UWM Student Journalists Win Major Wisconsin Newspaper Association Awards

Student journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee won major journalism awards at the Wisconsin Newspaper Association awards contest on Friday, including the best multimedia, public affairs, and feature photography in the state.

The above awards were won by students in the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies’ program’s journalism immersion class, which is funded through a grant from the MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club. You can read the project here. The students reported on immigration from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border, traveling to Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Some of the stories were reported in Spanish.

Also receiving awards: Student journalist David Go, who broke the story that Vice President Kamala Harris was coming to campus, and Matiana Hernandez, who broke the story that 20 percent of students admitted to UWM with visas don’t show up.

The stories were published on Media Milwaukee, the JAMS program’s national award-winning student news site.

The awards handed out in 2025:

Place Name: First Place (feature photography)
Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee
Entry Title: Faces at the Border
Entry Credit: Samantha Calderon
Judge Comment: Great photos cause emotional reactions. These photos do just that; they’re powerful, emotional, and technically sound. They tell a story all on their own. Very well done.

Place Name: First Place (best multimedia)
Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee
Entry Title: La Frontera: Crossing the Rio Grande
Entry Credit: Samantha Calderon, Elizabeth Lintonen, Liliana Fannin, Dominic Rodriguez, Colton Pemble, Juan Rodriguez-Mora, Sonia Spitz
Judge Comment: Great multimedia package. Combining video, photos, audio and words give a reader many ways to take in these stories. Great work.

Place Name: First Place
Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee
Entry Title: La Frontera – Crossing the Rio Grande
Entry Credit: Elizabeth Lintonen, Liliana Fannin, Colton Pemble, Dominic Rodriguez, Samantha Calderon, Juan Rodriguez-Mora, Sonia Spitz
Judge Comment: This package of stories stood out in a very strong class of public affairs entries. The stories were richly sourced and organized well. The writing and visuals are very strong and complement one another. This package of work is a very compelling and timely read…

Place Name: Third Place (public affairs reporting)

Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee
Entry Title: Failed to Report
Entry Credit: Matiana Hernandez
Judge Comment: This is a very interesting topic and one that deserves more attention…

Place Name: Second Place (breaking news reporting)
Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee
Entry Title: Kamala Harris Visits UW-Milwaukee
Entry Credit: David Go
Judge Comment: Beyond getting the scoop, this story includes numerous sources, including one from the other party to provide some balance.