Arizona State University students captured three national Society of Professional Journalists 2023 Mark of Excellence Awards.
The Mark of Excellence Awards recognize the best student journalism from around the country across multiple platforms, including Print/Online, Broadcast, Audio and Art/Graphics/Multimedia.
Two Cronkite alumni won awards for stories they completed before they graduated. Noelle Blumel took the Television Sports Reporting prize for “The Anthony Robles story,” a profile on the former ASU wrestling national champion. Kiersten Edgett finished as a national finalist in the Radio Feature category for “Outrigger Community,” a story about two Tempe-based Hawaiian outrigger canoe teams.
Cronkite students were also among the 25 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellows awarded the Collaborative Journalism prize for its “America After Roe” project examining the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. News21 is a national reporting initiative, headquartered at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, that brings top journalism students from universities across the country to report and produce in-depth, multimedia projects. The “America After Roe” team included 12 students from Cronkite and 13 students from partner universities:
- Florida International University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- St. Bonaventure University
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of North Texas
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Oregon
“We are immensely proud to see our Cronkite students receive recognition in this prestigious contest. These awards are a testament to the outstanding faculty and programs that help prepare our students to consistently produce high-caliber work,” said Cronkite School Dean Battinto L. Batts Jr. “Congratulations to all of our students who worked so hard to produce exceptional journalism and stand out among their peers.”
The national winners were among the students who took 12 first place prizes in the 2023 Society of Professional Journalists’ Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards earlier in the spring. Cronkite students earned 31 honors, sweeping the Sports Writing category for large universities and the Television Sports Reporting category for all universities.
Cronkite students took more top awards than any other university in a region that includes Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and the Mariana Islands.
SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards National Winners
Television Sports Reporting: “The Anthony Robles story” — by Noelle Blumel, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Collaborative Journalism: “America after Roe” — by Staff, Carnegie-Knight News21, Arizona State University, Florida International University, Ohio Wesleyan University, St. Bonaventure University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of North Texas, University of Oklahoma and University of Oregon
SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards National Finalist
Radio Feature: “Outrigger community” — by Kiersten Edgett, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards Winners
Print/Online
General News Reporting (Large)
Finalist: MMIP task forces are given years to solve a problem centuries in the making — by Alexis Waiss, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
In-Depth Reporting (Large)
Winner: Paying to be unpaid: The cost of unpaid internships — by Madeline Nguyen, State Press Magazine, Arizona State University
Sports Writing (Large)
Winner: 25 years later: Behind Bryce Drew’s 1998 buzzer beater were the unknowns of March Madness — by Noah Furtado, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Pancake blocks to pancake stacks: Eating ‘a chore’ for offensive linemen — by Logan Stanley, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: A gambler’s paradise? For some, the industry’s extreme growth leads to addiction and worse — by Sam Stern, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Editorial/Opinion Writing
Winner: Opinion writing — by Aaron Stigile, The State Press, Arizona State University
Finalist: Opinion writing — by Mia Osmonbekov, The State Press, Arizona State University
Breaking News Photography
Finalist: SAG-AFTRA Arizona members rally as part of national strike for TV, film worker protections, wages — by Kiersten Edgett, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Sports Photography
Finalist: The Sun Devils hit the road to face No. 5 ranked Huskies — by Calvin Stewart, The State Press, Arizona State University
Best Use of Multimedia
Finalist: Ken Koshio marks three years of hiking Piestewa Peak every day — by Amber Victoria Singer, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Finding Grandma Joyce — by Samantha Chow, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
News Videography
Finalist: America after Roe: Helping mothers — by Trilce Estrada Olvera, Carnegie-Knight News21, Arizona State University
Feature Videography
Winner: Pulse: The Culture Fest Documentary — by Drake Presto, The State Press, Arizona State University
Audio
Radio News Reporting
Winner: Burning the forests — by Kiersten Edgett, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Heat deaths — by Deanna Pistono, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Radio Feature
Winner: Outrigger community — by Kiersten Edgett, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Paying caregivers — by Deanna Pistono, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Radio Sports Reporting
Winner: AZ horse racing in flux — by Austin Hepola, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Podcast (Narrative)
Podcast (Narrative)
Winner: Inside Objectivity — by Autriya Maneshni, Cronkite ASU, Arizona State University
Broadcast
Finalist: Relocating rattlesnakes — by Tabitha Bland, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Television Feature Reporting
Winner: Outrigger connections — by Tabitha Bland, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Television In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Sweltering Saguaros — by Danny Stipanovich, Jason Marmon, Seungshin Seo, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: El Paso migrants — by Miriam Ordonez, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Television Sports Reporting
Winner: The Anthony Robles story — by Noelle Blumel, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Worries about wagers — by Jack Pierson, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: Robinson going for gold — by Beatriz Martinez, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Best All-Around Television News Magazine
Winner: Arizona Oasis — by Staff, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
All Platform
Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism
Finalist: Frame by frame: ASU animators draw their imaginations into reality — by Fatima Gabir, State Press Magazine, Arizona State University
Campus Reporting
Finalist: USG adjourns meeting early over physical and verbal disruptions from outside protest — by Phineas Hogan, Alysa Horton, The State Press, Arizona State University
Science/Environment/Climate Reporting
Finalist: Prayer run — by John Leos, Nellija Locmele, Tyler Bender, Megan Swing, Cronkite News, Arizona State University
Finalist: A wall runs through it — by Trilce Estrada Olvera, Makepeace Sitlhou, Hakob Karapetyan, Cronkite News, Arizona State University