Designer Janice Bielawa's September 2015 design won first prize for Front Page Layout. Chelsea Clow's March 2016 Editor's Notebook won 2nd place for General Column/Commentary; Christopher Gordon's March Editorial, Act Like a Man, took 3rd prize, as did Jessica Ney's March Recently Read Column, For All Our Sakes, and Alyssa Katz's Feature,
Never Forgotten, which appeared in the April 2016 issue.

According to the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists website, "The Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists hosts the Excellence in Journalism Contest each year to recognize the work of journalists in the state...Entries are judged by qualified journalists through a swap with SPJ chapters around the country. All entries are judged by journalists outside of Connecticut."

 Faculty Advisor, Steve Parlato, expressed heartfelt congratulations to his talented staff. Parlato stated, "Positive on-campus feedback has meant so much this year, but acknowledgment by professionals in the field is really gratifying. Knowing we held our own against large schools with respected journalism programs, like Wesleyan, Quinnipiac, and Fairfield Universities, makes me all the more proud of my dedicated staff. We're truly inspired to return in the fall." 

NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., expressed congratulations and pride on behalf of the entire NVCC community. “More wonderful news arrived on Friday, with our very own Tamarack receiving five awards from the CT Society of Professional Journalists. I could not be any prouder of the Tamarack and the powerful work they produced this year.”