June 26, 2019
Cronkite Students Place in National Journalism Contests Arizona State University students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication took home dozens of awards and recognitions in radio, public relations and digital media for their work during the 2018-2019 academic year. The accolades include international and regional recognitions from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, First Amendment Funding, Investigative Reporters and Editors, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, B2B Media Company and the Association of Food Journalists. “These honors are in addition to those from dozens of other professional and collegiate journalism organizations,” said Cronkite School Senior Associate Dean Kristin Gilger. “This past year has been an especially successful one for our students, who are building rich portfolios of their work while mastering the craft of journalism.”
The 2018-2019 awards include: Hermes Creative Awards Students in Cronkite’s Public Relations Lab won 11 gold Hermes Creative Awards in the 2019 international competition. The PR Lab won gold awards for work students did for Catalyst Communications, the U.S. Department of State’s Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Power Play fundraising event, and Rise PR. In addition, students earned four platinum awards and 14 honorable mentions. The Hermes Creative Awards honor the creators and messengers of traditional and emerging media in animation, documentaries, educational programs, film, music videos, television pilot programs, trailers, webisodes and more.
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System College and High School Radio/TV/Media Awards Students working at Blaze Radio, ASU’s student radio station, earned 16 nominations – a record high – in the IBS college radio and TV media awards program. Five of the nominees went on to win top awards. They include Braiden Bell, who was named “Best Sports Director.” The other top winners were: Eliav Gabay and Harley Yearout, first in the “Best Sports Talk Program” category Nick White, first in the “Best community Volunteer Program/Personality” category for his story, “Veteran Diaries” about veterans in the Phoenix community Lyle Goldstein, first in “Best Women’s Basketball Play by Play” for a broadcast report on the Stanford vs. Oregon Women’s Pac-12 Championship Josh Schaefer, first in “Best Hockey Play by Play” for a Pac-12 hockey game
Best of the West journalism contest Student Derek Hall placed third in the Best of the West competition, which recognizes the best work by professional journalists in 14 western states. Hall’s story, which was published in The Seattle Times, took readers inside the lives of a cruise ship crew as they cleaned and prepared the 936-foot-long vessel for a journey. His article, “For crew of 2,1000-passenger cruise ship, frenetic ‘turnaround day’ in Seattle starts and ends the journey,” received praise from contest judge Robert Barba, deputy spot news editor at The Wall Street Journal. “The story just sang and was brimming with great details,” Barba wrote. “I really enjoyed joining Hall as he trailed (crew members). Sounds like a hectic day, but it was a pleasure to read.”
Investigative Reporters & Editors Awards Chris McCrory, a 2018 Cronkite graduate, was a finalist in the annual IRE Awards recognizing student achievement. His story, “In a hole: Arizona officials lack funds to find, secure at least 100,000 abandoned mines” examined the dangers of Arizona’s abandoned mines and steps officials are taking to prevent further injuries and deaths. IRE is the nation’s largest organization of investigative journalists. The annual IRE Awards have recognized outstanding investigative work since 1979.
Webby Awards A reporting project on the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico was singled out for recognition in the annual Webby Awards, which recognizes the best content on the internet. The project, “Puerto Rico: Restless and Resilient,” was recognized for being among the top 20 percent of all entries. The project was reported and produced by 19 Cronkite students who traveled to Puerto Rico to document efforts to restore Puerto Rico’s tourism industry. Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a global organization of industry experts and technology innovators.
Maggie Awards State Press Magazine, ASU’s student-run news publication, was a finalist in the 67th annual Maggie Awards in two categories – Best Student Publication and Best Print Cover. The Maggie Awards program, the longest-running contest of its kind in the country, recognizes excellence in the publishing industry in print, digital, newsletters, video channels and social media.
Association of Food Journalists Awards Competition Tayler Brown, a 2019 Cronkite alumna, is a finalist in the Association of Food Journalists 2019 awards competition for a story he produced for Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Brown’s story, “Native American farmers plan moves to global market, greater sustainability,” about farming on Arizona reservations, is a finalist in the “Best Writing on Food” student division. Winners of the 2019 contest will be announced at an AFJ Awards reception Sept. 19 in Greenville, South Carolina.