An international student press association, sponsored by Columbia University, awarded The Pitt News for five pieces written during last school year on Thursday.

The awards were a part of the 31st annual Gold Circle Awards, awarded by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Student publications submitted eligible newspaper and magazine articles published between June 16, 2013 and June 10, 2014. According to its official website, the awards are “offered to recognize superior work by student journalists, usually as individuals, but sometimes as an entire staff working with either print or online media.”

This year, the contest received 11,407 entries — judges cited 1,533 winners for first, second or third place, or for certificates of merit. In addition to a first place win in the news writing category, The Pitt News received awards for second place, third place and two pieces won certificates of merit.

Abbey Reighard, Danielle Fox, Mahita Gajanan, Natalie Daher and Megan Trimble won first place in the news writing category. Their collaborative piece,  “3 Months, 3 Board Members Down,” ran on March 26, 2014. Reighard currently serves as The Pitt News’ Student Government Board beat reporter, Fox serves as assistant news editor, Gajanan serves as managing editor and Daher serves as editor-in-chief. Trimble, managing editor at the time of the piece’s publication, graduated from Pitt last spring.

Daher also won a certificate of merit in the in-depth news/feature story category for “Gay and Greek: Reconciling the Old with the New at Pitt,” which was published Sept. 27, 2013. 

Columnist Simon Brown won second place in the personal opinion: off-campus issues category for “When Data ‘Journalism’ Doesn’t Add Up,” which was published April 7, 2014.

Former news editor Gideon Bradshaw won a certificate of merit in the general feature category for “Internet Evens Score in Porn War, Adds Variety of Sexual Preference,” which was published Feb. 13, 2014.

Brett Murphy, who served as a senior staff writer last year, won third place in the entertainment reviews category for “‘12 Years a Slave’ an Unwavering Glimpse at Antebellum South,” which was published Nov. 4, 2013.