The Cavalier Daily received 14 awards from the Virginia Press Association — an organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for news organizations across Virginia — for work produced during its 136th term, with recognition spanning reporting, photography, illustration, podcasting and editorial writing. The recognition, announced at an awards banquet Saturday, honored 31 staffers at The Cavalier Daily for their work across numerous desks.
The awards include a first-place finish in the “general news writing” category for coverage of the aftermath of former University President Jim Ryan’s resignation, awarded to Cecilia Mould, former news editor and fourth-year College student, Ford McCracken, former news editor and fourth-year College student, Brendon Bordwine, news senior associate and fourth-year College student, Grace Little, current news editor and second-year College student, fourth-year College student Mia Tan and Naima Sawaya, former editor in chief and fourth-year College student.
The paper also received first-place recognition in the category, “Illustrations,” awarded to Ada Malpani, current cartoon editor and third-year Engineering student, for “Beware of Government Bearing Gifts,” and the paper was recognized for the category, “feature series or continuing story,” awarded to Lidia Zur Muhlen, senior news writer and second-year College student, and Lucia Gambacini, senior news writer and second-year College student, for their series on artificial intelligence at the University.
The paper also received multiple second and third place honors across categories, many tied to its reporting on Ryan’s resignation and its broader implications for the University. The VPA groups publications by circulation, and The Cavalier Daily competed in the non-daily N3 category, which included 22 publications from across Virginia. The annual contest spans multiple divisions, ranging from student-run and non-daily papers to large daily newspapers in Virginia with significantly higher circulation.
Naima Sawaya, fourth-year College student and editor-in-chief for the 136th term of The Cavalier Daily, said the recognition reflects the collective work of the paper.
“From my perspective, it's a real validation of all of the work that all of the staffers across the paper did,” Sawaya said. “I really want to emphasize that covering something like the University President's resignation is not something that one person or even two or three people can do, it's a paper-wide effort.”
In addition to its first place finish, the paper earned second place awards in categories including “breaking news writing,” awarded to McCracken and Mould for coverage of Ryan’s resignation. For the category “in-depth or investigative reporting,” the VPA awarded second place to McCracken for reporting on the Justice Department’s allegations of antisemitism at the University.
A second place “feature series or continuing story” award recognized work by Mould, Emory Huffman, current sports editor and third-year College student, Tan, Peter Kratz, sports senior associate and third-year College student, Sophie Hay, class of 2025 alumna, and Sophie Long, senior news writer and fourth-year College student. The series examined Black History at the University and in Charlottesville through a range of stories across News, Sports, Arts & Entertainment and Life, including coverage of Black History Month programming, profiles of Black athletes, explorations of Black student life and reflections on local history and legacy.
The VPA awarded second place “general news writing” award to Bordwine, Mould, Little, Gambacini, Lauren Seeliger, current news editor and third-year College student, and Brandon Kile, former senior news writer and third-year College student, for reporting on the Trump administration’s invitation for the University to sign onto the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
The paper also received third place in “general news writing,” awarded to Nicolas Biernacki, senior news writer and third-year College student, Mould, Little, Nina Broderick, current managing editor and second-year College student, McCracken and second year College student Abigail Larkin for reporting on the compact and letters between the Justice Department and the University and the response from legislators, faculty and the community.
Sawaya emphasized that the scale of these stories required contributions from many staffers across the paper, particularly given that the resignation occurred during the summer.
“To see so many staffers honored [in the awards] is what is really impactful for me, because it shows how much of a paper-wide effort this was,” Sawaya said. “And I think it really reinforces how integral the reporting we did was to the community.”
According to Sawaya, the paper shifted its focus in response to the resignation, prioritizing comprehensive coverage of a rapidly developing story with significant implications for the University community.
“When Ryan resigned … we knew that that wasn't a moment that we could opt out of,” Sawaya said. “We had spent a lot of the previous semester focused on internal sustainability of The Cavalier Daily and occasionally taking steps back from doing some of that more external reporting ... and when Ryan resigned that was a real sort of external shifting of priorities.”
Beyond written reporting, The Cavalier Daily also received recognition for storytelling through photography, illustration and podcasting.
The podcast “On Record,” produced by Evelyn Lewis, former podcast editor and fourth-year Batten student, fourth-year College student Gabriella Oakes, second-year College student Tess Wolf and Anniston Li, current podcast editor and first-year College student, earned second place for their episodes on Black History Month and highlighting the behind-the-scenes of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Benvin Lozada, former photo senior associate and Law and doctoral student, received second and third place honors in the picture story or essay category for his photos of Virginia winning the Gator Bowl and a photo gallery of a protest on Grounds in objection to the Trump administration’s Compact.
Second-year Commerce student Yi Cheng and Paul Kurtzweil, former senior opinion columnist and third-year College student, were awarded third place in the “Illustrations” category for Cheng’s illustration which accompanied Kurtzweil’s opinion piece titled “KURTZWEIL: Threats to learning cannot be met with cowardice.”
Sawaya said the range of awards reflects the paper’s broader approach to storytelling across formats.
“We didn't just win for news writing, we also won for designs and photos and I think that that really shows how well rounded The Cavalier Daily is and how we've tried to really invest equitably across the papers desks,” Sawaya said.
The paper also received recognition in editorial writing, earning second place for work by Scarlett Sullivan, current executive editor and third-year Batten student, Sawaya, Wylie Brunman, current opinion editor and third-year Batten and Commerce student, Farah Eljazzar, former opinion editor and fourth-year College student, Michael King, current opinion editor and second-year College student, and Ryan Cohen, senior opinion columnist and second-year Data Science student, for pieces examining the University presidency and questions of institutional transparency. The paper also received third place in the same category, awarded to Sawaya, Sullivan, Brunman, Eljazzar, Nathaniel Carter, former opinion senior associate and third-year College student, and Kurtzweil for similar work addressing the University presidency and governance.
Sawaya said the editorial board’s work complemented news coverage by raising questions and encouraging public discussion around various topics.
Across all categories, Sawaya said the most meaningful aspect of the recognition was the number of staffers involved and the diversity of work honored.
“I was thrilled by the number of awards that we won, but I was most proud and I think the paper should be most proud of the number of staffers that won awards and the diverse categories that those awards came from,” Sawaya said.
She said the breadth of recognition reflects the strength of the paper as a whole and its ability to serve a wide-ranging audience.
“It shows that The Cavalier Daily is sustainable beyond any single person, and it shows that The Cavalier Daily is really committed to telling stories from a vast array of perspectives, and I think that is a sign of … a newspaper that is very healthy and essential to its readers,” Sawaya said.
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