The McHenry County College (MCC) literary arts magazine VOICES 2021 was recently recognized with a Gold Medalist Critique and a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). Gold Crown Awards are the highest recognition given by the CSPA to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence.
VOICES features short fiction, poetry, visual art, video, and music submitted by MCC students. The award-winning magazine scored 850 out of a possible 1,000 points to receive the Gold Medalist Critique.
“The VOICES committee could not be prouder of our students and their achievements in the 2021 edition,” said Matt Irie, an Art instructor at MCC who leads the VOICES magazine staff. “The awards and recognition are well earned and much deserved.”
The VOICES staff consists of MCC instructors Matt Irie, Amy Ortiz, Starr Nordgren, Paige Lush, and Justin Schmitz. During normal circumstances, the faculty advisors select student editors to curate, jury, edit, and assist with the technical production of the magazine. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the content in the 2021 magazine was chosen by the faculty advisors.
While this is the first time the magazine has won a Gold Crown Award, the magazine has received numerous awards each year for the last 10 years, including five Gold Medalist Critiques, one Silver Medalist Critique, and four Silver Crown Awards from the CSPA.
CSPA is an international student press association affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in the City of New York. It was established in 1925 to help improve student publications.
To view the magazine, visit www.mchenry.edu/voices.