APSU student newspaper earns regional awards
CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee — The All State student newspaper at Austin Peay State University recently earned two regional awards in the Southeast Journalism Conference’s Best of the South Awards.
Students Jonathan Nelson and Blaine Kellar garnered recognition for The All State. The SEJC Best of the South Awards competition had 348 entries from nearly 30 colleges and universities across the Southeast. The awards ceremony was hosted live virtually from Lipscomb University in Nashville, on March 25.
Nelson, a veteran who served in the Army for over 21 years, placed sixth for Best Opinion/Editorial Writer for his piece, “A veteran’s perspective on Afghanistan.” This was a challenging category with 25 entries.
“It was an honor to be recognized for expressing my opinion on such a controversial topic,” Nelson said. “There are many college students who are veterans, and I felt it was a subject that needed to be addressed for all of us who had been there.”
Nelson began as a writer for The All State in news and opinion and is currently senior staff writer and assistant managing editor. He will graduate in May as an English major with a minor in creative writing and plans to pursue a career as a writer.
Kellar placed second for Best Sports Writer.
“I am so grateful to place second in this year’s Best of the South awards,” Kellar said. “To move from seventh place to second place in a year is a great honor, and I can't thank the staff at The All State enough for putting me in a position to succeed.”
The All State’s second-place award came in a competitive category with 30 entries. Each entry included any combination of three sports game stories, sports news stories and sports features. The three articles submitted for Kellar were “This is college football: Austin Peay grad students to relive historical first win,” “APSU coaches eager for ASUN competition” and “First-year basketball coaches trying to define success at Austin Peay.”
A graduating senior in May, Kellar is a communication media major with a concentration in sports communication. He joined The All State staff two years ago as sports editor and most recently served as interim managing editor. Kellar is currently a sports reporter with The Robertson County Connection.
The All State student newspaper, established in 1930, is distributed on APSU’s Clarksville and Fort Campbell campuses in print and publishes regularly online at www.theallstate.org.
Readers can connect with The All State on Facebook, Instagram (@TheAllState_APSU) and Twitter (@TheAllState).
Dr. Patricia Ferrier serves as the interim adviser. The All State is part of the Department of Student Publications in the APSU Division of Student Affairs.
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