FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Director of Awards, 317.927.8000 ext. 210, awards@spj.org
Christine DiGangi, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317.927.8000 ext. 205, cdigangi@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists gladly recognizes the 2012 Mark of Excellence Awards winners from Region 8. The MOE Awards honor the best of collegiate journalism from a calendar year.

SPJ’s Region 8 comprises Texas and Oklahoma. Honorees received award certificates the weekend of May 3 at the Region 8 Spring Conference in San Antonio. This year, international entries from Zayed University competed in Region 8.

First-place winners moved on to the national MOE competition among category winners from the 12 SPJ regions, and the national winners were announced last week. The list of national MOE Award winners is online.

National winners will be recognized at Excellence in Journalism 2013 (EIJ13) in Southern California, Aug. 24 to 26. The awards are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience.

The awards honor the best in student journalism. As such, judges were directed to choose only those entries which they felt were outstanding work worthy of such an honor. If the judges determined that none of the entries rose to the level of excellence, no award was given. Any category not listed has no winner.

School divisions are based on student enrollment, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment: Large schools have more than 10,000 students, medium have 9,999 to 5,001 students, and small have fewer than 5,000 students.

See the list below for details on the Region 8 winners, and direct any MOE Awards questions to Director of Awards Lauren Rochester: awards@spj.org and 317.927.8000 ext. 210. Note: The list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award-entry process.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

NEWSPAPERS
Breaking News Reporting (Large)
First Place: “OSU student internally investigated, later arrested on sex assault charges” by Samantha Vicent, The Daily O'Collegian, Oklahoma State University
Second Place: “Stillwater teen shoots, kills self in crowded school hallway” by Samantha Vicent, Tulsa World, Oklahoma State University
Third Place: “QB Casey Pachall suspended” by Lexy Cruz, TCU Daily Skiff, Texas Christian University

General News Reporting (Large)
First Place: “Presidential Perks” by Kolten Parker, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: “Quarterback failed drug test” by Bailey McGowan & Lexy Cruz, TCU 360, Texas Christian University
Third Place: “Political donations by UT officials” by Alexa Ura, The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin

General News Reporting (Small)
First Place: “Student Elections Nearly Derailed” by Catherine Roberts, The Collegian, University of Tulsa
Second Place: “Study abroad trip has shaky start” by Antonio Hebert, The Bells, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Third Place: “The Rise and Fall of Geoffrey Orsak” by Kalen Petersen & Kyle Walker, The Collegian, University of Tulsa

In-Depth Reporting (Large)
First Place: “Our Remedy or Ruin?” by Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism students, Denton Record-Chronicle, University of North Texas
Second Place: “Sexual Assault Series” by Chase Cook, The Oklahoma Daily, University of Oklahoma
Third Place: “Poverty” by Liza Winkler & Jena Coolidge, University Star, Texas State University

In-Depth Reporting (Small)
First Place: “Greek organizations under scrutiny” by Rachel Puckett, Aly Mithani & Faith Ozer, Trinitonian, Trinity University
Second Place: “Human Trafficking Series” by JC Jones & Katelyn Holm, The Bells, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Third Place: “Breaking Down the Budget” by Kalen J. Petersen, The Collegian, University of Tulsa

Feature Writing (Large)
First Place: “An Oklahoma City woman is fighting for a better life through education” by Kyle Fredrickson, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma State University
Second Place: “Facing his giants: Rex Fleming confronts his cancer with a bravery beyond his years” by Taylor Langston, The Optimist, Abilene Christian University

Feature Writing (Small)
First Place: “Don't be 'that' guy” by Clay Thomas, Northwestern News, Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Sports Writing (Large)
First Place: “Frogs upset #11 UNLV” by Ryan Osborne, TCU 360, Texas Christian University
Second Place: “Wally's World” by Edward Isaacs, The Optimist, Abilene Christian University
Third Place: “Win over Tech sends BU to bowl game” by Daniel Hill, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University

Sports Writing (Small)
First Place: “From the ASC to the NFL, Menkin excels” by Christian Hernandez, The Bells, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Second Place: “Rangers dominate on home floor, come away with two solid wins” by Jay Lee, Northwestern News, Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Third Place: “Wicks: Multi-sport athlete by Christian Hernandez, The Bells, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

Editorial Writing (Large)
First Place: Editorial Board, The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin
Second Place: Editorial Board,The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington
Third Place: Bethany Peterson, Karen Gavis & Taylor Jensen, The Collegian , Tarrant County College

Editorial Writing (Small)
First Place: Conor Fellin, The Collegian, University of Tulsa
Second Place: Kalen J. Petersen, The Collegian, University of Tulsa

General Column Writing (Large)
First Place: Savannah Wingo, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: Susannah Jacob, Travis Knoll & Cortney Sanders, The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin
Third Place: Mark Smith, The Optimist, Abilene Christian University

General Column Writing (Small)
First Place: Ben Conway, Trinitonian, Trinity University

Sports Column Writing (Large)
First Place: Ryan Osborne, TCU 360, Texas Christian University
Second Place: Jordan Brewer, University Star, Texas State University
Third Place: Daniel Hill & Greg DeVries, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
First Place: The Oklahoma Daily, University of Oklahoma
Second Place: The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington
Third Place: The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (Large)
First Place: The Optimist, Abilene Christian University
Second Place: University Press, Lamar University
Third Place: The Ranger, San Antonio College

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (Small)
First Place: The Collegian, University of Tulsa
Second Place: The Bells, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Third Place: Trinitonian, Trinity University

MAGAZINE
Non-Fiction Magazine Article
First Place: "Dads' donations leave final gifts” by Chelsea Henderson, University Press/UPbeat, Lamar University
Second Place: “War Wounds” by Ashley Yeaman, Focus magazine, Baylor University
Third Place: “Inside the mind of Victor Boschini” by Ryan Osborne, Image, Texas Christian University

Best Student Magazine
First Place: Image, Texas Christian University
Second Place: Focus magazine, Baylor University

ART/GRAPHICS
Breaking News Photography (Large)
First Place: “Dangling car” by David Reid, The Collegian, Tarrant County College

General News Photography (Large)
First Place: “Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson” by Austin Humphreys, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: “Leadership Boot Camp” by Matt Hellman, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Third Place: “Distemper danger” by Matt Hellman, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University

General News Photography (Medium)
First Place: “British Prime Minister David Cameron talks to ZU students and Dr. Sulaiman Al Jasim, left.” by Maha Jasim, Zajel, Zayed University

Feature Photography (Large)
First Place: “Eternal Flame” by Matt Hellman, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Second Place: “Bucking Bronco” by Matt Hellman, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Third Place: “Smashing Fruit” by Mandy Lambright, The Optimist, Abilene Christian University

Photo Illustration (Large)
First Place: “The Hummingbird's Son” by Eric Nishimoto, University of North Texas/Mayborn magazine, University of North Texas
Second Place: “Basketball fan” by Casey Holder, The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington

Sports Photography (Large)
First Place: “Benched” by Matt Hellman, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Second Place: “Triple Block” by Meagan Downing, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Third Place: “Touchdown Stretch” by Mandy Lambright, The Optimist, Abilene Christian University

Sports Photography (Small)
First Place: “Defensive Back Van'Darrick” by Anh-Viet Dinh, Trinitonian, Trinity University

Editorial Cartooning (Large)
First Place: “Main Point” by Editorial Board, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: Esteban Diaz, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University
Third Place: Asher Freeman Murphy, The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University

Editorial Cartooning (Small)
First Place: “Trinitimes” by Sarah Fulton, Trinitonian, Trinity University

RADIO
Radio News Reporting
First Place: “Human Trafficking in Oklahoma” by Jessica Wilder, KGOU-FM (NPR), University of Oklahoma
Second Place: “Hurricane Sandy” by Sarah Vasquez, KTSW-FM 89.9, Texas State University

Radio Feature
First Place: “The Art of Foley” by Michael Rymer, KGOU-FM (NPR), University of Oklahoma
Second Place: “HIV in Oklahoma” by Paige Willet, KGOU-FM (NPR), University of Oklahoma
Third Place: “Summer Is Short for High School Arts and Sports” by Era Sundar, KUT News, Austin Community College

Best All-Around Radio Newscast
First Place: “Assignment Radio: In-Depth Reports” by Staff, KGOU-FM (NPR), University of Oklahoma
Second Place: “News At Noon” by Staff, KACU, Abilene Christian University
Third Place: “College Radio Day Newscast” by Staff, KTSW-FM 89.9, Texas State University

TELEVISION
Television Breaking News Reporting
First Place: “Drug Bust” by Madison Pelletier & Landon Haaf, TCU News Now, Texas Christian University

Television General News Reporting
First Place: “Soldier Addiction” by Bonnie Campo, OUTV (Cox Cable Channel), University of Oklahoma

Television Feature Reporting
First Place: “KVR News- Inner City Boxing” by Kaleigh Schneider & Jon Scott, Texas Student Television, University of Texas at Austin
Second Place: “Ken Burns: The Oklahoma Dust Bowl” by Bonnie Campo” by OUTV (Cox Cable Channel), University of Oklahoma

Television In-Depth Reporting
First Place: “Routes TV” by Jessica Parham, OUTV (Cox Cable Channel), University of Oklahoma

Television Sports Reporting
First Place: “OU Groundskeepers” by Zack Hedrick, OUTV (Cox Cable Channel), University of Oklahoma
Second Place: “College Press Box- David Ash leads Texas in 41-36 win at Oklahoma State” by Roman Coronado III, Becca Rushworth, Alex Stockwell & Jordan Cannon, Texas Student Television, University of Texas at Austin

Television Feature Photography
First Place: “Colby Halloween” by J.D. Moore, TCU News Now, Texas Christian University
Second Place: “Watch Party” by Joey McReynolds, TCU News Now, Texas Christian University

Television Sports Photography
First Place: “Texas Football vs. Oklahoma State” by Becca Rushworth, Alex Stockwell & Jordan Cannon, Texas Student Television, University of Texas at Austin
Second Place: “TCU-Baylor game” by Landon Haaf, TCU News Now, Texas Christian University
Third Place: “Thankful for Football” by Landon Haaf, TCU News Now, Texas Christian University

Best All-Around Television Newscast
First Place: “JMC Network News” by Staff, ACU Television, Abilene Christian University
Second Place: “OU Nightly” by Staff, OUTV (Cox Cable Channel), University of Oklahoma
Third Place: “KVR News” by Staff, Texas Student Television, University of Texas at Austin

ONLINE
Online Feature Reporting (Large)
First Place: “SXSW Recap” by Mark Wilson, Andrew Goodwin & Austin Humphreys, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: “Awkward Moments Can Lead to Life Lessons” by Mark Smith, Unity News, University of Central Oklahoma/Unity Journalists

Online Feature Reporting (Medium)
First Place: “Sheena Kay: the face behind the voice revealed” by Dhabya Rashed Al Mehairi, Zajel, Zayed University
Second Place: “Health students launch food safety campaign at ZU” by Ayesha Almazroui, Zajel, Zayed University
Third Place: “Tackling cultural norms crucial for UAE young women to gain independence” by Ayesha Almazroui, Zajel, Zayed University

Online In-Depth Reporting (Large)
First Place: “About 800 reports made of people trapped in elevators” by Krista Torralva, The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington
Second Place: “Texas State of Change” by TexasStateofChange.com, TexasStateofChange.com, Texas State University

Online Sports Reporting (Large)
First Place: “The life of a Mavericks volleyball player” by Casey Holder, The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington
Second Place: Josh Brown, University Star, Texas State University

Online Sports Reporting (Medium)
First Place: “Abu Dhabi women take third in soccer tourney” by Dana Al Mutawa, Zajel, Zayed Uniersity

Online Opinion & Commentary (Large)
First Place: Editorial Board, University Star, Texas State University

Online Opinion & Commentary (Small)
First Place: Leah Burchfiel, RangerPulse, Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Best Affiliated Web Site (Large)
First Place: The University Star Website, University Star, Texas State University
Second Place: TheShorthorn.com, The Shorthorn, University of Texas at Arlington
Third Place: Daily Texan Online, The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin

Best Affiliated Web Site (Small)
First Place: trinitonian.com, Trinitonian, Trinity University

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Medium)
First Place: Zajel, Zayed University

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