Based on the overall look of the finished product, judges from the Printing Industries of America last month selected The Aegis to receive the award from a pool of approximately 100 entries, according to Mustatea. The only other two schools to win a Benny the Benjamin Franklin trophy two years in a row are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University, Mustatea said.
Because judges only award the Benny on years they see entries meeting high standards, The Aegis had to maintain a high level of quality to win, Mustatea said.
"I think what distinguishes us is the artistic part just the beauty of the pictures," she said.
Alyssa Eisenberg '12, The Aegis's editor-in-chief, agreed that the photography and layout are the primary reasons why the judges chose to award The Aegis.
"It doesn't have extraneous text," she said. "It doesn't have extra information that people don't care about, and that's what makes it so appealing."
The quality of the final product is a model for schools around the country, according to Steve Erickson, the New England regional manager for Jostens, Inc., the yearbook's publisher.
"A lot of schools not just colleges, but a lot of high schools hear about the success and the quality of the Dartmouth book, and so there are schools all around the country that want to see it," he said. "It is on a national level."
Although The Aegis works with Jostens to stay on schedule and perfect the design, the entire process is student-run, according to Drew Krejci, communications manager for Jostens.
"The final product and The Aegis yearbook is really driven by The Aegis yearbook staff," he said. "This was just a really incredible yearbook. It really comes down to great photography, great layout, great design, that tells a really great story about Dartmouth and the Dartmouth year."
Despite The Aegis's international recognition, Eisenberg said she feels not enough students are interested in the yearbook. Only about a quarter of the student body purchases The Aegis each year, and about 70 percent of those students are seniors. Students should not think that the yearbook is just for students leaving Dartmouth, she said.
"It's definitely a book that applies to all classes," she said. "I think that in the future from the alums that I've talked to people like having the book not just from their senior year."
Mustatea said that the lack of interest stems from comparisons that students draw to their high school yearbooks.
"It's a completely different product," she said. "Because people think of their, for example, high school yearbook they don't really take the time to look at our college yearbook."
Eisenberg said she hopes to change student attitudes toward the yearbook and become the first school to win the Benny three years in a row.
"It's really, really rare that it's won back-to-back," she said. "It would be incredible if we could get it three times in a row."
The Premier Printing Awards competition is the largest international graphic arts competition, according to the PIA's website.
The Aegis last won the Benny in 1995, but has had consistent strong showings at the awards almost every year in recent memory, according Mustatea.
