Missouri School of Journalism students win SPJ Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards and national finalist honors
COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 16, 2023) — Published work from students at the Columbia Missourian, KBIA-FM and Vox Magazine was recognized with the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2022 Mark of Excellence Awards for Region 7, which covers collegiate journalism in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Missouri School of Journalism students earned nine wins and nine finalist designations across 12 categories.
Five students then went on to win national finalist honors in the national competition.
“The variety of stories honored with these awards, from their mediums to their subject matter, speaks to the skill of students and the faculty and staff supporting them at the School of Journalism,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School. “I’m excited to see what these young journalists do next.”
Eight of the regional honors went to KBIA, the School’s NPR-member station, which also swept the “radio in-depth reporting” category — a category that saw finalist Moy Zhong receive more recognition for her podcast about the impact of shootings in Atlanta on Columbia’s Asian and Asian American communities. The podcast also won a Gracie Award in April.
Two KBIA reporters won national finalist honors: Abigail Ruhman for “radio in-depth reporting” and Briana Heaney for “radio sports reporting.”
“The stories that won awards in this contest show a great range of the types of stories our students work on at KBIA as part of their coursework,” said Ryan Famuliner, KBIA’s news director and an associate professor. “From in-depth, issue-based stories to slice-of-life human interest stories, having students working at the public radio station works best when they’re able to pitch and execute stories that they’re passionate about.”
Another eight went to Vox Magazine, which received honors both for writing and for visual storytelling and graphic design elements, in addition to collective recognition for “best student magazine.” Austin Woods’ story, “Against the current,” was a national finalist in the “arts/entertainment/fashion journalism” category.
“To me, these awards are a nice summary of what Vox is trying to do, which is always thinking about the visuals and how they’re paired with stories — how stories are told,” said Heather Isherwood, editorial director of Vox Magazine and an associate professor. “And any time that we are recognized for overall categories like best magazine, that is great because it encompasses the work of a lot of people.”
The Columbia Missourian, the School’s digital-first community newspaper, collected both regional wins and national finalist honors in the “in-depth reporting” and “feature writing” categories for stories from 2022 graduate Jessica Blake and master’s student Eli Hoff, respectively. Blake now writes for Inside Higher Ed.
“These reporters took the skills they have built at the School of Journalism and used them in very different ways to create two important and powerful pieces of journalism,” said Mark Horvit, a professor and the chair of the Journalism Professions faculty group. “Jessica took a huge and complicated issue — the pressures facing rural Missouri towns — and made it easy for readers to understand both the stakes and the lives impacted. Eli was able to create a story that had the momentum and tension of a best-selling thriller.”
See below for a complete list of winners from the School of Journalism:
Print/Online
In-Depth Reporting
Winner: A ‘wicked problem’: Policies, technology change the agriculture industry, rural life — by Jessica Blake, Columbia Missourian, University of Missouri. National finalist.
Feature Writing
Winner: ‘No other option’: Afghans put trust in strangers from Missouri before harrowing escape to safety — by Eli Hoff, Columbia Missourian, University of Missouri. National finalist.
Finalist: Healing from hate — by Cela Migan, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Best Student Magazine
Winner: Vox Magazine — by staff, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Best Affiliated Website
Finalist: VoxMagazine.com — by staff, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Art/Graphics/Multimedia
Feature Photography
Finalist: The steaks are high — by Amy Schaffer, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Photo Essay/Slideshow
Winner: 27,000 days of love — by Tanishka R., Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Photo Illustration
Winner: Suffering in silence — by Kate Trabalka and Moy Zhong, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Audio
Radio News Reporting
Finalist: ‘We’re ready to test’: State holds drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic in Columbia — by Lauren Hines, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Finalist: MU students lead health care efforts for Spanish speakers — by Tadeo Ruiz and Erik Galicia, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Radio Feature
Winner: Mid-Missouri’s Indigenous communities are showing the state who they are — by Sarah
Petrowich, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Finalist: At Cedar Creek, riding brings fun, health and healing — by Katelynn McIlwain, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Radio In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Advocates urge Missourians to remember that abortions aren’t just a cisgender women’s issue — by Abigail Ruhman, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri. National finalist.
Finalist: One year later: A reporter reflects on the Atlanta spa shootings and anti-Asian violence — by Moy Zhong, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Finalist: Mid-Missouri’s Indigenous communities are showing the state who they are — by Sarah Petrowich, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri
Radio Sports Reporting
Winner: The Show-Me Swine Races — by Briana Heaney, KBIA-FM, University of Missouri. National finalist.
All Platforms
Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism
Winner: Against the current — by Austin Woods, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri. National finalist.
Finalist: The Missouri rag — by Evan Musil, Vox Magazine, University of Missouri
Updated: July 27, 2023