For Immediate Release

LANGHORNE, Pa. (September 22, 2014) – The Columbia Scholastic Press Association announced the winners from the newspaper and magazine categories of its 31th Gold Circle Awards program.

Junior Eishna Ranganathan was awarded first place in the Personal opinion: on-campus issues for news publications category for her article, “‘School mascot: point of pride for high school” published in the Oct. 23, 2013 issue of the Playwickian. This award marks the second consecutive year a Playwickian writer has received first place in a national writing contest.

Since 1984, CSPA has recognized outstanding achievement in both verbal and visual categories for newspapers, magazines and yearbooks. Digital media categories were added in 2009.

This year, the Awards attracted 11,407 entries from newspapers and magazines produced by students at colleges, universities and secondary schools throughout the United States.

Judges cited a total of 1,533 winners as either First, Second or Third Place or for Certificates of Merit for those deemed worthy of honorable mention in a category. Entries in its annual competition for individual achievement came from student writers, editors, designers and photographers.

Entries were accepted from student newspapers and magazines published from June 16, 2013 through June 10, 2014. Student journalists working on these publications chose from 78 newspaper categories and 34 magazine categories for individual or staff entries.

For the first time in the Playwickian’s history, Neshaminy High School Editor Melanie Matyi, class of 2013, received third place in the Personal Opinion category for on-campus issues in 2012. Last year Dakota Kalman was awarded first place in the Personal opinion: Off-campus issues category for her article, “‘Stand your ground laws’ blur murder, self-defense” published in the March 15, 2013 issue of the Playwickian.