The UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications is thrilled to announce that current and former students recently won numerous awards in the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Region 7 Awards competition.
"We are incredibly proud of our students and their recognition in the SPJ Mark of Excellence Competition," said Shari Veil, dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. "These awards highlight our students' outstanding work and dedication to pursuing excellence in journalism. We are committed to providing our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today's rapidly evolving media landscape, and these awards are a testament to the success of our program."
The Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards honors the best in student journalism, with most categories judged on the regional level. First-place regional winners advance to the national competition. The national winners will be showcased on spj.org, and a Best in Show award will be given for the overall best entry among all national winners.
Below is the full list of Husker student winners and finalists, listed alphabetically by hometown (when applicable) with their year in school, major(s), category or categories and linked project name(s).
Winners:
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Elkhorn: Audrey Hertel, 2022 graduate, advertising and public relations, journalism, Food/Restaurant Journalism, "More than a meal: Omaha couple unites connection with cooking"
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Elm Creek: Hallie Gutzwiller, senior, broadcasting, Radio News Reporting, "Wildfires burn across Nebraska"
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Lincoln: Jordan Opp, 2022 graduate, Feature Videography, "Daydream and draw: Cartoonist continues to create new work every day out of a passion for his craft"; Zach Wendling, senior, journalism, and political science, Breaking News Reporting, "Lawmakers denounce Herbster after eight women accuse him of sexual misconduct"
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Ogallala: Emma Krab, senior, journalism, and English, Podcast (Narrative), "In Our Nature: Nebraska"
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Apple Valley, Minnesota: Jill Lamkins, senior, broadcasting, and sports media and communication, Television General News Reporting, "UNL forensics"
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KRNU, Best All-Around Radio Newscast, "Election night newscast"
Finalists:
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Beatrice: Holly Fischer, senior, political science, broadcasting, and advertising and public relations, Radio Feature, "Libraries: Parental consent or censorship?"
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Bellevue: Nathan Hawkins, senior, sports media and communication, Television Sports Reporting, "Matt Ruhle comes to Lincoln"
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Lincoln: Kloee Sander, senior, broadcasting, Breaking News Reporting, "Home to history"; Jenna Thompson, 2022 graduate, journalism, and English, Podcast (Narrative), "Overdosed: Digital drugs"
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Omaha: Grant Hansen, senior broadcasting, and sports media and communication, Sports Writing, "Broadcasting in a pandemic: Four sportscasters reflect on two years of chaos"; Radio Sports, "Rob Stone profile"
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Nebraska Nightly staff, Best All-Around Television Newscast category, 12-2-22 newscast
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Nebraska News Service staff, Best Affiliated Website, Nebraska News Service website
To learn more about the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards, visit https://www.spj.org/a-moe.asp.
