Missouri School of Journalism Places First Overall in 2007-2008 Hearst Competition, Wins $37,900 in Prizes
Senior Jason Lamb Wins National Broadcast News Championship and $6,000 in Prizes
Columbia, Mo. (June 18, 2008) — The Missouri School of Journalism placed first overall in the 2007-2008 Hearst Journalism Awards Program, an elite national collegiate journalism competition that culminated with finals held in San Francisco from June 1-6.
In total, 16 of the School’s students placed in the different writing, photojournalism and broadcast news competitions over the yearlong Hearst awards program, which is often called the “Pulitzers of College Journalism.” The points accumulated by the 16 winners led to the School’s overall championship. In the major competition divisions, the School placed first in photojournalism and third in writing, resulting in awards of $10,000 and $2,500 respectively.
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Top row, from left: Andrew Astleford, Charlotte Bellis, BJ ’07, Brittany Darwell, Ben Fredman, BJ ’07, Lorenzo Hall, Christopher Hrabe, Derek Kravitz, BJ ’07, Ikuru Kuwajima. Second row: Jason Lamb, Ryan Luby, Sean Powers, Megan Rolland, BJ ’07, Jacob Stokes, Cristof Traudes, BJ ’07, John Tully.
Missouri also placed fourth in the broadcast news competition, in which senior Jason Lamb won the national championship and received a $5,000 scholarship. He qualified for the national semi-finals in San Francisco when he placed third in the television broadcast news feature competition earlier this year, winning $1,000.
Missouri’s photojournalism championship effort was led by seniors John Tully and Ikuru Kuwajima, who competed in the national championship “shoot off” in San Francisco. They were invited to the national finals because of Kuwajima’s second-place finish in the picture story/series competition and Tully’s third-place finish in the news/sports photo competition. Both Tully and Kuwajima were runners-up in the national finals, where they each earned a $1,500 scholarship.
Cristof Traudes, BJ ’07, and Megan Rolland, BJ ’07, both seniors at the time of submission, helped the School take third overall in the writing competition by individually finishing second in personality/profile writing and third in feature writing, respectively. While their pieces won for writing, their stories also featured strong collaborations that involved writing, photography, multimedia and design components.
“To win this elite competition is a thrilling accomplishment for all of our students, who produce top-notch journalism day in and day out in our professional media outlets,” said Brian Brooks, associate dean for undergraduate studies and administration. “The credit goes not only to our talented students, but also to the professional faculty who are behind them each step of the way.”
Since 1950, the Hearst Awards have recognized excellence in collegiate journalism in three categories: writing, photojournalism and broadcast news. Students active in campus media submit their work to different competitions within each category, and practicing journalists review the submissions and name the finalists. More than 100 accredited undergraduate schools of journalism participate in the contest each year. The Hearst program matches each scholarship won by students in the monthly competitions with an equal amount for the schools they represent.
This year’s Hearst Award winners and their scholarship amounts are:
Andrew Astleford
Junior, Magazine Journalism
Dodge City, Kan.
- Place and Award: 12th Place, Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Sports Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “A Question of Acceptance” was an explanatory piece on openly gay male coaches.
- Media Outlet: Columbia Missourian
Charlotte Bellis, BJ ’07
Senior at Submission, Convergence Journalism
Christchurch, New Zealand
- Place and Award: 16th Place (tie), Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Feature Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “Previously Scripted” was a feature about two brothers, one of which helped break his brother out of jail. Years later, the brothers wrote a manuscript of their story but noticed distinct similarities with Fox‘s “Prison Break” and filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
- Media Outlet: Vox Magazine
Brittany Darwell
Senior, Newspaper Journalism
Beverly Hills, Calif.
- Place and Award: 13th Place, Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Sports Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “Ready for the Challenge” profiled the new Challenger Baseball League in Columbia, which consists of children with physical or mental disabilities.
- Media Outlet: Columbia Missourian
Ben Fredman, BJ ’07
Senior at Submission, Photojournalism
Albuquerque, N.M.
- Place and Award: Fifth Place, $600; Fifth Place, $500; and 11th place, Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Picture Story/Series; Feature and Personal Vision; and News and Sports Photo
- Award-Winning Submission(s): Multiple photographs.
Lorenzo Hall
Senior, Radio-Television Journalism
Greenbelt, Md.
- Place and Award: 13th Place (tie), Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Broadcast News
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “HIV/AIDS in Mid-Missouri” explored the search for a cure to HIV and AIDS by researchers in Columbia.
- Media Outlet: KOMU-TV
Christopher Hrabe
Senior, Radio-Television Journalism
Wilmette, Ill.
- Place and Award: 12th Place
- Competition: Radio News
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “Fighting the Flood” chronicled the sandbagging and flooding prevention efforts that took place in Rocheport, Mo., in May 2007.
- Media Outlet: KBIA
Derek Kravitz, BJ ’07
Senior at Submission, Newspaper Journalism
Philadelphia, Pa.
- Place and Award: 10th Place, $500
- Competition: In-Depth Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “A Chief Under Fire” investigated the financial wrongdoings of Boone County’s (Mo.) volunteer fire department and its administrators.
- Media Outlet: Columbia Missourian
Ikuru Kuwajima
Senior, Photojournalism
Chiba-Den, Japan
- Place and Award: Second Place, $1,500; National Runner-Up, $1,500
- Competition: Picture Story/Series; National Photojournalism Finals
- Award-Winning Submission(s): Kuwajima’s picture story documented draft horse racing in Japan.
Jason Lamb
Senior, Radio-Television Journalism and Political Science
Beaverton, Ore.
- Place and Award: Third Place, $1,000; National Champion, $5,000
- Competition: Television Broadcast News Feature; National Broadcast News Championship
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “The Back-to-School Staple” covered the charitable backpack giveaway sponsored by the Voluntary Action Center in Columbia. “The Secret to a Long Life” chronicled a 95-year-old former piano teacher at a church in Wellsville, Mo., who marked her 75th year playing the church organ.
- Media Outlet: KOMU-TV
Ryan Luby
Senior, Radio-Television Journalism
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
- Place and Award: 17th Place (tie), Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Television II
- Award-Winning Submission(s): Luby’s first piece involved a live shot of Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt’s surprise decision not to seek a second term. His second story reported the memorial of “Baby Wayne,” who died when his mother deliberately set his blanket on fire in the summer of 2007.
- Media Outlet: KOMU-TV
Sean Powers
Junior, Convergence Journalism
Homewood, Ill.
- Place and Award: 12th Place, Certificate of Merit; 16th Place, Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Radio I and Radio II
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “Moonlight Hoops” explored a Columbia basketball program, and “Tales from the Transit” was a four-part series exploring real-life personal stories on the Columbia Transit system.
- Media Outlet: KBIA
Megan Rolland, BJ ’07
Senior at Submission, Newspaper Journalism and Political Science
Grand Junction, Colo.
- Place and Award: Third Place, $1,000
- Competition: Feature Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “A Street Divided” explored the century-long history of racial and economic divide on Garth Avenue in Columbia.
- Media Outlet: Columbia Missourian
Jacob Stokes
Senior, Magazine Journalism and Political Science
St. Charles, Mo.
- Place and Award: Seventh Place, $500
- Competition: Editorial/Columns of Opinion
- Award-Winning Submission(s): Stokes’ opinion piece argued that an act in the Missouri legislature aimed to protect “intellectual diversity” would do the opposite.
- Media Outlet: The Maneater, MU’s independent student newspaper
Cristof Traudes, BJ ’07
Senior at Submission, Newspaper Journalism
- Place and Award: Second Place, $1,500
- Competition: Personality/Profile Writing
- Award-Winning Submission(s): “A Brother’s Story” was a personal report about growing up with a sibling with Asperger’s Syndrome.
- Media Outlet: Columbia Missourian
John Tully
Senior, Photojournalism
Woodbridge, Va.
- Place and Award: Third Place, $1,000; Eighth Place, $500; National Runner-Up, $1,500
- Competition: News and Sports Photo; Feature and Personal Vision; National Photojournalism Finals
- Award-Winning Submission(s): Tully’s photographs featured scenes from the riots in Copenhagen, Denmark; swimming; rodeo; and the housing community in Denmark.
- Media Outlet: Mother Jones, Potomac News and the Columbia Missourian
Sarah Wire
Senior, Newspaper Journalism
- Place and Award: 18th Place, Certificate of Merit
- Competition: Spot News Writing
Updated: April 28, 2020