Two Biola University student media outlets were honored with regional and national awards this spring. Biola’s student newspaper, The Chimes, won 11 awards in the 2019 California College Media Association (CCMA) Awards, and Biola’s student magazine, The Point, won first place for a cover design in an awards competition through the Evangelical Press Association (EPA).

a screenshot of the chimes website

The Chimes, which is daily online and printed every other week, won first place in four of the CCMA award categories. The Chimes staff received recognition for writing, photojournalism and design. The student newspaper also won third place for best newspaper at the small university level. The edition submitted for that category gave Biola-related coverage to wildfires in Southern California.

“These awards put Biola University and its student journalists again, up for display,” said Adviser to The Chimes and Professor of Journalism, Michael Longinow. “Their achievement shows the watching world that this university is a place that teaches, nurtures and celebrates excellence in critical thinking, biblical understanding and skillful communication.”

The Chimes is staffed by students, many of whom are journalism majors learning the craft in the classroom and applying what they learn in the student newspaper.

The CCMA contest, judged by media professionals, draws hundreds of entries from scores of schools across California, the majority of which are state universities or community colleges. The Chimes staff, made up of 26 students, were honored at the 2019 CCMA Awards Banquet at this year’s west coast convention of the Associated Collegiate Press held in La Jolla, Calif. Longinow, who is the president of CCMA and also the national director of Advisers of Christian Collegiate Media, helped host the ceremony.

The Chimes also won first place for video coverage of Biola’s Midnight Madness, front page design about wildfires, a volleyball photo of players celebrating a win over Azusa Pacific University, and a news series about depression, anxiety and suicide.

The Point Magazine Wins First-place Prize for Cover Design

Biola’s student magazine, The Point, won first place in the EPA “Higher Goals for Best Cover” category for the Fall 2018 issue cover design. The issue features a photo spread and article about international students’ struggle for identity in Southern California.

cover of the point magazine

EPA is the world’s largest professional organization for print and digital publications serving evangelical audiences. EPA partners with Advisers of Christian Collegiate Media, a national coalition of advisers and publications; The Chimes is one of the founding members of this group.

Both the The Chimes and The Point have won numerous college media awards for writing, photo and design at the national and state levels.

“I love this cover because it's different from the others and takes a lot of chances,” said one of the EPA judges who reviewed Biola’s entry. “The use of the wide frame, the blurry photo, and the gestural face laid over it makes the cover aesthetically pleasing as well as thought-provoking. Since no literal information is provided, it makes the reader want to turn the page to see what it's about — which is the goal of a cover. Very nicely conceptualized and executed.”

Chair of the Department of Media, Journalism & Public Relations (MJPR), Tamara Welter, is also the adviser for The Point.

“The students who produce The Point work to produce work worthy of awards like this one,” said Welter. “They think deeply about issues their peers care about, they work to complete strong journalistic storytelling, and they tediously plan and create visual images and designs that help to fully tell each story. I am proud to work with such exceptional students.”

The Point, formerly a class within the MJPR department, is now a stand-alone publication staffed by students from across the university but housed within the MJPR department.

Through rigorous academic and practical instruction, the MJPR department prepares students to be critical thinkers, skilled factual storytellers, agile managers of multiple media platforms and servant-leaders in a rapidly changing media landscape. The faculty brings the highest standards of professional media practice and academic understanding into their instruction, inviting students to meet those standards with creativity, tenacity and excellence.

Visit the MJPR department website to apply.

Written by Bella Burchett, media relations intern. For more information, contact Jenna Loumagne, manager of media relations, at (562) 777-4061 or jenna.loumagne@biola.edu.