Southwest yearbook named best in the state for fifth year in a row

The Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) has honored the Lincoln Southwest High School yearbook staff with the Cornhusker Award for their 2020-21 edition of “The Talon.”

The presentation was made Oct. 18 at the NHSPA Fall Convention, held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Cornhusker Award is the highest honor for high school yearbooks in Nebraska. It’s awarded to schools whose publications demonstrate excellence in all areas of scholastic journalism production - concept, coverage, writing, design and photography. Yearbooks that receive the award effectively integrate all areas of emphasis to give readers a complete record and documentation of the academic school year.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Southwest has been honored with the Cornhusker Award. 

"I feel proud to know that we won a Cornhusker because it's proof that all the hard work we put in is worth it," yearbook editor senior Olivia Ulrich said. "It's rewarding to know that our work is officially recognized."

Ulrich and 18 other student journalists created the chronological, 260-page yearbook titled “All Over the Place,” along with a 40-page supplement highlighting the spring. With a hybrid schedule for the first half of the 2020-21 school year, staff members were not able to work as an entire group in-person until the beginning of March. 

"I am so incredibly proud of this staff," Southwest yearbook adviser Brandi Benson said. "Last year, because of our hybrid schedule, we had half of the staff in-person working and the other half at home. To say it was crazy would be an understatement. But this group was phenomenal and they deserve to be honored and recognized for their work last year."

Benson added, "Our staff is typically pretty small, averaging 8-15 students a semester. Each staff member plays an integral part in producing the quality book we do. Every student writes, takes photos, designs - you name, they do it. They are rockstars."


Published: October 28, 2021, Updated: October 28, 2021