CANTON -- St. Lawrence University’s student-run newspaper, The Hill News, won two New York Press Association (NYPA) awards in the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest, including the top spot for general excellence.

NYPA awarded The Hill News first place in the college newspaper category for “General Excellence,” commenting that the newspaper included a “Nice blend of information to keep students and their families up to date about what is happening around the area.” The student newspaper also received third place for overall design.

The newspaper’s editorial team includes Emma Cummings-Krueger ’16, editor-in-chief, Elizabeth (Elle) Lucas ’16, managing editor, and Thomas Mathiasen, managing editor.

“This is the first time we’ve ever entered the competition,” said Cummings-Krueger, a senior from Minneapolis, Minnesota, majoring in English and environmental studies. “So we were shocked when we learned that we won these two awards and stunned that we got first for general excellence.”

According to NYPA, the annual Better Newspaper Contest is designed to measure papers of similar size against one another in categories such as news, photography and advertising. More than 4,000 entries are received each year in a variety of categories.

Founded in 1911, The Hill News offers news, opinion, arts and entertainment, features, and sports sections in a 12-page publication. It’s published every Friday of the academic year and circulates among 2,000 readers including, students, faculty, staff, and off-campus subscribers. Students write, edit, photograph and layout the weekly publication.

Visit The Hill News online at TheHillNews.org.