The Utah Press Association has recognized The Universe with 22 awards in its annual Better Newspapers Contest. The competition is structured so newspapers compete against similarly sized papers. The Universe claimed first place in the categories of Best General News Story for “ Local farmers will survive dry weather ” by Kristian Ekenes; Best Feature Story, for “Provo’s future temple evokes memories of tabernacle’s past,” by Spencer Ngatuvai; Best Sports Story for “ Utah fans help make MUSS of BYU offense ” by Daniel Lewis; Best Sports Page with “The concussion discussion” designed by Brad Davis; and Best Staff Produced Ad for “Don’t get caught in the gap” designed by James Gardner. Online, universe.byu.edu was Utah’s only student news website recognized in the competition, claiming second place behind The Park Record in Park City. The Universe also took second place in the categories of Best General News Story for “Orrin Hatch and Dan Liljenquist debate across the generation gap” by Casey Adams; Best Editorial for “In the midst of adversity: Finding strength when trials weigh us down” by Katie Harmer; Best Sports Story “Freshman running back ‘Baby J’ is excelling in first year at BYU” by Taylor Street; Best Sports Photograph for a picture of the BYU women’s soccer team celebrating a win, by Sarah Hill; Best Staff Produced Ad for “Don’t slip up” by Brett Bertola; and Best Use of Ad Color for “Don’t get caught in the gap.” The Universe took third-place awards in the categories of Best Breaking News Story for “Students react to missionary age change” by Crystal Myler, Sara Michael and Shawn Fielding; Best News Coverage throughout 2012; Best News Series for stories on BYU’s massive computer-systems crash, by Kate Bennion and Miriam Shumway; Best Feature Series for stories on Mitt Romney’s BYU years, by Katie Clark; Best Editor’s/Feature Column for “Balancing feminism: Why feminism isn’t an either-or option” by Katie Harmer; Best Front Page featuring the London Olympics designed by James Gardner; Best Staff Produced ROP Ad Campaign for Ninth East Dental designed by Brad Davis; and Best Special Section for The Universe’s Bridal Guide. Winners of the 2013 contest, with entries drawn from editions published in 2012, were announced Saturday at the Utah Press Association convention in Sandy. The Universe is BYU’s student laboratory news organization and is one of the anchors of the Communications Department. Journalism faculty coordinate coursework with the operations of the newsroom. Student reporters majoring in journalism and public relations number from 20 to 40, depending on the time of year, with another 10 to 20 journalism students bringing special-project coursework to the newsroom. The Universe operates a complete business model with revenue from advertising sales in its print, web and mobile editions supporting the bulk of its operations. More than 40 students, most of them in roles supporting their academic pursuits, fill positions as section and online editors, photographers, artists, designers, ad sales representatives, computer programmers and accounting and office staff. The print edition was published each weekday as The Daily Universe until this past April when the Communications Department initiated sweeping changes in the staffing and publication structure, moving the print edition from daily to weekly and boosting The Universe’s emphasis on its digital products. Since then, The Universe has updated its online archive and launched a new website; made several interactive upgrades to its mobile app, available on both the iPhone and Android platforms; boosted interactivity with its readers with projects like the 500-photo gallery A Day in the Life of BYU and #Ygram; and increased its presence on all major social media platforms. Source: The Universe

BYU's Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration recently trekked to the Bonneville Salt Flats with the BYU Philharmonic. Student advertisers strapped GoPro cameras to violin bows, the conductor's head, etc. In a natural, yet unusual setting, the Philharmonic plays Aaron Copland's 'Hoedown.' The event was featured in this article on CBSNews.com.

BYU Illustration students have had a successful semester. This winter, eleven pieces of artwork by eight BYU students were accepted into the Society of Illustrators 2013 Student Scholarship Competition. Of the pieces that were accepted, Hana Soljee Lee’s piece Jinxed (gel pens, digital) also received the $500 Norman Rockwell Museum scholarship.

March 4, 2013, Provo, Utah — BYUtv today announced that its first scripted series, Granite Flats, would fill the decade-long family friendly programming void when the original weekly show premieres on April 7, 2013. Set in 1962 Mountain West America at the height of the Cold War, the hour-long series introduces a new genre to the groundbreaking network’s diverse roster of original “see the good in the world” programming. The show — a suspenseful period drama with a twist of science fiction — reflects the network’s bold efforts to provide an underserved national audience with intelligent, inspiring content that stands out for its thoughtful examination of life’s complexities. Granite Flats is available in High Definition and is carried to more than 51 million homes on Dish Network, DirecTV and over 800 cable systems in every state of the country via cable and satellite. All content is additionally available via Internet streaming at byutv.org. “Ever since CBS aired the final episode of Touched by an Angel in 2003, there has been a large empty space where primetime family-oriented television used to be,” said Derek Marquis, executive producer of Granite Flats and Managing Director of BYUtv. “Our extensive market research, done all over the country, indicates that there’s a significant audience hungry for a dramatic series that families can watch together without concern about inappropriate subject matter. Granite Flats is targeted at that neglected demographic, although viewers outside the family market will enjoy it, too.” Granite Flats was produced, written and created by a team of top Hollywood and New York talent who have made some of the television and film industry’s most successful and long-running family-oriented entertainment offerings. With the crew’s vast collective knowledge of historical recreation and a specific familiarity with the look and feel of the period, the highly stylized show lets viewers travel back in time to Granite Flats, Colorado, 1962. “We’ve focused on every tiny detail of the set and performance to keep it all true to the era, from wardrobe and accessories to colloquial language and ambient sounds,” said executive producer and director Scott Swofford. Filmed entirely in Utah, in a variety of 1960s-era locations and at a Salt Lake City soundstage (the very same one used for Touched by an Angel), Granite Flats is an evocative portrayal of characters in small town U.S.A. during a time that was simultaneously unsettled and innocent. Based on actual little-known covert U.S. military operations, which delve firmly into the realm of science fiction, the story echoes the tensions and fears that were uniquely a part of that moment in our nation’s history. Granite Flats tells the story of a recently widowed single mom, Beth Milligan, and her 10 year old son Arthur, who move from California to the rural town of Granite Flats, Colorado to start a new life after the untimely and mysterious death of their Air Force pilot husband and father. From the moment of their arrival at the military base where Beth will be employed as a hospital nurse and Arthur will get a post-tragedy restart on life, the wholesome community is quickly revealed to be much more complex than at first glance. Standing alone outside on his first night in Granite Flats, Arthur is the sole witness to a fiery object hurdling across the sky, landing in the nearby hills. Is it a comet, like the budding young scientist believes, or something far more complicated? The spiraling consequences of what Arthur sees and the subsequent explosion that sets the stage for the plot to unfold propels Granite Flats into motion. Under the town’s wholesome surface, a sinister element is brewing that will challenge the faith and humanity of the show’s quirky characters, threaten to shatter any residual innocence left from the past decade and reveal the ubiquitous fear of nuclear attack which defined that era. “The show will appeal to an audience that wants to be absorbed into a well-crafted television series with exquisite period art direction, tight plot twists, scene intrigue, mystery and romance,” said Swofford. “As the show progresses, it tells a rich and complex story based on little-known documented events from an ethically disputable chapter in United States military history. Because Granite Flats is serialized and not just episodic, the plot grabs a hold of viewers’ imaginations and carries them through the season.” Source: graniteflats.com/press

Come see the BYU Men's Chorus in concert this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm. The 180+ members of the Brigham Young University Men's Chorus comprise the largest collegiate male chorus in the United States. The Men's Chorus has captured the admiration of audiences throughout the western United States and beyond. Their popularity results from hours of dedicated rehearsal, a diverse repertoire, and a uniquely powerful and unified sound.

Brigham Young University’s Living Legends will perform a celebration of Latin American, Native American and Polynesian song and dance in a concert at the de Jong Concert Hall Thursday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m.

On March 15, BYU student Mary Hoskins continued the School of Music’s recent spurt of national recognition by placing second in the national finals of the Macaroni Grill Opera Sing Off.

From March 6-9, 2013 the 40th annual BYU DanceSport Competition brought together amateur and student dancers from around the country in the BYU Marriott Center. The four-day dance competition was filled with excitement and beautiful dancing, and the receipt of many awards.

Last week, Pulitzer Prize—winning composer David Lang visited BYU as a guest of the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition.

For more than 25 years, BYU’s Barlow Endowment for Music Composition has been quietly commissioning the Beethovens of our time and, over the years, has garnered a reputation as one of the more prestigious awards a composer can receive.

At the northwest region's American College Dance Festival held last week at Southern Utah University, the BYU Theatre Ballet's two dances were selected for the Gala performance. The pieces that were selected included 'Apart' by Shayla Bott, a BYU assistant professor, and 'Transition' by Hilary Wolfley, a BYU undergraduate student. BYU was one of 18 schools in attendance at the ACDF, and only six other dances were selected to be in the final Gala performance.

Brigham Young University Conferences and Workshops and the Dance Department are offering various dance camps and workshops this summer. BYU dance faculty members and world-renowned guest instructors will direct and teach the programs.