At New Mexico State University, student success extends beyond the classroom. The Round Up, NMSU's student newspaper, demonstrated that success by earning seven awards at the New Mexico Press Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest earlier this month. 

Five staff members of The Round Up attended the NMPA awards ceremony, alongside hundreds of representatives from news organizations and independent journalists from across the state, to celebrate excellence in journalism. 

In its inaugural year competing in the contest, The Round Up received three first-place awards and four second-place awards. All of which recognized student work in writing, photography and digital media.

"It feels so surreal," Elizabeth Anne Andrews, the paper's editor-in-chief, said. "I've been part of The Round Up since my first week at NMSU, and I love it so much. It's an incredible experience being able to get this kind of recognition." 

Hannah Saltman, a former staff writer, won first place in the Arts & Entertainment Review category for "Downtown Las Cruces gets a taste of drag brunch." Published in November 2025, the story featured drag and burlesque performances. Saltman explored performers' experiences amid the ongoing discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Second place in the Arts & Entertainment Review category went to Uziel Ramos, the paper's news editor, for his story, "Citlali Delgado's 'Unexpected Pedestrians' brings Borderland realities to life." Ramos highlighted the success of an NMSU alum's first solo art show in El Paso, Texas. 

The final award The Round Up won for its writing was for sections editor Addisyn Hartman's story, "NMSU fires Jody Adams, begins search for new head coach." This article won second place in the Digital Breaking News Coverage category.  Hartman's reporting gave readers the latest information about a sudden staffing change, and she took initiative to get the story done on a tight deadline while the then-editorial staff was out of town at a professional conference. 

Two photographers were recognized for their skills behind the camera. 

Adrian Villegas won second place in Sports Photo for his basketball image, "Aggies go up in smoke: Flames win 77-75," and Melanie Zepeda won second place in the General News Photo category for her photo, "Stories to tell: A Report Back from Palestine." 

Aside from its continuous efforts in journalism, the student newspaper was also commended for its outreach. Andrews won first place for Best Website and Multimedia Editor Karla Hernandez-Chew earned first place for Best Use of Social Media. 

"Receiving these awards shows the legitimacy of student journalism. I've been thinking a lot about that lately, because of The Cornell Daily Sun breaking the Jane Doe story and Rep. Andy Harris (R‑Md.) questioning a student reporter's right to record him in a press gaggle," Andrews said. "As student journalists, we are so often underestimated, but we can make big changes, and people in power know this. So, it's great to be able to be in the room with other professional journalists from around the state and compete against them." 

Ahead of the convention, Hartman, Ramos, and staff writer Ruby Mendoza produced a convention newspaper, Shop Talk, as part of the NMPA Sammy Lopez College Journalism Workshop.   

"If I could give any encouragement to NMSU students, I would want them to know not to underestimate themselves. Don't buy into the lie that you don't deserve what you want because you are still in college," Andrews added. "If you set goals and work towards them, you will actually see results." 

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-student-newspaper-wins-seven-nmpa-awards/s/a83b839a-afd8-4b96-b363-d3c4da603870