(MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ) -- The Brookdale Community College 51st edition of Collage, a magazine that showcases the highest caliber art, design, and literary pieces that Brookdale students create, was awarded the 2022 Gold Crown for Print Literary Magazines from Columbia University Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). In addition, the publication received a Gold Medalist Critique Rating and three All Columbian Honors for Essentials, Verbal, and Visual.

“I commend the staff of Collage for receiving this honor that reflects on the outstanding qualities of technical excellence, and distinctive and creative efforts in student journalism." said Brookdale Community College President David M. Stout, Ph.D.

The Crown Awards honor top student publications chosen from CSPA's members. Crowns are selected for overall excellence in a head-to-head comparison. During Crown consideration, publications are judged on their excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage, and writing. This year's winners were chosen from a total field of 817 nominated publications.

Brookdale’s Collage earned the Gold Medalist Critique rating for written evaluation and the Gold Crown Award for overall excellence. In addition, the three All-Columbian Honors were earned because the publication scored more than 95 percent of all the points within the sub-categories, ranging from design to creativity.

"The members of Collage have outdone themselves again, said Dean of Humanities Christine Webster-Hansen, Ph.D. The 50th Anniversary edition won the Silver Crown in 2021, and this year it won the Gold Crown. I am so proud of the team for their outstanding recent accomplishments."

This year the judges were sensitive to the challenges COVID-19 raised to student publications. The judges read the membership profiles and learned of the obstacles, and alternative tasks staff chose to follow to publish their publications.

"The 51st edition of Collage is our first magazine created entirely remote," written in the introduction of Collage. "The design of our magazine harnesses the healing power of art and design in innovative and collaborative ways. We wanted to express our self-discovery experiences and look inward to the circles that unify and connect us all during these unprecedented times; modern-day friendships and inclusivity. To that end, the magazine includes a wellness component, a companion Spotify playlist, and a metaphorical story based on the nature of circles and how they express the connections that bind us all to our communities.”

The following are the Collage 51st edition staff:

Briana Tomas, Design Co-president, Art Director, and Illustrator 2021-2022 (Ocean)

Jesse Hernandez, Design Co-president, and Well Editor 2021 (East Windsor)

Zafira Demiri, Literature Co-president, Secretary, and Literary Editor 2021-2022 (Freehold)

Branden Mesia, Co-president, and Art Director 2020-2021 (Howell)

Bryce Macleod Fagel, Vice President, and Literary Editor 2020-2021 (Lincroft)

Cassidy Wall, Design Director (Lakewood Ranch, FL)

Olivia Pawlowski, Wellness Design Team (Howell)

Beth Devereaux, Design Team (Highlands)

Jonathan S. Adler, Design Team (Freehold)

Nelly (Melanie) Pieklo, Design Team (Millstone Twp)

Florencia Jouan, Design Team (East Brunswick)

Donna Battistoni, Design Team (Middletown)

Frances Digiovanni, Design Consultant (Ocean Grove)

Elisa Elorza, Faculty Advisor

Jennifer Kaminski, Faculty Advisor

Collage is a club of diverse student staff that produce the magazine annually. Students gain valuable skills in editing, book design, and desktop publishing during Collage production. For more information, visit brookdalecc.edu/collage