Column, Humor

   

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1st- Nusrat Atika (Henry Ford College)

Judge comments:

A lighthearted, observational journey into an experience and a conversation. Atika did a wonderful job making me feel like I was a fly on the wall, listening to the conversation that contains the thesis of this piece. She and her sister became characters in my mind, and they helped me see things from their perspective. And I was charmed by their interactions. My only complaint: Atika’s last name isn’t
featured in the story, which makes her feel somewhat anonymous despite the warmth of her story. I would recommend considering including her full name.

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2nd- Alena Visnovsky (Grand Rapids Community College)

Judge comments:

The Collegiate staff does an excellent job of making light of a subject that can turn dark because of divisive opinions on the matter. The piece attempts to lead people toward best practices in research while poking fun at individuals who approach research with little interest in actual discovery.

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3rd- Noah Black (Monroe Community College)

Judge comments:

A charming column that turns a monster into an unthreatening cartoon which, oddly, makes me want to know more about Bigfoot (odd because “scary” often conjures mystery and intrigue). The column also made me want to read more Cryptid Corner entries. I loved the fun mix of humor and information; the column takes itself just serious enough to make me feel like I’m learning something rather than just waiting for a punchline. Clever balance.

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Honorable Mention- Abe Yammich (Northwestern Michigan College)

Judge comments:

A fun, creative detour from a traditional column. The columnist takes an idea and flies with it, to the end. It also offers some commentary on Twitter discourse, by way of humor. Good stuff. The columnist should consider screenwriting. The bird’s characterization is clear and concise, as off-the- wall as the concept is. Also, normally, I wouldn’t take into account visuals that accompany stories, but the sight of the Twitter bird in the layout helped me enjoy this a little more than I otherwise might have. The column’s concept requires some imagination on the part of the reader, so it was helpful that I didn’t need to imagine the bird. The bird was right there.