College of Journalism and Mass Communications junior Jackson Ingvoldstad, a broadcasting major from Omaha, was awarded eighth place in the Hearst Multimedia Narrative Storytelling Competition on Jan. 8, 2026.
Ingvoldstad's entry, a long form documentary called "Understaffed: Nebraska Prisons' Mental Health Crisis," investigates mental health care at Nebraska's prisons and the overwhelming shortage of mental health professionals. The documentary was also part of the college's 2025 Investigative Depth Reporting project "Nebraska Behind Bars."
In the documentary, two formerly incarcerated individuals share first-hand accounts of their experiences with Ingvoldstad and the prison director acknowledges the severity of the state's high vacancy of mental health professionals and emphasizing that it is a national crisis.
The 66th annual Hearst Journalism Awards Program includes four writing, two photo, one audio, two television, one podcast and four multimedia competitions offering up to $700,000 in scholarships, matching grants and stipends.
Currently, there are 105 universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication with accredited undergraduate journalism programs are eligible to participate in the Hearst competitions.
