The Society of Professional Journalists recognized The Hatchet with three awards at an annual collegiate journalism competition last week.

The Hatchet won first place in the following categories:

General news reporting at large: One year into new dining plan, students still struggle to pay for meals by Cayla Harris and Kelly Hooper

General column writing at large: Essay: Don’t speak for veterans, taking a knee is not about them; The Midwest is more than cornfields and conservatives and Asian-Americans need to break the silence when other groups face discrimination by Renee Pineda

Breaking news photography at large: Protesters opposing Capital Pride block streets, parade reroutes at least twice by Olivia Anderson

SPJ named The Hatchet a finalist in four additional categories – breaking news reporting at large, editorial writing, best affiliated website and online/digital news videography – last month.

The winners in each category in Region 2 — which includes Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and D.C. — will compete at the national competition against other first-place winners from 12 regions. National winners will be announced in late spring and recognized at the Excellence in Journalism conference in Baltimore.