Photo finish – Missouri School of Journalism students stand out in Hearst photojournalism competition
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Two Missouri School of Journalism students have secured top finishes in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program with strong showings in the Photojournalism I – News and Features competition. Senior Cara Penquite won fourth place, while fellow senior Kate Cassady — who also earned a top finish in the same competition last year — earned 16th place.
The wins came soon after two additional students won top honors in January’s Television I – Features competition.
Penquite and Cassady, who have both served as assistant directors of photography at the School of Journalism’s community newspaper, the Columbia Missourian, were selected for the top 20 out of 124 entries from 72 schools.
“Cara and Kate have shown on a national stage that photojournalism is a powerful medium for storytelling and community reporting,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “Their award-winning, hands-on experience will serve them well as they prepare to enter the industry.”
The subjects of Penquite’s submissions included life on a family farm, the arrest of a street protester, the life of a student with ADHD and University of Missouri football.
“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to capture all these moments, and Mizzou’s photojournalism program has really helped me grow my love for visual storytelling,” Penquite said. “It’s always surreal when I’m on an assignment and I realize that I get to learn about so many perspectives and experiences as part of a job or coursework.”
Penquite is currently in Denmark as part of the School of Journalism’s study abroad program, where she is studying at the Danish School of Media and Journalism during her final semester. Her top-five finish comes with a $1,000 scholarship and a matching grant for the School of Journalism.
Cassady’s submissions included depictions of Mizzou sports, the first Black pastor at a church in rural Missouri and a jubilant father celebrating his college graduation by hugging his daughter.
“I feel incredibly honored to have placed in the top 20 for the last two years,” Cassady said. “It speaks to the quality of visual journalism we constantly strive to produce at the Missourian. I’m grateful for [Associate Professor and Director of Photography at the Missourian] Brian Kratzer’s guidance, my peers that inspire me and push me to be better, and the opportunity to lead the coverage for my senior year.”
Cassady continued her athletics coverage in a big way earlier this month, when she brought a group of Missourian photographers together to cover 19 high school girls’ basketball games in three days during the Sophie Cunningham Classic.
But for all their individual accomplishments, Kratzer said it was fitting that Cassady and Penquite earned distinction in the same category.
“They’ve been through the program in lockstep, so we think of them as a team,” Kratzer said. “They are tough on story ideas, help reporters and photographers focus ideas, question sources and model high professional standards. Both have a strong sense of visual story ideas, committing themselves to upholding the responsibility to convey a story truthfully.”
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program provides a sum of up to $700,000 in prizes for four monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, two audio competitions, two television competitions and four multimedia competitions. The program will conclude in June with the National Championship.
Updated: January 21, 2025