Journalism Students Win 14 College News Design Contest Awards

The National Competition Honors Excellence in Design and Graphics

Columbia, Mo. (April 13, 2016) — Missouri School of Journalism students took home 14 awards in 11 categories in the national College News Design Contest. The national competition, managed by the School’s Student Society for News Design, drew more than 160 entries from nine colleges and universities. It is co-sponsored by the Society for News Design.

2016 College News Design Contest Award Winners“I was really impressed to see the work being done at the college level, said judge Joe Greco, director of creative development for GateHouse Media’s Center for News and Design. “There certainly is a wide range of talent level in the entries but there are such raw talent.”

Submitted work had to have been published between March 16 and Dec. 31, 2015.

“Missouri journalism students certainly led the pack in the contest,” said Elizabeth Stephens, faculty adviser for MU’s SSND chapter. “Over and over the judges praised the work of our students and publications. There were some tough categories where Columbia Missourian and Vox Magazine designers continued to rise to the top.”

In addition to performing well in the judging, Missouri journalism students also organized and managed the contest, which was held in advance of the Society for News Design conference in San Francisco.

Missouri School of Journalism winners are as follows:

Alternative Story Format
Second Place: Ben Kothe, Vox Magazine
Comments: This is a successful way of alternative story telling.

2016 College News Design Contest Award WinnersBreaking News Cover
First Place: Brianna Schroer, The Columbia Missourian, “A Moment in a Movement”

Illustration
First Place: Blake Nelson and Brendan Wray, The Columbia Missourian, Tiger Kickoff Special Edition
Comments: The judges called the illustration “an editorial cartoon meets comic book.” “It’s telling you a story right there and you don’t need to go any further,” Luis Rendon said.

Infographics
First Place: Jason Bredehoeft, The Columbia Missourian, Royal Subjects
Comments: The judges thought that the infographics were superior. “This could be in the Chicago Tribune or the New York Times right now,” Joe Greco said. “They told the story with the data,” Luis Rendon said.

Newspaper Cover Design
First Place: Brianna Schroer, The Columbia Missourian, “A Moment in a Movement”
Comments: The judges said that the cover represented the intensity of the news well. With everyone paying attention to the student protest at the University of Missouri, the designer made a good photo choice and “killed the news section,” Luis Rendon said.

2016 College News Design Contest Award WinnersMini-Site/Special Section
Second Place: Columbia Missourian, “Battle Rising”
Comments: All judges agreed that “Battle Rising” by the Columbia Missourian was beautiful and really enjoyed the videos on the site.

Multipage Story

Second Place: Site Ma, Vox Magazine, “Living in a Boom Town”
Comments: The judges appreciated the amount of work that went into the package.

Third Place: Site Ma, Vox Magazine, “The Secret Life of Mead”
Comments: The judges liked the consistent use of little details and thought it added to the design of the package. They loved the color choices.

Honorary Mention: Madalyne Bird, Vox Magazine, “The Killing State”
Comments: The judges said it was impressive that a college publication put out that many pages. They appreciated the reporting and planning that went into the package.

2016 College News Design Contest Award WinnersPhoto Story Design
Honorary Mention: Allison Mann, The Columbia Missourian, “Tailgatin’ Time”
Comments: The judges said that this was a very traditional page and reporting.

Special Section Cover
Third Place: Madalyne Bird, Vox Magazine
Comments: After seeing the death penalty feature in a previous category, the judges agreed that the photo choice was striking and fit well.

2016 College News Design Contest Award Winners

Special Topic: Black Lives Matter/Student Protest
Honorary Mention: Brianna Schroer, The Columbia Missourian, “A Moment in a Movement”
Comments: The judges thought the most powerful photo of the package was presented well.

Video/Multimedia Project

First Place: Hannah Sturtecky and Beatriz Costa-Lima, University of Missouri, “More Than a Movement”
Comments: All the judges viewed the “More than a Movement” video as a strong piece of journalism. The student had to cover a live, passion-filled moment, then take that footage and translate it for readers or viewers.

Second Place: Blake Nelson and Adam Vogler, University of Missouri, “Missouri Elk Herd”

Updated: September 24, 2020

Related Stories

Expand All Collapse All