MATC Times wins 10 journalism awards: Five national, five regional

by Zanaia Joshua, Editor-in-Chief

March 9, 2026

(From left to right): MATC Times Sports Editor Crystal Williams, Photography Editor Dwight Williamson, News Editor Connor Servais, Photographer Emma Guzman, and Times Advisor Barb Volbrecht pose with five national awards staff members won at the College Media Association Convention in NYC. The staff was rushing to catch its ride to the airport and took a moment to pose for this phone photo taken by a conference attendee.

The MATC Times received five national journalism awards at the College Media Association’s National Spring Convention in New York!

The Apple Awards competition involves colleges across the U.S. The Times entered five categories in this competition and received an award in each category entered. The awards were given on the last day of the CMA’s Spring National College Media Convention on Saturday, March 7.

These are our 2026 Apple Awards in the Two-Year College category:

First Place: Best Newspaper: MATC Times Staff (You can access digital copies of our paper here.)

First Place: Best Feature Photography: Juan Carlos Wood (You can see his feature spread here.)

Third Place: Best Website: MATCTimes360.com

Third Place: Best Opinion Column: Elsa Marks

Honorable Mention: Best News Photography: Cierra P. Wilson

The Apple Awards represent the “Best of Show” at the spring conference.

The MATC Times also won five regional awards on Thursday, March 5. I traveled with Juan Carlos Wood to Madison to attend the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention and picked up our WNA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest Awards.

Here’s a breakdown of what we won:

First Place: General Lifestyle Story: Connor Servais. (Judge comment about Connor’s story: “Found the story of Karen Bell inspiring. Loved her adventure which the reporter documented so well. Thank you for letting the reader escape for a few minutes into Karen’s world.”)

Second Place: General Excellence: MATC Times: MATC Times Staff. (Judge comment about our publication: “Good photos, a great mix of information, human interest and entertainment. At the end of the day, a great looking and informative publication. Nice job.”)

Third Place: Best Website: Times Staff. (Judge comment on our website: “The slider of top stories is a great way to highlight where to start in navigating the website. It also allows for less timely stories to still be spotlighted without being overshadowed by breaking news.”)

Third Place: General News Photography: Dwight Williamson. (Judge comment on Dwight’s photo: “Interesting low angle on one of these photos of a demonstration. Getting a different perspective adds interest and variety. Good job!”)

Honorable Mention: General Lifestyle Story: Connor Servais. (Judge comment on Connor’s story: “Besides being my favorite holiday, I liked the article, and thought it was well written and entertaining. Good reminder of the origin of Thanksgiving. Nice work.”)

About the Contributor

Zanaia Joshua, Editor-in-Chief

I joined the MATC Times in the 2023/24 academic year, due to my passion for journalism. I enjoy expressing myself through writing; I love a good synonym. It is exciting to bring stories to life with creativity. In my new role as Editor-in-Chief (2024/25), I get to experience the journey of creating a newspaper and all that entails. I help students share their stories through our website and print publication. We want to provide a voice for all students at MATC and the issues they care about.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, learning new things, studying quotes of wisdom, practicing fitness, dressing up, and having fun through new experiences.