Members of the ODYSSEY Media Group Cabinet pose with the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Award in front of the OMG Trophy Case on April 22. The ODYSSEY Media Group and Newsmagazine and iliad Literary-Art Magazine were recognized with Gold Crown Awards by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in the hybrid category (digital and print publications) on March 20. “(For our staff,) I hope they continue to see the value in both sides of the publication, how they can exist individually but also work together to create engaging, accessible content that feeds both sides,” OMG Digital Editor-in-Chief Lea D’Angelo said. “I hope innovation, new ideas (and) taking opportunities are the forefront of next year’s staff.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
On March 20, the ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine each received a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in the hybrid publication division.
The ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine have once again been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association with a Gold Crown Award on March 20, the organization’s highest honor.
Members of the iliad Literary-Art Magazine Editorial Board pose with the Golden Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in front of the OMG Trophy Case on April 22. For iliad Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel, who served on the 2024-2025 staff, the award reflected the work that the iliad team accomplished last year.“Winning Gold for our magazine and website is a great honor. Having worked so hard on them last year, it means a lot to be recognized,” McDaniel said. “It’s very motivating to finish out this year strong as we reach the end of our magazine production cycle.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
After the award’s establishment in 1982, CSPA has continued to annually present Gold and Silver Crowns to publications for general excellence based on a number of factors, including design, coverage, photography, writing and editing. The OMG and iliad compete as hybrid publications, where publications that produce content for both print and digital platforms are reviewed.
“Some awards are (just) the website (or) news magazine, but (the Gold Crown Award) is hybrid,” OMG Digital Editor-in-Chief Lea D’Angelo said. “Everyone in (ODYSSEY) did something that contributes, whether they designed a layout, made multimedia, wrote a story (or) edited, this is everyone. To us, as a program, this is a big deal that both sides are being recognized at once for everything that we have put in throughout the year.”
The OMG has previously received a Silver Crown Award in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021, and received a Gold Crown Award in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, while the iliad received a Silver Crown Award in 2021 and a Gold Crown in 2014 and 2023. For OMG Managing Editor Peter Atchley, who has engaged in a summer enrichment program facilitated by CSPA in 2023, this year’s recognition carries significance.
“CSPA is such an amazing organization that I was lucky to study with over the summer in 2023. They invest so much into student journalists, so a Gold Crown from them means a lot to me,” Atchley said. “It is all very rewarding to see an organization that has poured so much into me continue to uplift students across the nation.”
A timeline depicting the years the ODYSSEY Media Group and Iliad Literary-Art Magazine received Gold and Silver Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association is shown. OMG and iliad Adviser David Ragsdale has supported the programs in winning a total of 16 awards. “It’s an honor to see both the ODYSSEY and iliad recognized as being at the top of the game, which is a credit to the leadership of each staff.” Ragsdale said. Timeline by Lucca Fleenor
iliad Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel, who has been an Editorial Board member for the last three years, was honored by the recognition, which commends both the current website and 2024-25 issue of the Iliad, “Sound and Color.”
“(This year’s iliad staff) was not there while “Sound & Color” was being made, and I was, so for me, (receiving this award) is different,” McDaniel said. “Even though they only know the final result, I hope that by passing on the knowledge of everything I learned from my first years in iliad, I hope they understand all the hard work that went into “Sound & Color” and that it motivates them to apply themselves more and try to implement their own creativity in the same way “Sound & Color did.”
“Everyone in (ODYSSEY) did something that contributes, whether they designed a layout, made multimedia, wrote a story (or) edited, this is everyone. To us, as a program, this is a big deal that both sides are being recognized at once for everything that we have put in throughout the year.”
— Lea D’Angelo,
Digital Editor-in-Chief
The awards ceremony recognizing both publications took place on the campus of Columbia University, during the CSPA Spring Convention from March 18-20. OMG adviser David Ragsdale has yet to be able to take CCHS students to attend the ceremony, but he has attended in 2019 and 2023.
“CSPA has a special place in my heart. Being at Columbia University, home of the Pulitzer Prize, lets you know how significant the accomplishments of our students have been,” Ragsdale said. “It’s an honor to see both the ODYSSEY and iliad recognized as being at the top of the game, which is a credit to the leadership of each staff.”
