Four student projects were honoured with Canadian Online Publishing Awards at the annual awards ceremony on Nov. 4 in Toronto.
The Reporting in Indigenous Communities class of 2016 were awarded two COPAs
The work of UBC Journalism students picked up two gold and two silver awards in the business B2B category that includes academic institutions.
Among the other big winners on the night were the Toronto Star and the Huffington Post, with each taking five awards.
Now in their 8th year, the Canadian Online Publishing Awards are considered an industry showcase of Canadian talent in digital publishing.
Award-winning student reporting
Two of the awards were for a project produced by students taking the Reporting in Indigenous Communities course, taught by adjunct professor Duncan McCue and professor Kathryn Gretsinger.
The stories of Indigenous sexuality won gold for Best Editorial Packaging and silver for Best Academic Project.
Two student articles published on the School of Journalism’s online publication The Thunderbird also received COPAs.
Students Stefan Labbe and Alexander Villegas won gold for Best Article or Series for their piece on the dangers of British Columbia’s unregulated tugboats. Adjunct professor Frances Bula worked as their editor on the piece.
A fourth COPA was awarded to second-year student Jaione Belza Guede, winning silver for Best Video Content. Belza Guede produced a mini-documentary on trans teenager Tru Wilson, following Wilson and her family as she made the decision to begin hormone replacement therapy.
Recent alumnus Peter Mothe was the editorial supervisor on the project. Mothe received a COPA last year for his story on First Nations youth in foster care, which he produced with fellow alumnus Wawmeesh G. Hamilton.
Six nominations in total
The School of Journalism received a total of six nominations, including the Decoding Social Media Class of 2016 for Best Social Media and the Integrated Journalism class’s coverage of the Canadian federal election for Best Academic Project.
Faculty member Taylor Owen was also a finalist. The international affairs site OpenCanada.org was once again nominated for Best Editorial Packaging in the consumer category.
Owen founded the site and serves as its editor-in-chief, while students Stefan Labbe and John Woodside worked as editorial assistants this summer.
The COPAs celebrate Canadian publishing talent and companies in the digital medium. This year is the eighth year in a row that students and faculty from the UBC Graduate School of Journalism have been named as finalists.
