The spring/summer 2019 edition of Warrior Life magazine was named a Maggie Awards winner for "Best Student Print Publication" in the country. The prestigious Maggie Awards – considered the "Academy Awards of magazines" – are publishing and digital media's longest reigning awards program in the nation, recently celebrating its 68th year. Awards honor content creators of print, online, social, digital, and video media across many different categories.
As the Warrior Life editor-in-chief for the winning 2019 edition, Justin Traylor said that being recognized at the Maggie Awards validates all the challenges, late nights and pressures involved in putting the magazine together.
"Winning the Maggie Award for best publication means everything to me," said Traylor, a journalism/photography major who plans to graduate this spring. "All the blood, sweat and tears we put into this magazine was worth it. I'm just so happy Warrior Life was recognized in the national spotlight; it's a big win for me and my team."
The national competition drew entries from college programs across the country. Warrior Life was also a finalist for "Best Student Print Cover," by journalism major and Assistant Editor Kaylynn Myles, featuring a story and images about El Camino students in a rap group. She said that winning the award inspires her to keep pursuing a journalism career, an ambition strengthened by a support system she found at El Camino.
"ECC's journalism department helped me by allowing full access to top-of-the-line equipment, office hours, speakers, alumni and so much more," said Myles, who has previously received other awards for her magazine work. "I am so grateful for all the advisers and staff members. Both Warrior Life and The Union feel like a big family. We all help one another. There are always internships and opportunities being posted. Everyone in the newsroom just wants to see one another win."
Warrior Life is produced entirely by students enrolled in journalism classes and publishes each spring. Students begin working on content in the fall and coordinate all aspects of the publication, from planning stories and producing photography to designing layouts and creating graphics.
Magazine staff members also work with the printer to agree on the price and project scope, while also choosing paper quality and reviewing proofs. Warrior Life started as a yearbook in the college's early years, and by the early 1960s it had transitioned into today's magazine that reflects the lives and interests of El Camino College students.
When El Camino moved to remote teaching and learning in March, magazine staff members continued to write, photograph, design and create content for the spring/summer 2020 Warrior Life edition. Warrior Life adviser Stefanie Frith said students are finding creative solutions for interviewing and photographing sources, making sure the award-winning magazine is ready for publication by the previously established deadline.
"Despite not being together, this team of talented students is bonding via Zoom and sharing stories in ways they never imagined were possible," she added. "I'm beyond impressed. Being recognized with a Maggie Award for best student publication is a huge honor. The students who put together the spring/summer 2019 Warrior Life magazine worked so hard and it's nice to know that what they are learning in the classroom is being recognized on a national level."
Warrior Life will be available online at eccunion.com and in select businesses near campus and around the South Bay by the last week of the spring semester. Past editions and articles are available at eccunion.com.
