Feb. 7, 2008

Simpson College’s student journalists won several awards at the Iowa College Media Association (ICMA) convention Feb. 7 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines.

Andrea Kemp, editor in chief of The Simpsonian, the college's student newspaper, won first place in ICMA’s Best Series contest for her work on “We'll Come Back,” a series of stories on Simpson's efforts to beef up its student-recruiting and retention rates. Kemp is a senior journalism major from Sibley, Iowa.

Simpsonian copy editor Nicole Cleveringa won first place in the Best News Story competition for her story, “Morning After Pill,” on new contraception methods available to college students. Cleveringa is a senior journalism and English major from Norwalk, Iowa.

Columnist Emili Johnson also won first place in the ICMA competition, taking home top honors in the Best Columnist category for her work over the course of 2007. Johnson is a senior journalism major from Des Moines.

The Simpsonian also won third place in the ICMA General Excellence category, with judges noting that the newspaper benefits from “really attractive layout and relevant reporting.”