awards process. Just the top collegiate work, regardless of the school.

The Impact had won four awards from 2007 to 2014, but ballooned that total to 32 the last six years.

“Every year we’ve strived to win the most writing awards and have come close so many times. But this year, we finally did it. It’s a real testament to how hard everyone worked throughout the pandemic,” said Perrota. 

The Impact won five writing awards, putting it above the mark of other schools with four.