The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) announced today on social media that The Gator has won a prestigious Crown Award for the fifth consecutive year, recognizing its excellence in digital scholastic journalism.

“Crowns are selected for overall excellence in a head-to-head comparison by category,” CSPA said on its site. “During Crown adjudication, publications are judged for excellence demonstrated through design, photography, concept, coverage, and writing. A total of 540 publications were eligible for judging in the 2025 competition.”

The Gator is one of just 2o other digital news sites nationwide to receive this honor for work produced during the 2023-24 academic year.

The Gator is guaranteed a Silver or Gold Crown, which will be announced at CSPA’s spring convention on Friday, March 21. Last year, the newsroom took home the top honor.

“Winning this award on my last year on The Gator means so much,” Editor-in-Chief Amelia Bowman ’25 said. “We couldn’t have done it without every single member of the newsroom.”