Humber Et Cetera placed in five of six categories of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s (OCNA) Better Newspaper Competitions (BNC) 2024 awards.
Humber placed first in Excellence, student feature writing and student news writing. Et Cetera writers also took third in student feature writing and editorial writing.
The OCNA awards, announced in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in early April, also awarded Humbernews.ca, now Humberetc.ca, with a third-place award.
"Overall, the best of the newspapers," wrote Tillsonburg Post Editor Jeff Helsdon about Humber Et Cetera in the Excellence category.
Carlo Cantisani, who took first place in the student feature writing, said winning this award was totally unexpected.
“I would have never, ever thought (that I’d) win such an award,” Cantisani said.
He said his article about climate change and Toronto failing to meet net-zero targets was the first article he worked on for Humber News, now Humber Et Cetera.
“I started to work on it, around probably April 2023, for another class,” Cantisani said.
He said he liked reporting on the topic and thought Humber News would be interested in getting it published.
The OCNA judge thought highly of Cantisani's work.
"Right from the beginning, the story started off with very strong writing which I felt could have been published in many major newspapers," said Charlie Senack, editor of Kitchissippi Times and Ottawa Lookout.
Antonio Canyameras Rojas, a Post-Graduate Certificate grad, won first in student news writing for a piece about Humber's cross-country team.
"Beautifully crafted and a pleasure to read! The writer toggled between paraphrasing and quoting, which gave the story bounce, life and rhythm," said Megan Walchuk, editor of the Fort Frances Times. "A simple story but elevated with poetic imagery and skilled writing. Beautiful!"
Humber journalists Annicca Albano and Jeferson Quiros-Vargas secured third place for their piece on an Allan Gardens encampment in the Student Feature Writing category.
"The article was structured very nicely and flowed well," Senack wrote. "The types of sources quoted were very impressive."
Albano, a reporter who focused on food insecurity and social issues for Humber, said she’d never thought she’d receive an award during her time here.
“Being able to say that I got to produce a story that won an award, really means a lot,” Albano said.
“It’s a testament to how much of our newsroom is built on the talent of our professors,” she said.
Albano said the award proves that the newsroom continues to push boundaries each year.
“We’re committed not just to winning awards, but also to journalism that really impacts not just the community here but across Ontario,” she said.
Quiros-Vargas said he’s extremely grateful for the recognition their article received.
“It’s nice to know that there’s somebody out there reading our work, just because it’s a small newspaper,” he said.
Santiago Helou Quintero, the fall 2023 editor in chief of Et Cetera, took third place in the Editorial Writing category for “Canada’s social contract is unravelling into a crisis.”
It was Quintero's last piece for the paper. He said he has mixed feelings because of what this article meant to him when he wrote it.
“It came out of a lot of frustration, it came out of a lot of just looking at so many problems, and so many stories that I wanted to cover, and just kind of wanting to squeeze as much as possible into one article,” he said.
Quintero said he’s also realized with how much time has passed since writing it, some points within his editorial are much more prevalent now than ever.
Nate Smelle, a judge and managing editor for Brancroft This Week and Bancroft Times, credited the analysis of his piece.
"Overall, the article is a sobering and thought-provoking call to action, highlighting the need for radical systemic change," Smelle said.
Humbernews.ca, now Humberetc.ca, garnered a third-place award for website design and content.
"Humber News showcases a professional layout and engaging content that reflects solid journalistic practices. The site demonstrates strong reporting, diverse story selection, and a clear commitment to serving its audience," Publisher Mohsin Abbas of the Lakeshore News Reporter, Lasalle Post Reporter, and Tilbury Times Reporter wrote in his decision.
Humbernews.ca and Humber Et Cetera also won the College Gold Hybrid News award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in March.
Quintero also received a second-place Columbia Gold Circle Award in the Personal Opinion category for “OPINION: Encampment evictions are violent colonial displacement.” Humber Et Cetera’s Brandon Harris, Andre La Rosa-Rodriguez, and Zoe Pierson placed third in the News Writing category for “We do not consent.”
Etti Bali, Karl Lewis, and Adrian Olivier also received the Columbia Golden Circle Certificate of Merit in the Headline Writing category, while Cantisani was given a Certificate of Merit for his story “City’s music scene has issues booking venues.”
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