Ink takes top prizes in NYPA contest

By Manor Ink Staff

Albany, NY – Once again, Manor Ink’s student staff has received high honors from the New York Press Association for the quality of their news reporting and feature writing.

The winners of NYPA’s 2023 Better Newspapers competition for high school publications were announced in May, and the Ink took first place honors statewide in the News Story, Feature Story and Column categories. In addition, the paper took second place for General Excellence, after placing first in previous years.

Editor-in-chief Angie Hund’s April 2023 article about a group of students in Brooklyn who had decided to stop using their smart phones garnered high praise from NYPA’s judges. “In an incredibly competitive category, Hund’s story stood out as compelling, relevant, well-researched and clearly written,” they wrote.

Reporter Rachel Zuckerman’s primer on autism included a personal aspect, as her younger brother suffers from the malady. Her concise explanation of its symptoms coupled with a touching portrait of her sibling appeared in the paper’s February 2023 edition. In awarding it first place, NYPA said, “An interesting topic, good use of photos and side bar; points of interest also good.”

Angie Hund also received the top prize for her column in the May 2023 edition advocating for free hygiene products in women’s restrooms. “By writing about why sanitary products should be free in restrooms, Hund superbly tackles a too-often overlooked topic,” the judges declared.

Taking an honorable mention in the Feature Story category was Reporter Savannah Chaboty for her Halloween article on Sullivan County’s haunted places.