Héctor Alejandro Arzate wins Atwater Writing Prize with multiplatform story
Héctor Alejandro Arzate listens for natural duck sounds he can record for his prize-winning story at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 26, 2026) — Héctor Alejandro Arzate, a graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism, has won the 2026 James and Patricia Atwater Memorial Writing Prize.
Awarded by the School of Journalism for excellence in student writing, the prize comes with $700 and a copy of “One Writer’s Beginnings,” a memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Eudora Welty. The book was a favorite of Jim Atwater, dean of the School of Journalism from 1983-1989; his wife, Patricia Atwater, taught at the School until 2003.
Arzate won for “‘Poor line’ duck hunters pay into wetland conservation,” a story for the School of Journalism’s NPR-member station, KBIA-FM, and its community newspaper, the Columbia Missourian. Produced in collaboration with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, the story explored the intersection between duck hunting and conservation in the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area.
“The committee found Héctor’s story to be a well-crafted, well-structured, amply-detailed narrative that was written and documented with authority,” said Professor Jeanne Abbott, managing editor of the Missourian and part of a committee of School of Journalism faculty and Missouri News Network staff who judged the contest.
That authority in Arzate’s work comes in part from his experience as a reporter for NPR-member radio station WAMU in Washington, D.C., where he both wrote and recorded stories on immigration, food, the restaurant industry and more. And when his wife came to Mizzou for her medical residency, he joined KCUR in Kansas City as an environmental and agriculture reporter before deciding to enter graduate school.
In his first year, he has been able to explore his interest in science, conservation and wetlands reporting with the help of Professor Sara Shipley Hiles, executive director of the Ag & Water Desk. Hiles taught Arzate’s science writing class, where his winning story began as his final assignment, and he has continued to write for the Ag & Water Desk over the summer.
“Sara is really, really great at supporting you,” Arzate said. “And if you’re interested in doing science reporting — which I had very little experience in before — she is a great mentor. Even before school started last year, she reached out to me and we connected right away. She’s given me a lot of opportunities to stay involved and keep making bylines.”
The experience so far has confirmed to Arzate that he made the right choice in pursuing graduate school, even as he has also juggled his first months of parenthood. It wasn’t his first leap of faith — his career in D.C. began in 2019 when he successfully applied for an internship with Education Week despite having little prior experience with journalism (he graduated from Humboldt State University that year with a bachelor’s degree in criminology).
Hiles said that streak of tenacity was on full display in his winning story, along with an ability to combine different elements together to create an engaging and informative experience for the audience.
“Héctor was willing to get up at 3 in the morning to stand in the ‘poor line’ with other hunters waiting for their moment,” Hiles said. “He did a great job recording rich natural sound, and then he added in the science and the regional context. The story ultimately was delightful to listen to and inspiring as well.”
“Delightful and inspiring” also describes Arzate’s own reaction to the award and to his first year at the School of Journalism.
“When I learned that I had won this award for my story, I just felt really proud and happy and encouraged,” he said. “I would encourage anybody to try to get any scholarships and awards Mizzou has available. Even if you think you have no chance of getting it, it’s always worth doing. I never thought I would get an internship having so little experience, and here I am now.”
Updated: June 25, 2026