For the second year in a row, the HiLite Online has been named an Online Crown Finalist by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Finalist status guarantees that the HiLite Online will earn either a Silver Crown or Gold Crown, the CSPA’s two highest awards, at the organization’s convention in March. The HiLite newspaper is also up for a Crown award, which will be announced at the same convention.

The HiLite Online is one of only 18 Online Crown Finalists from around the country and the only publication in Indiana to earn this distinction for its Web site. In its annual critique received earlier this year, the 2009-10 HiLite newspaper earned Gold Medalist status, a preliminary distinction that is separate from the Crown competition.

The anonymous judge of the critique said that the transition from a broadsheet to a tabloid format “seems to fit the lively style of writing and reporting the HiLite does.” He added that “without a doubt, (the HiLite) is a Gold Medalist quality paper.”

Last year, the HiLite switched to a tabloid newsmagazine format in order to follow changes in the newspaper industry. The emphasis for the paper is now on lengthier, in-depth stories. The HiLite Web site, HiLite Online, is now the primary outlet for breaking news and upcoming events.

The link to the CSPA Online Crown Finalists can be found here – http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/no-show/2011-online-crowns-finalists.html#N10050