The Student Publications Unit (SPU) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), composed of the Benildean Press Corps (BPC) and Ad Astra, secured four wins in its debut participation at the 2026 US College Media Association (CMA) Pinnacle Awards, presented at the CMA/Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Fall National College Media Convention on Nov. 5, in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
As the lead organization representing collegiate media programs and advisers in the US, the CMA has been celebrating excellence in collegiate journalism and media production across print, broadcast, digital, and design, encouraging media practitioners to uphold professional standards in industry practices and creative expression since 1954.
Out of 3,587 entries and 1,225 finalists across eight categories, SPU won in all four of its nominations under the Creative Pinnacle category, securing the highest number of wins among finalists hailing from the Philippines. Meanwhile, The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), earned three awards overall, with one each in the Creative, General, and Promotion-Advertising Pinnacle categories. Only Benilde and UST were awardees from the Philippines.
Four for four
BPC secured first place in the Literary Magazine Spread (Divisions I and II) for Yohanna Mendoza’s “The Wolf and the Stag” from Shades of Gray: Daybreak, the official literary folio of the students of DLS-CSB, which features written works about the moments in life worth celebrating.
Mendoza, an ID123 Multimedia Arts (ABMMA) alumnus and BPC’s Creative Director for P.Y. 2024-2025 and P.Y. 2025-2026, secured another win for Benilde, earning third place in the Magazine Cover category (Division I) for The Benildean: Explicit, the official student magazine-journal of DLS-CSB that tackles unsettling truths often sidestepped due to their challenging and sensitive nature.
Meanwhile, Ad Astra also secured first place in the Magazine Spread category (Division I), for “Why does Palestine matter?” from EMBARK 11, the official Benildean Frosh magazine, designed by Gabriel Rosales, an ID124 ABMMA student, the publication’s Creative Director for P.Y. 2025-2026 and P.Y. 2026-2027.
Ad Astra also received an honorable mention in the Yearbook Division Page category (Division I) for the dividers of AD ASTRA 2021-2022: FRAGMENT, designed by Mika Bonuel, André Cesar, and Bernice Arcangel.
In June 2026, SPU continued to strengthen Benilde’s presence on the global stage as BPC, the sole student publication representing the Philippines, bagged three Awards of Merit at the 2026 Gold Quill Awards during the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference, held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Canada.
