CONTACT:
Lou Harry, SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards, 317-920-4786, lharry@spj.org
Michelle Lagos, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-927-8000, mlagos@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists recognizes the best collegiate journalism in Region 5 with 2021 Mark of Excellence Awards winners.

SPJ’s Region 5 comprises Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. 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 MediaFest22 convention in Washington, D.C., Oct. 27-30.

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 5 winners. If you have any questions regarding the MOE Awards, contact SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards Lou Harry by email or 317-920-4786.

This list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award entries. New MOE categories were added this year for cultural criticism, arts/fashion journalism and food/restaurant journalism.

Print/Online

Breaking News Reporting
Winner: 'Infamy is just as good as fame': UK student among crowd that mobbed capitol building — by Natalie Parks, University of Kentucky
Finalist: Vaccine phase 1C ‘projected’ to include most, but not all, University employees — by Cam Rodriguez, Claire Malon and Francesca Mathewes, DePaul University
Finalist: Surprise shots, limited slots: Northwestern students seek last-minute Pfizer vaccines in Norris — by Alex Perry and Nick Francis, Northwestern University

General News Reporting (Large)
Winner: Fentanyl-laced counterfeits of prescription pills make non-prescribed pills a life-or-death gamble — by Phyllis Cha, Indiana University
Finalist: Texas lawmakers advance bills blocking access to gender-affirming health care — by Megan Munce, Northwestern University
Finalist: Data show disparities in Chicago vaccine distribution — by Jaylene Rodriguez, UIC

General News Reporting (Small)
Winner: Who's the boss? Workers emerge from the pandemic wanting more — by Teresa Nowakowski, Northwestern University
Finalist: After anti-Indigenous vandalism on the Rock: ‘And yet we are still here’ — by Olivia Lloyd, Northwestern University
Finalist: UIndy looks to former IMPD Chief and Indianapolis Public Safety Officer Troy Riggs to increase campus safety amid crime spike — by Justus O'Neil, University of Indianapolis

In-Depth Reporting (Large)
Winner: As vaccine hesitancy threatens to increase COVID 19 disparities, local experts try to build trust — by Jorja Siemons, Northwestern Medill School of Journalism
Finalist: Ball State students call for an on-campus minimum wage raise — by Joey Sills, Ball State University
Finalist: ‘An art, not a science’: As WKU enrollment decreases, other state universities see increases — by Lily Burris and Michael J. Collins, Western Kentucky University

In-Depth Reporting (Small)
Winner: Rohingya diaspora in the U.S. — by Imran Mohammad Fazal Hoque, Harry S Truman College
Finalist: Angela Davis, and the bureaucracy that cancelled her — by Bridget Early and Meghan Stratton, Butler University
Finalist: Inside the intense life of a Butler ballerina — by Emma Chamley and Alison Miccolis, Butler University

Feature Writing (Large)
Winner: Marfan syndrome made my brother beautiful. Then it killed him. — by Marcus Robertson, DePaul University
Finalist: In China’s new age communes, burned-out millennials go back to nature — by Xuandi Wang, Northwestern University
Finalist: First in the family — by Ali Bianco, Northwestern University

Feature Writing (Small)
Winner: The biggest crop in prison gardens: Hope — by Eva Herscowitz, Northwestern University
Finalist: Reparations housing program fuels discussion on how to move forward — by Olivia Lloyd, Northwestern University
Finalist: Uneven playing field — by Jenna Anderson, Northwestern University

Sports Writing (Large)
Winner: Football: As Northwestern climbs toward contention for a Big Ten title, coach Randy Walker’s legacy — by Drew Schott, Northwestern University
Finalist: Got sponsors? Student-athletes’ newest play: Marketing themselves — by Coop Daley, Northwestern University
Finalist: Through the years: A timeline of major events during Mike Polisky's 11 years at Northwestern — by Coop Daley and Olivia Lloyd, Northwestern University

Sports Writing (Small)
Winner: Before Jackie Robinson, there was Thomas Harding — by Drew Favakeh, Butler University
Finalist: Brad Stevens, players, reflect on 2011 national championship run — by Henry Bredemeier and Eric Young, Butler University

Editorial Writing
Winner: Kentucky Kernel editorials — by staff, University of Kentucky
Finalist: Loyola Phoenix editorials — by editorial board, Loyola University Chicago

General Column Writing
Winner: Dear cable news, leaving Afghanistan was the right choice; Free Steven Donziger; Taxing the rich — by Erik Uebelacker, DePaul University
Finalist: On the media — by Alex Perry, Northwestern University
Finalist: Columns — by John Lynch, Ball State University

Sports Column Writing
Winner: Columns — by John Riker, Northwestern University
Finalist: Illinois’ and Loyola Chicago’s success; Last place finish; They start with poor gameplans — by Lawrence Kreymer, DePaul University
Finalist: Football columns — by Bradley Locker, Northwestern University

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Large)
Winner: Kentucky Kernel — by staff, University of Kentucky
Finalist: Ball State Daily News — by staff, Ball State University
Finalist: Indiana Daily Student — by staff, Indiana University

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Small)
Winner: The Reflector — by staff, University of Indianapolis
Finalist: Butler Collegian — by staff, Butler University

Best Student Magazine
Winner: Ball Bearing Magazine — by staff, Ball State University
Finalist: KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion — by staff, Kentucky Kernel
Finalist: BURST Magazine — by staff, Millikin University

Best Affiliated Website
Winner: northbynorthwestern.com — by staff, Northwestern University
Finalist: idsnews.com — by staff, Indiana University
Finalist: The Reflector Online — by staff, University of Indianapolis

Best Independent Online Student Publication
Winner: 14 East — by staff, DePaul University

Art/Graphics/Multimedia

Breaking News Photography
Winner: State Street couch burning — by Jack Weaver, University of Kentucky
Finalist: Women from across the nation protest abortion bans in Washington, D.C. — by Hannah Zhihan Jiang, Northwestern University

General News Photography
Winner: Indianapolis mourns FedEx shooting victims — by Alex Deryn, Indiana University
Finalist: Picking up the pieces — by Anna Leachman, Western Kentucky University
Finalist: March to defend abortion access assembles in downtown Chicago — by Angeli Mittal, Northwestern University

Feature Photography
Winner: The hardest job she’ll ever love — by Allie Hendricks, Western Kentucky University
Finalist: Fall fashion: ‘Hot girl summer’ to ‘witch b*tch autumn’ — by Lauren Hough, Butler University
Finalist: Thundercat — by Zack Miller, Loyola University Chicago

Photo Illustration
Winner: It happens here too — by Sam Mallon, Western Kentucky University
Finalist: Food pantry — by Kiara Conley, University of Indianapolis
Finalist: Gamer's club — by Jacob Walton, University of Indianapolis

Sports Photography
Winner: Volleyball wins it all — by Michael Clubb, University of Kentucky
Finalist: Clemons beats Bradley — by Zack Miller, Loyola University Chicago
Finalist: Men's Soccer celebrates winning NCAA regional — by Jacob Walton, University of Indianapolis

Best Use of Multimedia
Winner: Indignity in death — by Matt Cohen, Mallorey Daunhauer and Carson Terbush, Indiana University
Finalist: Immersed in deaf culture — by Nicole Thomas, Ball State University
Finalist: Red Line Project guiding principles and policies — by The Red Line Project staff, UIC

Broadcast/Online News Videography
Winner: 'I was choked up': Thousands lay flowers, honoring the unknown soldiers — by Hannah Zhihan Jiang, Northwestern University
Finalist: Sister Cindy visits Ball State — by John Lynch, Ball State University

Broadcast/Online Feature Videography
Winner: How Chicago lost its commercial fishing industry — by Jacob Ohara, Northwestern University
Finalist: Go Jiangsu: Expats explore Jiangsu's most trendy attractions — by Hannah Zhihan Jiang, Northwestern University
Finalist: Square feet, not square acres: GlennArt Farm is home to goats, chickens on Chicago’s West Side — by Madison Smith, Northwestern University

Data Visualization
Winner: COVID-19 in Illinois: State ranks sixth nationally in vaccination doses administered — by Laaiba Mahmood, UIC
Finalist: Affordable housing sees increase in funds – Where will it go? — by Sarita Cavazos, UIC

Audio

Radio News Reporting
Winner: Campus cooks in decline — by Angelina Campanile, Northwestern University
Finalist: ‘Unacceptable’ - ReformCAPS meets with CAPS directors to change mental health services at NU — by Ali Bianco, Northwestern University
Finalist: Students protest greek life after university announces reported frat house druggings — by Maria Ximena Aragon, Northwestern University

Radio Feature
Winner: Community rallies to save Glenview Beavers — by Helen Bradshaw, Northwestern University
Finalist: Castaways: Childhood memories & TikTok fame — by Maria Ximena Aragon, Northwestern University
Finalist: Native and Indigenous community works to build connections and solidarity on campus — by Alex Harrison, Northwestern University

Radio In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Challenging Roe v. Wade: Breaking down today’s abortion debate — by Angelina Campanile, Northwestern University
Finalist: A deep dive into Trump's rhetoric — by Angelina Campanile, Northwestern University

Podcast
Winner: ‘No Wiindigo economy’: Student activism and the fight for fossil fuel divestment — by The Daily Northwestern staff, Northwestern University
Finalist: Defining safe: One teacher's battle for Asian American studies — by The Daily Northwestern staff, Northwestern University
Finalist: The Word — by staff, Northwestern University

Broadcast

Television Breaking News Reporting
Winner: Protesting Polisky — by Joey Safchik and Andrew Rowan, Northwestern University
Finalist: Abolish greek life protest erupts at Northwestern University — by Jenny Jiin Huh and Gabrielle Khoriaty, Northwestern University

Television General News Reporting
Winner: Police chief posts EPD mugshots to Snapchat — by Vanessa Kjeldsen, Northwestern University
Finalist: IRS warns university students of email impersonation scam — by Andrew Rowan, Northwestern University
Finalist: The Red Zone: Survivors speak — by Griffin Gonzalez, Indiana University

Television Feature Reporting
Winner: "I've adopted you all:" Beloved CVS employee makes errands enjoyable — by Joey Safchik and Andrew Rowan, Northwestern University
Finalist: The story of Mustard's Last Stand — by Andy Paden, Northwestern University
Finalist: Studio W.I.P. expands to Evanston — by Logan Schiciano, Northwestern University

Television In-Depth Reporting
Winner: The Red Zone: Part 1 — by Mary Claire Malloy, Indiana University
Finalist: The Red Zone: Part 2 — by Mary Claire Molloy, Indiana University
Finalist: Restaurants deal with COVID — by Rebecca Chouinard, DePaul University

Television Sports Reporting
Winner: SIV strong — by Nicholas Moreano, DePaul University
Finalist: Athlete overcomes handicap — by Rebecca Chouinard, DePaul University
Finalist: Breaking barriers — by Andy Paden, Northwestern University

Best All-Around Television Newscast
Winner: IU NewsNet — by staff, Indiana University
Finalist: Northwestern News Network — by staff, Northwestern University
Finalist: Chicago Show 2021 — by staff, Northwestern University

All Platforms

Collaborative Journalism
Winner: Illinois divided — by The Daily Northwestern staff, Northwestern University

Cultural Criticism
Winner: 14 beats — by Aneesah Shealey, DePaul University

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.

-END-