Contacts:
Matthew Kent, SPJ Program Coordinator, 317-920-4788, mkent@spj.org
Jennifer Royer, SPJ Director of Communications and Marketing, 317-361-4134, jroyer@spj.org


INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists recognizes the best collegiate journalism in Region 7 with 2018 Mark of Excellence Awards winners.

SPJ’s Region 7 comprises Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Honorees received award certificates the weekend of April 6 at the Region 7 Conference. First-place winners will compete at the national level among other regional MOE winners from the 12 SPJ regions.

National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism conference in San Antonio.

MOE Awards entries are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience. Judges were directed to choose entries they felt were among the best in student journalism. If no entry rose to the level of excellence, no award was given. Any category not listed has no winner.

School divisions are based on student enrollment, including both graduate and undergraduate: Large schools have at least 10,000 students and small schools have 9,999 or fewer students.

The list below details all Region 7 winners. If you have any questions regarding the MOE Awards, contact Matthew Kent via email or phone at 317-920-4788.

This list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award entries.

Newspapers
Breaking News Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: No casualties in Lawrence hotel fire, firefighting and investigation to continue – by Chandler Boese, University of Kansas
Finalist: KU cheerleaders come forward with hazing allegations – by Alex Madrigal, Kansas State University

Breaking News Reporting (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Finalist: Administration heralds plans to blacken Painted Street – by Marie Nalan, Drake University

General News Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: UI student research found over 100 birds collided into 5 campus buildings in 10 weeks – by Katelyn Weisbrod, University of Iowa
Finalist: WSU rolls out ‘student-driven’ plan to raise student fees, upgrade campus infrastructure – by Matthew Kelly, Wichita State University

General News Reporting (Small) 1-9,999 students
Finalist: Racist notes investigation yields copycat – by Rachel James and Phong Ly, Drake University
In-Depth Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Aging out, diving in – by Lara Korte, University of Kansas
Finalist: In rural Missouri, going to jail isn’t free. You pay for it. – by Titus Wu, University of Missouri

In-Depth Reporting (Small) 1-9,999 students
Winner: Made in translation – by Staff of The Webster Journal, Webster University
Finalist: Former Webster University student detained by ICE, threatened with deportation – by Andrew J McMunn, Webster University

Feature Writing (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: The long journey home for a World War II veteran memorialized in the Campanile – by Tianna Witmer, University of Kansas
Finalist: Teaching compassion by example, UCM alumna connects with students – by Leah Kemple, University of Central Missouri
Finalist: University of Iowa history, told through the head Hawks’ eyes – by Marissa Payne, University of Iowa

Feature Writing (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: Reporter Todd Smith’s scars will never heal after Kirkwood shooting – by Christine Tannous, Webster University
Finalist: The road less traveled: How a 50-year-old mom rides to campus in style – by Christopher Tenpenny, Missouri Western State University

General Column Writing (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Isabella Rosario, University of Iowa
Finalist: Rebekah Lodos, University of Kansas

General Column Writing (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Finalist: Hanna Holthaus, Webster University

Sports Writing (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: UI legend reflects on 50 years of fighting for gender equality in intercollegiate athletics – by Brooklyn Draisey, University of Iowa
Finalist: Closing in on win No. 144: Kirk Ferentz approaches history – by Adam Hensley, University of Iowa
Finalist: Kansas’ hidden blue bloods – by Hailey Dixon, University of Kansas

Sports Writing (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Finalist: Athletic Dept. budget – by Beau Baker, Missouri Western State University

Editorial Writing
Winner: Isabella Rosario, University of Iowa

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
Winner: Iowa State Daily – by Staff of Iowa State Daily, Iowa State University

Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper
Winner: The Webster Journal – by Staff of The Webster Journal, Webster University
Finalist: The Sunflower – by Staff of The Sunflower, Wichita State University
Finalist: Times-Delphic – by Staff of Times-Delphic, Drake University

Magazines

Non-Fiction Magazine Article
Winner: Sit-in at the Minute Inn – by Lauren Puckett, University of Missouri
Finalist: Eyes on the sky – by Peter Baugh, University of Missouri
Finalist: Game over, cancer – by Keegan Pope, University of Missouri

Best Student Magazine
Winner: Legacy Magazine – by Staff of Legacy Magazine, Lindenwood University
Finalist: Vox Magazine – by Staff of Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Finalist: Drake Magazine – by Staff of Drake Magazine, Drake University

Art/Graphics

Breaking News Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: White silence – by Lorien MacEnulty, Drake University
Finalist: Women’s March activist – by Christine Tannous, Webster University

Feature Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Wearing her game face – by Meiying Wu, University of Missouri
Finalist: UCM Family Weekend: A weekend to remember – by Molly Burnam, University of Central Missouri
Finalist: Home is where the barn is – by Jason Vance, University of Missouri

Feature Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: Kirkwood City Hall shooting memorial – by Christine Tannous, Webster University

Editorial Cartooning
Winner: Kat Owens, Lindenwood University

General News Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: In solidarity – by Grace Hulin, Drake University
Finalist: Black Lives Matter protest – by Christine Tannous, Webster University

Photo Illustration (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Overachiever anxiety – by Halle Lang and Mollie Robinson, Kansas State University
Finalist: Worth the work – by Phu Nguyen, University of Missouri

Photo Illustration (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: Challenging religious traditions: College students are shedding family ties in quest for answers – by Kat Owens, Lindenwood University

Sports Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Barnes leaps over Cowboy defenders – by Logan Wassall, Kansas State University
Finalist: Looking on greatness – by Russell Heitmann, Fort Hays State University
Finalist: Blocking foul – by Joseph Barringhaus, Wichita State University

Sports Photography (Small) 1-9,999 Students
Winner: Touchdown – by JD Pelegrino, Drake University
Finalist: Women’s rugby vs. KC Jazz – by Lindsey Fiala, Lindenwood University

Radio


Radio Feature
Finalist: Missouri maestro mentors young musicians – by Betsy Smith, University of Missouri

Radio In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Legacy of missing Lloyd Gaines, 1938 Supreme Court plaintiff, still haunts higher education – by Kathryn Palmer, University of Missouri

Radio News Reporting
Winner: Some Missouri healthcare professionals, advocates disagree on medical marijuana measures – by Betsy Smith, University of Missouri
Finalist: Evaporating: Missouri farmers are leaving the dairy industry – by Aviva Okeson-Haberman, University of Missouri
Finalist: Trump boosts Hawley in parade of Missouri Republican figures – by Aviva Okeson-Haberman and Rosemary Belson, University of Missouri

Radio Sports Reporting
Winner: Decade after a motorcycle crash, Dennis Thompson keeps riding – by Aviva Okeson-Haberman, University of Missouri


Television

Television General News Reporting
Winner: Character camp – by Caleb Brubaker, College of the Ozarks
Finalist: Amy Grant concert – by Taylor Flint, Nathaniel Snipe and Ethan Harrison, College of the Ozarks
Finalist: Mars Rover – by Kaylyn Kluck, University of Iowa

Television Feature Reporting
Winner: Children’s art exhibit – by Caleb Brubaker and Matthew Miller, College of the Ozarks
Finalist: Night to Shine brothers – by Caleb Brubaker and Micah Redding, College of the Ozarks
Finalist: Littlest cheerleader – by Taylor Flint, Brianna Presley, Lauren Presley and Ethan Harrison, College of the Ozarks

Best All-Around Television Newscast
Winner: Star City News – by Zach Penrice, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Finalist: LCTV News – by Staff of LCTV News, Loras College

Online

Online News Reporting
Winner: TEDx was canceled over the word transgender, speakers say – by Madeline Raineri, Lindenwood University
Finalist: The Legacy magazine gets pulled – by Madeline Raineri and Mitchell Kraus, Lindenwood University


Online Feature Reporting
Winner: Painting a new picture: New Americans and their art – by Staff of Nebraska Mosaic, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Finalist: Family of regulars teams up to revive local donut shop – by Kayla Drake, Lindenwood University
Finalist: Disaster preparedness 40 feet underground – by Samantha Ohlson, Drake University

Online In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Life on the spectrum: The journey of caregivers – by Aviva Okeson-Haberman and Kyra Hass, University of Missouri
Finalist: When being a family farm doesn’t mean squat in the government’s eyes – by Molly Hunter, University of Iowa

Online Sports Reporting
Winner: Safety in numbers: Women find refuge through running groups – by Jessica Spangler, Drake University
Finalist: Lindenwood hockey’s biggest fans are father and son duo – by Madeline Raineri, Lindenwood University
Finalist: The heart of the game – by Andrew Beall, Drake University

Online Opinion & Commentary
Winner: Censorship is a four-letter word – by Lindenlink Editorial Board, Lindenwood University
Finalist: Pressing issues in Latin America – by Daniel Saenz, Fort Hays State University

Best Affiliated Web Site
Winner: Vox Magazine – by Staff of Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Finalist: St. Louis Gun Project – by Staff of The Webster Journal, Webster University
Finalist: Lindenlink – by Staff of Lindenlink, Lindenwood University

Best Independent Online Student Publication
Winner: Urban Plains – by Staff of Urban Plains, Drake University

Best Use of Multimedia
Winner: Life on the spectrum: The journey of caregivers – by Aviva Okeson-Haberman and Kyra Hass, University of Missouri
Finalist: 20 years later, the story of Lindenwood’s only murder – by Ashley Higginbotham and Lindsey Fiala, Lindenwood University
Finalist: Painting a new picture: New Americans and their art – by Staff of Nebraska Mosaic, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Podcast
Winner: Intersection – True/False filmmaker conversations – by Elena Rivera and Abby Ivory-Ganja, University of Missouri
Finalist: Hold up – by Jessica Spangler and Mitch Kedzier, Drake University
Finalist: Tatted – by Kayla Drake, Lindenwood University


Videography

Online/Digital News Videography
Winner: Mazahua Frente – by Meg Vatterott, University of Missouri
Online/Digital Feature Videography
Winner: What we carried: Lincoln – by Lindsey Yoneda, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Finalist: James and David – by Di Pan, University of Missouri
Finalist: First-time sky divers – by Alex Li, University of Missouri

Broadcast Feature Videography
Finalist: Back on their feet – by Ben Friedman, Loras College

Broadcast News Videography
Winner: Declining dairy prices – by Kelly Kuboushek, Loras College

Broadcast Sports Videography
Finalist: Duhawk spotlight: Grant Wiederin – by Michael Runde, Loras College

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the SPJ Foundation.

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