IHSPA awards 2 of its 5 top awards to West journalists, names WSS staff 2024 News Team of the Year finalist

WSS wins 74 individual awards

Staff • May 1, 2024

The Iowa High School Press Association announced five “Best of the Year” winners this week, with two of them coming to West High. IHSPA named Gianna Liu ’25 Photographer of the Year and Erinn Varga ’24 Designer of the Year.

IHSPA also named the WSS staff a 2024 News Team of the Year finalist for the eighth consecutive year. IHSPA determines finalists by choosing the schools with the highest number of individual award winners from its annual writing, photography, design and online contests. The WSS staff won a total of 74 individual awards, for a total of 424 points. IHSPA will announce News Team of the Year winners at its annual state conference in October.

The West Side Story staff accumulated 424 points from 74 individual wins. Points are assigned based on the number of first, second and third place individual awards.

First place winners:

Social Justice Reporting: “Sudan’s struggle” by Reem Kirja, Jane Lam
Interactive graphic: “E-pass” by Erinn Varga
Illustration or Art: “Let’s Chat GPT” by Erinn Varga
News Magazine – One Page Design: “Women of West” by Anna Song
Environmental Portrait: “Phoebe’s speech” by Zoe Smith
Single Web Story Design: “First date chronicles” by Jane Lam, Athena Wu
In-Depth News Story: “Let’s Chat: GPT” Maya Chu, Heidi Du, Mrudani Ramkumar
Online Innovation: Language options on wsspaper.com homepage by Muhammed Cikmaz
Sports Feature photo: “Swimming celebration” by Gianna Liu
Photographer of the Year: Gianna Liu
Video News Show: “West High Weekly 9.12.23” by Abby Guo, Tessa Gibson, Yaya Orszula
Sports Story — Game or Season Recap: “Diving a little deeper” by Erinn Varga
Multimedia story – Feature: “ACT or SAT: Which exam is a good fit for you?” by Sam Rosenthal, Abby Guo
Newspaper – Multiple Page Design: “Contraceptives” by Erinn Varga
Multimedia story – Sports: “Rising stars” by Tyler Shane, Haneen Eltyeb, Minna Abdalla
Multimedia story – News: “Recent ‘funnel’ deadline narrows bills in Iowa legislature” by Evelyn Kraber
In-depth Sports Story: “Ready to wrestle” by Gianna Liu, Celia Sadewasser
Infographic: “Tate overview” by Erinn Varga
Designer of the Year: Erinn Varga
Photo Story: “West High’s first homecoming parade” by Gianna Liu
Social Media Promotion: West Side Story Staff
Feature Story: “Women of West” by Zaira Ahmad, Mrudani Ramkumar, Gianna Liu
Health/Science: “1-2-3, eyes on me” by Celia Sadewasser, Shanza Sami
Podcasting: “Tech Talk: Let’s Chat: GPT” by Gianna Liu
News Story: “Bendrew: The Debate Duo” by Gianna Liu

This photo, taken by Gianna Liu ’25 at the Boys Swimming and Diving State Tournament won first place Sports Feature Photo. Liu was also named Iowa’s Photographer of the Year for 2024. (Gianna Liu)

Second place winners:

Videographer of the Year: Haneen Eltyeb
Interactive graphic: ACT vs. SAT: Which is better for you?” by Sam Rosenthal
Illustration or Art: March website banner by Vera Tanas
News Magazine – One Page Design: “What’s West grateful for?” by Anna Song
Online Innovation: “Advice column” by Muhammed Cikmaz
Feature Photo: “Lily Polgreen” by Colin Wehrle
Social Media Reporting: West Side Story Staff
Video News Show: “West High Weekly 12.19.23” by Tessa Gibson, Haneen Eltyeb, Abby Guo
Entertainment: “Sliced: Thanksgiving edition” by Haneen Eltyeb, Anna Greenlee, Evelyn Kraber
Multimedia story – Feature: “Welcome to the madness” by Zoe Smith, Paige Albright
Newspaper – Multiple Page Design: “Let’s Chat GPT” by Erinn Varga
Multimedia story – Sports: “Last chance” by Minna Abdalla
Infographic: “Chat GPT” by Erinn Varga
Photo Story: “Protest for Perry” by Gianna Liu
Health/Science: “Beauty Beyond Bodies” by Kamakshee Kuchhal , Gianna Liu
Podcasting: “Dying to know” by Nicole Lee, Ashlyn Brady, Haneen Eltyeb
News Story: “Iowa’s legislative session: what you need to know” by Evelyn Kraber

This design by Erinn Varga ’24 won first place Multiple Page Design. Varga was also named Iowa’s Designer of the Year for 2024. (Erinn Varga)

Third place winners:

Ads: “Sensory Kids” by Anna Song
Single Web Story Design: “Contraceptives” by Erinn Varga, Marie Stier
In-Depth News Story: “Raise the stakes” by Zaira Ahmad, Zoe Smith, Henry Timmer-Hackert
Multimedia story – Feature: “Thrift tips for Iowa City secondhand stores” by Jules Keranen, Eleanor Weitz
Newspaper – Multiple Page Design: “Kirpes with a matematical purpose” by Anna Song
Multimedia story – Sports: “Growing wings” by Marie Stier, Gianna Liu, Grace Bartlett
Staff Editorial: “Broken identities” by Henry Timmer-Hackert
Multimedia story – News: “West students protest recent gun violence” by Zoe Smith
Infographic: “Contraceptives” by Erinn Varga
Designer of the Year: Anna Song
Feature Story: “Unsung heroes” by Yaya Orszula, Zoe Smith
Personality Profile: “From West to the workplace: Boeing engineering” by Ashlyn Brady, Airi Thompson

The West Side Story staff won first place Social Media Promotion. Seniors Elena Garcia VanAuken and Tessa Gibson are the WSS social media co-editors. (Tessa Gibson)

Honorable Mentions:

Ads: “Heyn’s” by Anna Song
Interactive graphic: “Women of West interactive graphics” by Anna Song
Interactive graphic: “Which Wes Anderson film are you?” by Nicole Lee
Online Innovation: “Tooltip generator” by Muhammed Cikmaz
Feature Photo: “Black excellence at West: Julian” by Josie Schwartz
Video News Show: “West High Weekly 2.29.24” by Abby Guo, Yaya Orszula, Tessa Gibson
Sports Story — Game or Season Recap: “West volleyball hosts annual Live Like Line Tournament” by Anna Song, Marie Stier
Entertainment: “Repackaging girlhood and feminism” by Jules Keranen
Newspaper – Multiple Page Design: “Raise the stakes” by Mckenna Stephens
Opinion Writer of the Year: Nicole Lee
Multimedia story – Sports: “Trojan Bolts break a state record and place 5th at State” by Gianna Liu
Staff Editorial: “Editorial: Parking not permitted” by Gianna Liu
Staff Editorial: “Herbi-more” by WSS Editorial Board
Multimedia story – News: “Musicians take on All-State” by Anna Song
Column/Opinion: “Criticisms to the chef” by Nicole Lee
In-depth Sports Story: “Dancer dysmorphia” by Ashlyn Brady
Web Design: “Wsspaper.com” by WSS Staff
Reviews: “The return of Percy Jackson in ‘The Chalice of the Gods’” by Anna Greenlee, Vera Tanas
Photo Story: “Orchestra Halloween concert” by Gianna Liu
Feature Story: “Pageant personas” by Maddy Cook, Kamakshee Kuchhal

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About the Contributors

Gianna Liu, Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

Gianna Liu is a senior at West High. This is her third year on staff and she is the Print Co-Editor-in-Chief. When Gianna isn't busy taking photos or writing the next big story, you can find her bouncing a volleyball on the 10-foot line, watching the newest kdrama, walking 10,000 steps and volunteering.

Erinn Varga, Print Design and Opinion Editor

(she/her) Erinn is a senior at West and this is her second year on staff. She is the design editor and opinion editor for the print publication. If she's not currently running, you can find her drawing, listening to music or consuming media.

Tessa Gibson, Profiles Editor

(she/her) Tessa is a senior this year and this is her 3rd year on staff. She is the profiles editor and one of the social media editors. She loves reality tv shows and ice cream.

Kevy Huynh, Yearbook Staffer

Kevy Huynh is a junior at West and this is her second year on staff for yearbook. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, biking, playing with her two cats, baking, and watching Netflix.