Media Milwaukee Student Journalists Head to SPJ National Contest

Media Milwaukee’s student journalists are heading to nationals in nine categories in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence competition after their work won first-place awards in the prestigious four-state regional competition.

That brings the 2018 award tally for Media Milwaukee to 59 honors in a variety of major contests.

Stories that move on to nationals include Media Milwaukee’s ongoing coverage of sexual harassment on campus, its major immersion trip to cover the March for Our Lives event in Washington D.C., feature reporting from Barron, Wisconsin, and a team project covering the midterm elections in Wisconsin. Students won for multiple genres, including audio, video, print/online, and photography. Here is Henry Morgan’s award-winning photo from the March for Our Lives:

The Media Milwaukee site as a whole also was a regional winner. The regional contest includes Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Student journalists also received another six SPJ awards as regional finalists.

In addition, Media Milwaukee student journalists won four first-place awards and an award of merit from the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association.

The Mark of Excellence awards add to the pile of honors earned by UW-Milwaukee’s student journalists for 2018 work. Previously, Media Milwaukee students won 39 awards in four major journalism competitions including the Milwaukee Press Club, Wisconsin College Media Association and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

The SPJ award winners were announced on April 13, 2019. National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism conference in San Antonio.

“MOE Awards entries are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience. Judges were directed to choose entries they felt were among the best in student journalism,” SPJ’s press release said.

Here are the SPJ regional award winners that move to nationals:

General News Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Sexual harassment on campus – by Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Student journalists: Talis Shelbourne, Jennifer Rick, Nyesha Stone, Elizabeth Sloan, Madison Sepanik, Miela Fetaw, Henry Morgan.

Feature Writing (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: The village that flipped back – by Royce Podeszwa and Derek Grant, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

General News Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Faces of the gun divide – by Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Student who won: Henry Morgan.

Radio Feature
Winner: Choosing abortion: Honest reflections on a private decision – by Alexis Amenson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Radio News Reporting
Winner: Voices of the gun march: Young and old – by Lauren Keene, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Online News Reporting
Winner: Generation lockdown: Gun march 2018 – by Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Student winners: Claudia Delgadillo, Sydney Ewert, Ariel Goronja, Hunter Hanthorn, Lauren Keene, Morgan Langley, Jessica Lopez, Carrie Mahone, Henry Morgan, Madison Sepanik, Elizabeth Sloan, Anijah White, Cassie Bretl, Robert Garza, Ed Makowski, Danielle Miller, ReAnna Oestreich, Royce Podeszwa, Talis Shelbourne, Tiera Trammell.

Online Feature Reporting
Winner: Welcome to Barron – by Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Students Sloan Sullivan, Madison Sepanik, Darien Yeager, Talis Shelbourne, Aubryana Bowen, Brittani Cook, Tess Klein, Hailey McLaughlin, and Michael Jung.

Online In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Wisconsin votes (or not): High stakes for the 2018 midterms – by Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Students Catie Middleton, Sloan Sullivan, Lauren Keene, Sam Wisneski, Carrie Mahone, Rashaud Foster, Alyssa Wiese, Sam Schmitz, Ed Makowski, Jared Cohen, Ethan Duran, Michael Jung, Hailey McLaughlin, Henry Morgan, ReAnna Oestreich

Best Independent Online Student Publication
Winner: Media Milwaukee – Staff of Media Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

SPJ regional finalists:

In-Depth Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students
Finalist: Reclaiming death: Women in the death industry – by Catie Middleton, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Feature Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students
Finalist: Faces of Somali immigration in Barron – by Aubryana Bowen and Talis Shelbourne, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Radio Feature
Finalist: Mother-daughter team hits the road for spring break – by Sabrina Johnkins, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Radio In-Depth Reporting
Finalist: Dead mall shadowed by murderous history – by Lauren Keene, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Online In-Depth Reporting
Finalist: America’s dairyland in danger – by Elizabeth Sloan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Online/Digital Feature Videography
Finalist: UWM Desi Student Association celebrates Holi – by John Fennimore, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association

First Place: General Reporting Radio: Lauren Keene, Voices of the March: Young and Old

General Reporting Television: Generation Lockdown: Gun March 2018

Hard Feature Radio: Alexis Amenson, Choosing Abortion: Honest Reflections on a Private Decision

Soft Feature Radio: Sabrina Johnkins, Mother-Daughter Team Hits the Road for Spring Break

Award of Merit: Team Multimedia Storytelling News: Media Milwaukee, Generation Lockdown: Gun March 2018. Student winners: Claudia Delgadillo, Sydney Ewert, Ariel Goronja, Hunter Hanthorn, Lauren Keene, Morgan Langley, Jessica Lopez, Carrie Mahone, Henry Morgan, Madison Sepanik, Elizabeth Sloan, Anijah White, Cassie Bretl, Robert Garza, Ed Makowski, Danielle Miller, ReAnna Oestreich, Royce Podeszwa, Talis Shelbourne, Tiera Trammell.