Once a year student journalists come together for a competition held through the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) in Lansing. Student reporters compete for Individual awards for their outstanding achievements. 4,464 entries from schools everywhere in Michigan were sent to get evaluated and receive criticism.
Maxwell Evans brought home a first and second place award for the front page design of the newspaper.
“I felt glad that I got my personal awards, but it would’ve been better if the team won as a whole because the team deserved it,” said senior Editor-In-Chief Maxwell Evans.
Knight Life News (website) won a Bronze Award as well as Knight Life (newspaper).
Senior Copy Editor Kyron Williams won Honorable Mention for his Environmental Portrait and said, “It was definitely a surprise. There were hundreds of people in the room, and even though I didn’t technically place, receiving an honorable mention was surreal, definitely because that was one of the first pictures I’ve ever taken for journalism.”
Junior Photo Editor Caitlin Commissaris also recently won 3rd place for her online breaking news coverage and said, “I actually did something that people would recognize.”
It was truly an experience for the entire Knight Life Staff to be at the 2015 MIPA Spring Awards.
 The following students won these awards:
Maxwell Evans placed 1st and 2nd for the front page design of the newspaper
Lori Umbanhowar placed 1st for her photo slideshow with audio
Caitlin Commissaris placed 3rd for her online breaking news coverage
Lori Umbanhowar placed 3rd for her interactive graphic
Sara Barnes placed 3rd for her news/feature photograph
Andrew Streitel won honorable mention for his sports layout design
Ashtyn Kenbeek won honorable mention for her personal narrative
Caitlin Commissaris won honorable mention for her story package
Carsten Strand won honorable mention for his Podcast video
Jake Heasley won honorable mention for his editorial
Kyron Williams won honorable mention in environmental portrait
Lindy Moored won honorable mention in personality profile
Scott May won honorable mention in informative graphic