2014 Mark of Excellence
National Winners and Finalists
Newspapers | Magazines | Art/Graphics | Radio | Television | Online
Click on each region's number to read a press release that contains a complete list of winners from that region.
– Region 1
– Region 2
– Region 3
– Region 4
– Region 5
– Region 6
– Region 7
– Region 8
– Region 9
– Region 10
– Region 11
– Region 12
The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the national winners of the 2014 Mark of Excellence Awards, recognizing collegiate work published or broadcasted during 2014.
The awards honor the best in student journalism. As such, judges were directed to choose only those entries which they felt were outstanding work worthy of a national honor. If the judges determined that none of the entries rose to the level of excellence, no award was given. Any category not listed has no winner.
School divisions are based on student enrollment, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment. Schools with more than 10,000 students are designated as large schools.
National Mark of Excellence Award judges can choose up to one national winner in each category and two national finalists (runners-up).
Winners and finalists were previously recognized by receiving first-place in one of the SPJ’s 12 regional competitions. Each first-place regional winner advanced to the national competition.
First-place national winners will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism 2015 conference in Orlando. Follow this link for conference information.
Newspapers
Breaking News Reporting, Large School Division
National Winner: “Wildcat clash with police officers,” by staff of The Daily Wildcat, University of Arizona
Read online— National Finalist: “Fort Hood shooting leaves three dead,” by Rebecca Fiedler, Rae Jefferson and Paula Ann Solis, Baylor University
— National Finalist: “Katz, trustee and alumnus, dies in plane crash,” by Marcus McCarthy and Joe Brandt, Temple University
Breaking News Reporting, Small School Division
National Winner: “Mold discovered in Elon’s Loy Center addressed by physical plant,” by Michael Bodley, Elon University
Read online— National Finalist: “Allies, trustees clash over college policy,” by Juliet Suess, Occidental College
— National Finalist: “CCSL drops five Campaigns,” by Lynsey Thut, Abilene Christian University
General News Reporting, Large School Division
National Winner: “Facing a Waning Future,” by Virgie Hoban, University of California, Berkeley
Read online— National Finalist: “When students die,” by Megan Jula, Indiana University
— National Finalist: “Maryland's International Relationships,” by Idrees Ali and Capital News Service staff, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
General News Reporting, Small School Division
National Winner: “A Viral View,” by Lena Lee, University of Texas at Tyler
— National Finalist: “Commercial Drones Take Off in Charlotte,” by Rachel Adams-Heard, Washington and Lee University
In-Depth Reporting, Large School Division
National Winner: “Wake of the Storm,” by Katie Shepherd, UCLA
Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
— National Finalist: “Animal Heights,” by Lisa Khoury, University at Buffalo
— National Finalist: “On Campus, Grenade Launchers, M-16s, and Armored Vehicles,” by Daniel Bauman, Webster University
In-Depth Reporting, Small School Division
National Winner: “Simple Justice,” by UWT Justice Project at The Ledger, University of Washington Tacoma
— National Finalist: “A history of red tape,” by Teo Armus, Annie Bryan and Catie Edmondson, Columbia University
— National Finalist: “Cutting master’s pay spells trouble for graduate programs, teachers,” by Katy Canada, Elon University
Feature Writing, Large School Division
National Winner: “At Home in America,” by Mara Klecker, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
— National Finalist: “Still Standing,” by Brea Gaudioso, University of Montana
— National Finalist: “Homeless or Not, he's got the month of May,” by Elizabeth Greiwe, Loyola University Chicago
Feature Writing, Small School Division
National Winner: “The Unspoken series,” by Kari Travis, Taylor University
— National Finalist: “A day with Google Glass,” by Emily Andras, Loyola University New Orleans
— National Finalist: “The Gates Within,” by Madeline R. Conway and Steven R. Watros, Harvard College
Sports Writing, Large School Division
National Winner: “Science of the Serve,” by Thuc Nhi Nguyen, University of Washington
— National Finalist: “Former Husker football player overcomes drug addiction,” by Chris Heady, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
— National Finalist: “Northwestern's LGBT athletes struggle to find their voices amid a lacking support system,” by Tyler Pager, Northwestern University
Sports Writing, Small School Division
National Winner: “Disorderly Conduct,” by Orlea L. Miller and Juliet Spies-Gans, Harvard College
— National Finalist: “Men's basketball to leave C-USA as champions,” by Jesse Keipp, University of Tulsa
— National Finalist: “Sabons & Stach: An overseas journey,” by Eden Laase, Gonzaga University
Editorial Writing
National Winner: “Our View,” by The Crimson White Editorial Board, The University of Alabama
— National Finalist: “Sexual Assault and Students' Right to Vote,” by The Daily Reveille Editorial Board, Louisiana State University
— National Finalist: “Phoenix Editorials,” by Daniel Block, Izzy Kornblatt, Z.L. Zhou and Nehmat Kaur, Swarthmore College
General Column Writing, Large School Division
National Winner: Yi "Patrick" An, University of Maryland College Park
— National Finalist: “Americans influenced more by YA; #getoverit; Ruined by emails,” by Trey Ross, university of arizona
— National Finalist: “Just to Claire-ify,” by Claire Dodson, University of Tennessee
General Column Writing, Small School Division
National Winner: Jims Porter, Indiana University Southeast
— National Finalist: “Secret lives of home-schoolers; Grace eludes some particularly me; America embraces its inner nerd,” by Brooke A. Rogers, Laramie County Community College
— National Finalist: “Russ Davis,” by Russ Davis, University of Washington Tacoma
Sports Column Writing
National Winner: Kevin Bowman, UCLA
— National Finalist: “Fourth and 26,” by Jesse Flickinger, The University of Montana
— National Finalist: “Jim Dayton Columns,” by Jim Dayton, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
National Winner: The State News, Michigan State University
Download sample issues [PDF]: Issue 1 | 2 | 3
— National Finalist: The Daily Mississippian, University of Mississippi
— National Finalist: Daily Bruin, UCLA
Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
National Winner: The Loyola Phoenix, Loyola University Chicago
Download sample issues [PDF]: Issue 1 | 2 | 3
— National Finalist: The Ithacan, Ithaca College
— National Finalist: The Journal, Webster University
Magazines
Best Student Magazine
National Winner: Curb Magazine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
— National Finalist: Backdrop Magazine, Ohio University
— National Finalist: The Planet, Western Washington University
Non-Fiction Magazine Article
National Winner: “Fever of Unknown Origin,” by Brittany Patterson, University of California at Berkeley
— National Finalist: “Dear Dolly,” by Jenna Fagan, Indiana University
— National Finalist: “The Lost Branch,” by Lily Katz, University of Washington
Art/Graphics
Breaking News Photography, Large School Division
National Winner: “Ablaze,” by Andrew Mather, University of Central Missouri
— National Finalist: “Mug Shot,” by Akash Ghai, The Pennsylvania University
— National Finalist: “Undocumented Student Demonstration,” by John Roark, University of Georgia
Breaking News Photography, Small School Division
National Winner: “Waverly Shooting,” by Al Drago, Elon University
— National Finalist: “Silent Witness,” by Karleigh Santry, Slippery Rock University
— National Finalist: “Black Lives Matter,” by James Crissman, Emory University
General News Photography, Large School Division
National Winner: “Grand Haven community holds candlelight vigil for Trevor Howard,” by Julie Angell, Michigan State University
— National Finalist: “Brown wins democratic nomination, faces Larry Hogan in general election,” by Christian Jenkins , University of Maryland
— National Finalist: “Housing the universe,” by Cary Wilton, Washington State University
General News Photography, Small School Division
National Winner: “Last Touch,” by Al Drago, Elon University
— National Finalist: “Juggling hats,” by Matthew Strissel, Northwest College
— National Finalist: “Students were given the opportunity...” by Chad Phillips, Baker University
Feature Photography, Large School Division
National Winner: “Stripping down stereotypes,” by Abi Reimold, Temple University
— National Finalist: “Poetic Prophecy,” by John Farmer de la Torre, University of Missouri-Columbia
— National Finalist: “Gold Dust,” by Kelly Smith, Gabrielle Mottaz, University of Miami
Feature Photography, Small School Division
National Winner: “Festivus,” by Al Drago, Elon University
— National Finalist: “That old Voodoo magic,” by Zach Brien, Loyola University New Orleans
— National Finalist: “A Baseball Man,” by Rebecca Castagna, Quinnipiac University
Photo Illustration, Large School Division
National Winner: “CommUNITY: Community, not color, builds identity,” by Laura Woodside and Kayla Stigall, University of Texas-Arlington
— National Finalist: “Homecoming,” by Autumn Mariano, Kaitlyn Johnson and Skyler Pyle, Weber State University
— National Finalist: “Richter library celebrates Banned Books Week,” by Nick Gangemi, University of Miami
Photo Illustration, Small School Division
National Winner: “Trafficking Trap,” by Cole Norum, Drake University
— National Finalist: “It could be you,” by Gabriella Warren, Northwest College
Sports Photography, Large School Division
National Winner: “Rozier steals and storms,” by Austin Lassell, University of Louisville
— National Finalist: “Snowboard Competition,” by Griffin Harrington, James Madison University
— National Finalist: “Jubilation,” by Caity Kramer, The Pennsylvania University
Sports Photography, Small School Division
National Winner: “Gonzaga Soccer,” by Ryan Sullivan, Gonzaga University
— National Finalist: “Eye Ball,” by Al Drago, Elon University
— National Finalist: “#CowboyUp,” by Tamara Rodgers, Laramie County Community College
Editorial Cartooning
National Winner: Jay Fondin, The George Washington University
— National Finalist: Connor Coughlin, North Idaho College
— National Finalist: Jonathan Wences and Alex Hernandez, Eastfield College
Radio
Radio News Reporting
National Winner: “Greenworks employes ex-cons,” by Reem Nasr, University of Michigan
— National Finalist: “Ridesharing apps cause concern for local taxi companies,” by Jessica Clark, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— National Finalist: “You Should Know: Bus Boycott Pioneer Mary Smith,” by Katy Ganaway, David Caddell and Winn Carroll, Troy University
Radio Feature
National Winner: “Me, my dad and Marvin Gaye,” by Sarah Zahedi, University of Southern California
— National Finalist: “Painting To Your Own Beat,” by Molly Evans, University of Oklahoma
— National Finalist: “Cell phones making it harder to sleep,” by Parth Shah, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Radio In-Depth Reporting
National Winner: “Beleaguered School in Far Rockaway Bounces Back,” by Gwynne Hogan, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
— National Finalist: “Marijuana Birds-I-View,” by Tyler Bachman, Emily Pomorski and the WZND News Team, Illinois State University
— National Finalist: “UNC academic scandal,” by Carolina Connection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Radio Sports Reporting
National Winner: “Race Fans Flock For The ‘Almost-Crashes’,” by Peter Haden, Arizona State University
— National Finalist: “Dave Finn: Golf Fanatic,” by Rich DeKorte, Hofstra University
— National Finalist: “KBVU Sports Homecoming Week,” by Tanner Hoops, Buena Vista University
Best All-Around Radio Newscast
National Winner: Carolina Connection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— National Finalist: WRHU-FM Newsline, Hofstra University
— National Finalist: ARN Live Show, University of Southern California
Television
Television Breaking News Reporting
National Winner: “Spanish Trace Shootings,” by Nicole Acevedo, Molly Robinson, James Torrez and Stephanie Matarazzo, University of Florida
— National Finalist: “CMU Protests Ferguson Decision,” by Clayton Cummins, Central Michigan University
— National Finalist: “Waiting Game—Midterm Elections,” by Paul Dudley, Jake Dmochowski, David Shorr and Susan Walker, Boston University
Television General News Reporting
National Winner: “Mesa police body cameras,” by Tara Molina, Arizona State University
— National Finalist: “Controversy Over Emissions Testing,” by Brandon Fonda and Aaron Griffiths, Utah State University
— National Finalist: “‘Shake and Bake’ Changing the Face of the Local Meth Industry,” by Omar Jimenez, Northwestern University
Television Feature Reporting
National Winner: “Fun with Physics,” by Onize Ohikere, Minnesota State University Moorhead
— National Finalist: “GDD Wine Class,” by Nicole Suarez, DePaul University
— National Finalist: “Powerful Performer,” by Lily Checketts, Brigham Young University
Television In-Depth Reporting
National Winner: “Arizona’s Water Future,” by Vondalynn Dias, ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
— National Finalist: “ViewFinder: A Free Smile,” by Bradleigh Chance, Tim Drummond, Phil Staiman, Drew Snadecki, Chloe Leshner, Shannon Atran and Megan Brooke, University of Maryland
— National Finalist: “Underemployment in Utah,” by Justin Ashby, Brigham Young University
Television Sports Reporting
National Winner: “Concussions: It's a Girl Thing, Too,” by Kari Osep, ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
— National Finalist: “UW Boxing,” by Alex Bosco, University of Washington
— National Finalist: “Recruiting Rankings,” by Rixon Lane, University of South Carolina
Television News and Feature Photography
National Winner: “Breakthrough law strives to bring gender equality to Senegal’s government,” by Contessa Gayles and Ali Withers, NYU
— National Finalist: “Depression: The Hidden Struggle,” by Jetske Wauran, University of La Verne
— National Finalist: “There's something happening here,” by Daniel Hamburg, Michigan State University
Television Sports Photography
National Winner: “Scuba Class at MSUM,” by Lindsay Anderson and Mike Hanson, Minnesota State University Moorhead
— National Finalist: “CircumBurke Challenge,” by Kevin Kelleher, Lyndon State College
— National Finalist: “Warren East Practice,” by Daniel Blommel, Western Kentucky University
Best All-Around Television Newscast
National Winner: Cronkite News, ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
— National Finalist: Carolina Week, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— National Finalist: Northwestern News Report, Northwestern University
Online
Online News Reporting
National Winner: “Iowa Chinese Students Struggle to Adjust, Feel Lack of Support,” by Lu Shen, University of Iowa
Read online: Read online
— National Finalist: “Black Lives Matter protest sparks conversation about on-campus racism,” by Lyssa Goldberg, University of Miami
— National Finalist: “The Kenny ‘Zulu’ Whitmore Case,” by staff, Northwestern University
Online Feature Reporting
National Winner: “Saving Sisay,” by Faiz Siddiqui, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
— National Finalist: “Dad's bucket,” by Charles Scudder, Anna Teeter and Missy Wilson, Indiana University
— National Finalist: “American Dream, Mexican Nightmare,” by Lucinda Holt and Sarah Self-Walbrick, Texas Tech University
Online In-Depth Reporting
National Winner: “DenseCity,” by NYCity News Service staff, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
— National Finalist: “Whole Hog: The Power of Pork,” by Powering A Nation staff, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— National Finalist: “Breaking the Class Ceiling,” by Shelbi Anderson, Jeff Wade, Ricardo Quintana and Jared Jakins, Brigham Young University
Online Opinion and Commentary
National Winner: Alexa Epitropoulos, Flagler College
— National Finalist: Meryl Gottlieb, Ohio University
— National Finalist: Abby Student, Washington State University
Online Sports Reporting
National Winner: “Baltimore's Forgotten Champions: An Oral History of the Baltimore Stallions,” by CNS Staff, University of Maryland College of Journalism
— National Finalist: “For the love of baseball,” by Steven Goldstein, Northwestern University
Best Use of Multimedia
National Winner: “Whole Hog: The Power of Pork,” by Powering A Nation staff, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— National Finalist: “Chop, boom, you're gone,” by The Temple News Staff, Temple University
— National Finalist: “Our Blue Highways,” by Vox staff, University of Missouri-Columbia
Best Affiliated Website
National Winner: Vandal Nation, University of Idaho
— National Finalist: The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College
— National Finalist: Central Florida Future, University of Central Florida
Best Digital-Only Student Publication
National Winner: Bellwethr, Syracuse University
— National Finalist: Vox Magazine iPad edition, University of Missouri-Columbia
— National Finalist: West Virginia Uncovered, Reed College of Media, West Virginia University
Best Independent Online Student Publication
National Winner: NYCity News Service, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
— National Finalist: “Driving Forces, Innovation on Montana's Reservations,” by Native News Project Team 2014, University of Montana School of Journalism