The Ithacan was honored with a Silver Crown award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in conjunction with the spring National College Media Convention at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The award was presented in an online ceremony after the March 13 presentation session was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
The paper was also won the First Place in the conference’s Best of Show competition. This was The Ithacan’s second Best of Show win this academic year, having won First Place at the fall National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C. in November.
The Crown Awards are the highest honors presented by the CSPA. The award was in the "hybrid" category, described as “a publication that works to combine their digital and print publications as one,” and was for work produced during the 2018–19 academic year (Grace Elletson ’19, editor-in-chief).
Founded in 1925, the CSPA is owned by Columbia University and operated as a program affiliated with its Graduate School of Journalism. The Crown Awards, first presented in 1982, are the organization’s highest recognition of overall excellence.