By Lookout Staff

August 16, 2024 -- The Corsair, Santa Monica College's student-run media outlet, placed among the top ten in the nationwide annual Sweepstakes Clips & Clicks Awards.

The Corsair ranked 7th among 2-and 4-year institutions and placed first for feature photo in the annual awards organized by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP).

Winning feature photo by Caylo Seals (Courtesy SMC Corsair)

The Sweepstakes recognizes publications with the most winners for work produced by student journalists and photojournalists in the prior academic year, SMC officials said.

The winning feature photo by Corsair staffer Caylo Seals shows Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) fans holding flags, signs, smoke bombs and flares during a playoff game at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on March 24.

The photo also took first place in the Spring 2024 ACP Clips & Clicks feature photo category.

“The game was crazy," Seals said. "It started off with heavy rain for the first 30 or so minutes, then the light came out with this golden glow making for some great photos.

"Towards the end, fans from both sides started lighting fireworks, smoke bombs, and flares. It was full of dynamic photo opportunities.”

A total of 50 ACP-member student media outlets placed in the Clips & Clicks contest during the 2023-24 school year. Of the 412 submissions in the spring competition 85 entries were recognized.

The competition was judged by collegiate professors, student media advisers and professional journalists, who chose the winners "based on the quantity and quality of the entries," college officials said.

The Battalion from Texas Tech University ranked first, with the most winners in each category of the contest.

SMC's Sweepstakes wins comes after the Society of Professional Journalists Los Angeles (SPJ/LA) named outgoing Corsair editor-in-chief Cebelihle Hlatshwayo as one of its honorees in the emerging/outstanding students category.

Hlatshwayo and the other honorees will be recognized at SPJ/LA’s 48th Distinguished Journalist Awards Banquet on October 23.

Santa Monica College’s journalism program offers career training in reporting and nonfiction storytelling across multiple platforms: print, photography, video, audio, social media, and digital media production.

Students are prepared for roles including reporter, correspondent, editor, copywriter, audience engagement editor, social media content creator and broadcast producer.

For more information, including classes offered for the Fall 2024 semester that begins August 26 visit smc.edu/journalism.

The Corsair advising team includes journalism instructor Sharyn Obsatz, photojournalism instructor Gerard Burkhart and social media journalism instructor Samantha Nuñez.