After receiving the 2026 Kelly Lash travel grant through the College Media Association, Collegian copy editor Declan Phipps traveled to New York City in early March representing all three of the publications of the Collegian Media Group, in addition to his role at Wildcat 91.9 FM through the Miller School.
Our publications grabbed five national winners in the final rendition of the Apple Awards, named after former Student Publications director and Collegian adviser Dave Adams. Adams started his career in a small Kansas high school and advised the K-State Collegian for several years before moving to Indiana University in 1989.
Top awards in The Big Apple included the 2025 Royal Purple Yearbook winning 1st Place for Best Yearbook Cover and The K-State Collegian winning 3rd place for Best Newspaper. In addition, The Collegian placed in Best Crisis Coverage, Best Newsletter and Best Multimedia Ad Campaign. 
The 2025 Royal Purple yearbook staff come together for their cover reveal in May 2025.
2025 Royal Purple yearbook editor-in-chief Jenna Fiscus wanted to integrate more of the natural feel of the landscape and scenery of Manhattan into last year’s award-winning cover.
“My overall goal with this yearbook was to capture each facet of being a Kansas State Wildcat during the 2024-2025 school year. The Flint Hills and white rocks of Manhattan Hill and Kansas Hill are an integral yet, in my opinion, often overlooked and underappreciated part of that experience, so I wanted to contrast that reality by putting those hills front & center for my book. I have loved the past 5-10 years’ worth of Royal Purple Yearbook covers, and because they were more design focused I wanted to mix things up with something more concrete.”
For the Associated Press fall 2025 Clips and Clicks contest, The Collegian stands in 8th place nationally for all student media outlets (team points) in their first time entering the contest. The “Walks of Life” special edition cover grabbed a 1st place win along with two Collegian feature photos and a sports story earning Top 3 placings.
Collegian managing editor Libby Zuck is thankful to see the national recognition in her final semester and appreciates this year’s staff for their growth and passion they put into the publication.
“Going into my last quarter with The K-State Collegian I never imagined the sense of pride and fulfillment as I do now. Being able to see the growth and the passion come through this program has truly made my college career,” said Zuck.
For Collegian editor-in-chief Meredith McCalmon, the changes in workflow, processes and renewed focus on newsroom culture has helped The Collegian reach new heights with national recognition and awards.
“In my eighth semester with The Collegian, being recognized at the national level like this is such a high honor. None of the work we’ve done has ever been solely about awards, but it’s confirmation that the work we’ve put in, changes we’ve made around the newsroom and the culture we’ve built are seen and appreciated,” said McCalmon.
“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing our newsroom grow over the last few years and I can confidently say this staff is something special. The way we support each other, work hard every single day and expect the best from one another has clearly paid off.”
Leave a Reply