2020 Story of the Year finalists

Oct. 9, 2020

Associated Collegiate Press announces the finalists in its 2020 Story of the Year competition.

Winners in this and all Individual Award categories, as well as the ACP Pacemaker Awards, will be announced virtually at 6 p.m. Eastern Thursday, Oct. 22, during the Fall National College Media Convention.

To view the awards presentation, register for the convention at collegemediaconvention.org.

Ernie Pyle

The Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile Award is in honor of the 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, and the award is sponsored by the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation and Scripps Howard.

Pyle was an extraordinary journalist with an array of skills. He had the ability to reach out and make folks feel comfortable, as they shared both good times and tough times. For the last 10 years of his life, Pyle’s columns ran six times a week, primarily in Scripps-Howard newspapers.

The Local Climate Change Reporting contest is in partnership with the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

Finalists listed below are alphabetical by state.

2020 Individual Award Finalists

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MultimediaReporterPhoto • Story
Best Use of Social MediaCOVID-19 Coverage

2020 Pacemaker finalists

BroadcastBusinessInnovation
MagazineNewspaper • Online2019 Yearbook


Breaking News Story

Andrew Howard
The State Press
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona

McCain Institute head Kurt Volker steps down as US diplomat

Aidan McGloin
Mustang News
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California

Seven arrests, 110 officers, tear gas and flash bangs down Santa Rosa in San Luis Obispo Protests

Daniel Caudill, Emily Dulohery, Lindsay Smith
The Sunflower
Wichita State University
Wichita, Kansas

Disheartening: Students, faculty react to calls to fire WSU President Jay Golden over Ivanka Trump fiasco

Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Breaking down the UK cheerleading hazing investigation

Zach Walker
The Clarion
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota

Nursing open wounds

Kallan Arkeder, Toby Craner, Meilin Quinn
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Protest spills into the streets as both sides dispute negotiation efforts

Mattie Townson
Empire State Tribune
King’s College
New York, New York

King’s freshmen rescued after jumping into Hudson

Nick Hazelrigg, Bailey Lewis, Jordan Miller
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

OU Gaylord College professor uses racial slur during class in comparison to ‘OK, boomer’ phrase

Maddie Aiken
The Daily Collegian
Penn State University
State College, Pennsylvania

Jerry Sandusky’s 30-to-60-year prison sentence doesn’t change after resentencing hearing

Jonah Charlton, Pia Singh
The Daily Pennsylvanian
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Former ICE Director Thomas Homan returned to speak at Penn. Protesters returned too


In-Depth News Story

Molly Stellino
The State Press
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona

ASU abandoned most of its operational sustainability goals

James Moore, Alex Neis
Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Freedom Wall Saga Casts Light on Relationship between Pepperdine and LGBTQ+ Students

Spencer Donovan, Hunter Riggall, Savannah Sicurella
The Red & Black
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

The full story: How lack of oversight allowed a UGA employee to steal $1.3 million over a decade

Leo Smith
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

When the Dean Said a Slur, and Then Got Promoted

Bailey Vandiver
KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington’s East End: A changing neighborhood

James Bikales
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Three Renowned Harvard Anthropologists Face Allegations of Sexual Harassment

Evan Petzold
Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Texas Tech sexual assault complaints, arrest follow Jett Duffey in recruitment to CMU

Rocio Fortuny, Patrick Linehan
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

New York college students eagerly await  marijuana legalization

Matthew Fischetti
Washington Square News
New York University
New York, New York

Student Government Assembly Chair Resigns Over Conflicting Statement, Relationship Between the NYPD and NYU Public Safety Remains Unclear

Jana Allen
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

‘It cannot be full consent’: OU drama alumna reports sexual relationship with professor who resigns amid Title IX inquiry


Feature Story

Cory Blackmon, Trice Brown, Evan Mealins
The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

One Year Later: Beauregard Mourns

Fernando Haro
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California

Humanitarian pushes through traumatic past to help others

Ande Richards
Collegian
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles, California

Art Student’s Paint Brush Draws ‘Giants’

Cheyenne Miller
Crusader News
Seward County Community College
Liberal, Kansas

Walking dynamite lights up community

Maddie Christy, Emma Harville, Manisha Shakuntala, Katie Viesselman
Textura India
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota

Life unveiled

Dominic Hoscher
Lindenlink
Lindenwood University
St. Charles, Missouri


The story of a Paralympic gold medal-winning sled hockey player

Jordan Muller
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

By chance: Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing

George Stoia
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

Courageous: The Maggie Nichols story

Annabelle Williams
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You Can’t Not Take That Home’: Penn Nurses on the Emotional Toll of Coronavirus

Cecilia Lenzen
The Shorthorn
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas

An inside look at the struggle of a sexual assault survivor


Sports Game Story

Austin Hall
Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Gonzaga Outlasts Pepperdine in Conference Battle

Emily Maise
The GW Hatchet
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C

Richmond stunts men’s basketball’s two-game win streak

Emma Healy
The Heights
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Guy’s Game Winner Leads Eagles to Season Sweep of Notre Dame

Max Marcovitch
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Michigan fails to overcome early deficit, loses to Penn State, 28-21

Chase Michaelson
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

‘LeBron Tillman’ and the final play that helped MSU men’s basketball escape Illinois

Andrew Graham
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Louisville crushes Syracuse’s bowl game ambitions with 56-34 win

Chapel Fowler
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

‘Absolutely devastating’: This loss, 98-96 in OT to Duke, is a brutal one for UNC

Stephen Thompson
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Final foul lifts Louisville over Pitt, 73-68

Landon Dierks
The Collegian
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

State Women Stunned by Denver

Colton McWilliams
The University Star
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Bobcats knock off panthers in triple-overtime thriller


Sports Feature Story

Ethan Sears
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Jim Harbaugh’s drive home

Emma Eidsvoog, Nala Goyal, Braeden Peterson, Vada Stoddard, Jake Van Loh
Textura India
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota

Fighting forever

Josh Schafer
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

In a city full of Girards, Joseph Girard III made it big

Ian Kreider
KentWired.com
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio

Walk-on to coach: How Jon Fleming moved from one seat on the bench to another

George Stoia
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

This is our normal and it’s wonderful’: How OU’s coaches’ wives will make sure Santa finds Sooner families in Atlanta at College Football Playoff

Kyle Garcia
The Beacon
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon

Chase Adams steps up as ‘glue of the family’ as grandmother battles coronavirus

Trent Leonard
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Crissy Shannon: Bending over backwards for Pitt band

Shane Connelly
The Daily Collegian
Penn State University
State College, Pennsylvania


Where his brother’s memory lives on, Penn State men’s lacrosse’s Teddy Darcey blazes his own trail

Taylor Jennings-Brown
Garnet & Black
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina

Untold Legacy

Brianna Harmon
The Et Cetera
Eastfield College
Mesquite, Texas

Following physical and emotional hardship, Courtanae Calhoun is looking to strike back


Editorial

Omar Rashad
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California

Administrators need to issue parking permit refunds this month

Staff
The Signal
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Mayor Bottoms, tear down this statue!

Kaylie McLaughlin
The Collegian
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Denying proposed calendar ignores the needs of students, disrupts shared governance

Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

UK planning committees, here are some things you must consider

Staff
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

It’s On Us, but it’s also on MSU

Dylan Goetz
Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Dropping the ball: Moving rivalry game to Detroit upsets students, locals

Tori Pender
The College Voice
Mercer County Community College
Cranbury, New Jersey

Call a fire a fire

Staff
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Editorial: UNC’s coronavirus response the good, the bad and the ugly


Column

Solé Ruiz
The Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California

Disrespect of Black men is demoralizing

Mary Margaret Davis
The Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Breath is Precious: The Vaping Disease Killed My Mother

Alyssa Story
Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

On George

Shiavon Chatman
The State Hornet
California State University, Sacramento
Sacramento, California

Shiavon’s Jawn: I was raised by a village that didn’t talk about feelings

Erin Holve
The Orion
California State University, Chico
Chico, California

Fearing for my father’s life

Madison Lotenschtein
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Tracing the origins and present-day resurgence of anti-Semitism

Missy Johnson
Talisman
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Piecing life together after an eating disorder

Jules Graebner
Stephens Life
Stephens College
Columbia, Missouri

The Ghost of Your Hands

Aidan Segal
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Opinion | One year later: Perspective from a Tree of Life congregation member

Joshua Howell
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

His name is Justin Howell


Diversity Story

Karina Zapata
Calgary Journal
Mount Royal University
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Preserving Mother Tongues

Delia Johnson, Kyley Warren
Cronkite News
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona

We can help ourselves:’ Native women come together to confront high rates of maternal mortality

Kevin Caparoso
Warrior Life
El Camino College
Torrance, California

She can do it too

Makena Huey, Maria Belen Iturralde, Brianna Willis
Currents
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

If it isn’t intersectional, it isn’t feminism

Bridgette Baron, Lauren Ho, Dustin Newman, Kaia Sherry, Max Wu
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

From memes to meetups, the subtle asian traits Facebook page unites cultures in a worldwide community

Annie Aguiar
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

A little less than kind

Megan Conn, Georgina Hallowell, Larisa Karr Karr, Modou Nyang
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
New York, New York

Funded But Forgotten

Shannon Fang
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

’We are tenacious’: The first-generation, low-income student experience at Duke

Lyndsey Brennan
KentWired.com
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio

When the illness is invisible: Kent State students living with chronic illness turn to each other for support

Lisi Merkley
The Daily Universe
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah

Racism continues to surface in the Church and at BYU


Local Climate Change Reporting

The Local Climate Change Reporting contest is in partnership with the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

Jenna Gaertner, Brianna Willis
The Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Sea Level Rise and Its Impact on Coastal Cities Like Malibu

Richard Tzul
University Times
California State University – Los Angeles
Cerritos, California

Cal State LA goes green

Layla Chamberlin
The Daily Californian
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California

It’s gettin’ hot in here: Reproductive, climate justice intersect at  ‘A Case for Climate and Sex Symposium’

Emma Edmund
The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

In Focus: As climate change worsens, combined sewers pose new issues

Dustin Lowman
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Divestment, Part 2: A ‘Neutral’ Policy

Max Zambrano
Talisman
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Point of no return?

Erin White
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Climate Inaction: Historical activism and the University’s response to the climate movement

Wendy Guzman
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Big Ten students call for fossil fuel divestment

Fernanda Brizuela
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Behind Penn’s 1.5* Minute Climate Lectures

Quinn Clark, Sam Dahm, Michael Greer, Meghan Gresk, Jeanna Prudhomme
Arches
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Climate 414


Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile

The Human-Interest Profile Award is sponsored by the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation and Scripps Howard.

Michelle Johnson
The Arbiter
Boise State University
Boise, Idaho

Making a discovery: How Julianna Ramirez used her passion for science to find success

Caroline Anders
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

Live and learn

Katelyn Weisbrod
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

2 years ago, she was pre-med at the UI. Now, she’s running her own organic farm

C.J. Moore
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

It fills my soul’: One woman’s goal to train psychiatric service dogs for survivors

Zach Walker
The Clarion
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota

All little butterflies

Amanda Paule
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Neal Powless: SU Ombuds brings a message of healing to a polarized world

Kimiko Dugan
SALT: Military Photojournalism 2020
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Life after loss

Omar Padillo
Washington Square News
New York University
New York, New York

Financial independence at 25 cents an hour

Mia Werner
The Beacon
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon

Chasing ice with the U.S. Coast Guard

Skye Seip
The Et Cetera
Eastfield College
Mesquite, Texas

Finding stillness in the chaos