Three of the state's six winners of the prestigious Marylander Award from the Maryland Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) were from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

Winston Churchill High School's The Churchill Observer earned the newspaper award for a school with a population of 1,200 or more. Magruder High School's yearbook, Liberator, took the honor in the category of yearbooks of more than 200 pages. Richard Montgomery High School's Fine Lines (titled "Hedera Helix") took the top award in the literary magazine category. The Marylander is the top award given by MSPA.

The three schools were among 16 MCPS high schools and middle schools that took awards in the yearly competition. Categories include newspaper with a school population of less than 600, with a population of 600-1,199 and with a school population of 1,200 or more; yearbook of 200 or fewer pages or more than 200 pages; and literary magazine. Following the Marylander Award in each category are first-, second- and third-place finishers in both first- and second-place rating categories.
MCPS winners in the 2003 publications contest were:

Newspaper: School population 600 to 1,199

§ Second Finisher, Second-Place Rating Category: The Rampage, Rockville High School, Peter Daddone, adviser

Newspaper: School population 1,200 or more

§ Marylander Award: The Churchill Observer, Winston Churchill High School, Mary Ellen Hare, adviser
§ First Finisher, First-Place Rating: Silver Chips, Montgomery Blair High School, John Mathwin, adviser
§ Second Finisher, First-Place Rating: The Warrior, Sherwood High School, Peter Huck, adviser
§ Third Finisher, First-Place Rating: The Blueprint, Springbrook High School, Wendy Brodsky and Evva Starr, advisers
§ Second Finisher, Second-Place Rating: The Blake Beat, James Hubert Blake High School, Kevin Keegan, adviser

Yearbook: More than 200 pages

§ Marylander Award: Liberator, Col. Zadok Magruder High School, Sylvia Kim, adviser
§ First Finisher, First-Place Rating: Finest Hours, Winston Churchill High School, Sharon Deibel, adviser
§ Second Finisher, First-Place Rating: Tracks, Quince Orchard High School, Beverly Klyn, adviser
§ Second Finisher, Second-Place Rating: Felidge, Paint Branch High School, Lori Leonard, adviser

Literary Magazine

§ Marylander Award: Fine Lines (Hedera Helix), Richard Montgomery High School, Anita Anderson, adviser
§ Second Finisher, First-Place Rating: Clutter and Vine, Col. Zadok Magruder High School, Sylvia Kim, adviser
§ Third Finisher, First-Place Rating: Silver Quill, Montgomery Blair High School, Valerie Josenhans, adviser
§ Second Finisher, Second-Place Rating: Erehwon, Winston Churchill High School, Jeff Savett, adviser
§ Fourth Finisher, Second-Place Rating: The Fang "Unity," John Poole Middle School, Jodi Schultz and Nori Thorne, advisers
§ First Finisher, Fourth-Place Rating: Echoes Literary/Arts Magazine, Rockville High School, Kris Flather and Joelle Heil, advisers

Numerous MCPS students also won individual writing and editing awards in the competition.