UNC Charlotte's Niner Times received the prestigious Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists. 

They were named the winner in Region 2 in the category of large newspapers in schools with 10,000 or more students. They will move on to the national competition – vying for the title against several well-known collegiate newspapers.

 Winners in all regions are: 

• Region 1: The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College
• Region 2: The Niner Times, UNC Charlotte
• Region 3: The Emory Wheel, Emory University 
• Region 4: The State News, Michigan State
• Region 5: Indiana Daily Student, Indiana State University 
• Region 6: The Daily Cardinal, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Region 7: The Daily Iowan, Iowa State University 
• Region 8: N/A
• Region 9: The Sign Post, Weber State University
• Region 10: The Daily Barometer, Oregon State University
• Region 11: The Graphic Newspaper, Pepperdine University
• Region 12: The Loyola Maroon, Loyola University, New Orleans

The national winner of the Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper will receive a $5,000 prize from the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

In their first time entering the Mark of Excellence Awards, Niner Times brought home four awards in total. The three other awards are as follows:

• In the category of Photography/Videography/Art/Multimedia/Illustration, Emma Cathey won for a graphic she created that accompanied the story, ChatGPT fuels learner insecurity. 
• Photographer Wyatt Bullock was named a finalist in the Photography category for his photo of a football player that accompanied the story Charlotte football at East Carolina University. 
• Sofia DiStefano, news editor, won in the category of General Newspaper Reporting for large schools with 10,000 or more students for her story License plate mix-up leaves student fearing ICE pursuit, raising questions about campus response. 

Schools from the following states are in our in Region 2: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. Award winners are listed on the SPJ site.

The Mark of Excellence Awards recognize the best in student journalism at the local, regional and national levels. This is the first time that the Niner Times has entered the awards competition. Entries were judged on several criteria, including: 

• Accuracy and completeness 
• Enterprise and ingenuity 
• Adherence to high journalistic standards 
• Significance and effectiveness 
• Extenuating circumstances 
• Clarity, insight and respect for the audience 
• Creative use of the medium’s unique capabilities 
• Ethical principles outlined in the SPJ Code of Ethics 
• Available resources

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and upholding high ethical standards. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ champions journalists by recognizing outstanding achievement, protecting press freedom, promoting ethics, and preparing new generations of professionals.