Two students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications placed in the Hearst Journalism Awards Sports Writing Competition on March 3, 2021.
Luke Mullin place second in the competition for his story, “Solving Omaha’s racial divide may not be obvious, but youth athletics could be a step in the right direction for the decades-long conundrum.” He is a senior double major in journalism and sports media and communication major from Omaha, Nebraska. Mullin will receive a $2,000 award, and the college will receive a matching grant.
Drake Keeler placed ninth in the competition for his story, “Nebraska grapples with historical lack of Black head coaches.” Keeler is a junior journalism major from Parker, Colorado. He will receive a certificate of merit.
This year, judges for the Hearst Journalism Awards writing competitions are: Dwayne Bray, Journalist-at-large, ESPN’s The Undefeated; Larry Kramer, retired President and Publisher, USA Today; and Maria Reeve,Managing Editor, Houston Chronicle.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to provide support, encouragement and assistance to journalism education at the college and university level. The program awards scholarships to students for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, with matching grants to the students’ schools. The 61st annual program, offering up to $700,000 in awards, consists of five monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions, and four multimedia competitions – with championship finals in all divisions.
