The University of South Carolina’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Gamecock, continues to make waves in collegiate journalism with a remarkable 26 awards from the South Carolina Press Association’s 2025 Collegiate Meeting and Awards ceremony, held on February 28 in Columbia, SC.

Leading the way

Among the 11 first-place awards, the paper’s editorial and advertising design offices earned top honors for General Excellence, Website, Newsletter, Page One Design and a variety of multimedia categories. Former editors-in-chief Sydney Dunlap and Kate Robins received first place for Best News Story and Best Video, reflecting the team’s dynamic storytelling capabilities.

Other first-place accolades went to staff members across the newsroom and design staff, including for design, sports writing and photography as well as website and newsletter products. The Daily Gamecock also won second- and third-place honors in over a dozen categories at the ceremony, highlighting the breadth of talent across the newsroom and design teams. 

​​The South Carolina Press Association (SCPA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1852 to represent newspapers in South Carolina. It provides a variety of services to the state’s newspaper industry including lobbying, editorial and management training, FOIA guidance, advertising representation and workshops. Currently, SCPA represents 110 weekly and daily newspapers in the state including fifteen collegiate newspapers.

The celebration continues

Adding to their celebration, The Daily Gamecock was recently recognized as one of only 15 student news outlets nationwide to earn a 2025 Online Pacemaker Award – often considered the most-competitive, most-honored award in collegiate journalism.

Robins, who served as editor-in-chief for the 2024 calendar year, played a pivotal role in overseeing editorial direction and guiding the team through a year of standout journalism.

“Myself and all the reporters, editors, photographers and designers at The Daily Gamecock feel honored to have been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press for our hard work in 2024,” Robins says. “I am so proud of all of the hard work the paper’s staffers have put into each story. Without their commitment, The Daily Gamecock would not have been able to receive these awards.” 

The prestigious Pacemaker recognizes overall excellence and distinguishes the top student media produced during a particular school year. The award started shortly after the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) was founded in 1921. The Daily Gamecock was previously most recently honored with an Online Pacemaker in the fall of 2023.