Silver Chips Online wins Marylander Award

Silver Chips Online is the winner of the 2003 Marylander Award for online publications given annually by the Maryland Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) to one high school in the state. This is the third year the online publication received this honor.

Blair's online paper received recognition for its various sections and site features, such as news, sports, features, opinions, and letters to the editor. The paper was praised by MSPA for its interactivity made possible by polls, quizzes, and comment boxes, as well as for its accessibility from cell phones, mobile phones, and handheld devices. Other praise was given to the site's easy navigation, its maintenance of archives, and online posting of print editions. Judges also commended the site for its calendar of upcoming events, as well as the overall design and banner.

MSPA also noted some elements of Silver Chips Online that need to be improved, such as the quality of some of its photography and graphics. Judges also criticized the lack of complete reporting in some stories, and recommended adding copyright information to each page.

MSPA is a non-profit organization based at the University of Maryland College Park's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. The association was founded in 1998 and serves the purpose of promoting journalism in the Washington Metropolitan region.

For a complete list of the 2003 Publication winners, click here.