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ACP Winners2011 ACP Multimedia Story of the Year Finalists New this year: ACP is honoring up to 10 entries in each category of the Individual Awards. The top five entries in each category have been announced as finalists, and will be announced as first through fifth place winners later at the fall ACP/CMA convention in Orlando. Up to five honorable mentions have additionally been awarded in each category. The honorable mentions are not ranked. Multimedia News
Judge's comments: Exemplary use of audio, video, natural sound, interactives and maps to tell comprehensively and in great detail the story of youth basketball in Cameroon and its often shady ties to America. Evidence of how a good multimedia presentation serves the aims of the best journalism, by making the results of a long, in-depth investigation understandable at a glance.
Judge's comments: Good use of maps and videos with student and citizen interviews helps understand the problem of crime in the neighborhoods where UGA students live. A combination of video, photo, documents and graphics tied together in a simple, well-executed package that does well its job of informing students about one of the biggest issues they will face during their life in college.
Judge's comments: An example of how student journalists can use multimedia presentations to perform well one of their jobs, that of informing fellow students about the main events around campus – in this case the 2011 student elections.
Multimedia Feature
Judge's comments: In its report on a local professor’s study on distance perception on campus, The Daily Northwestern selected the multimedia tools that enabled it to best tell the story. Using videos, maps and an interactive exercise to explain a topic that is best understood visually, it far more effectively demonstrated the hypothesis and conclusion of the study and related it to the Northwestern community (albeit, not many others), than if it had used only words (although a printed version of the study was available too). What’s more, the video part of the report was well assembled, with quick cuts, snappy sound bites and as much action as the story would reasonably allow.
Judge's comments: The GW Hatchet’s report about George Washington University students participating in a dance performance was easily the vest video submitted, and if the category were video features, instead of multimedia features, it would have won. With its effective use of music and the deliberate absence of distracting background sounds (e.g., feet hitting the floor), the video most effectively enabled viewers to connect the spoken words they were hearing with the moving images they were watching. That, combined with its first-rate shooting and editing and some well placed creative techniques, made this report spellbinding, even for those not interested in dance. If there was a shortcoming, it was that the disembodied voices we hear near the beginning aren’t identified until later in the piece.
Judge's comments: With text and an accompanying multimedia presentation that combined an audio slide show with video, this report by MPJ magazine at Syracuse University skillfully shows the difficulty military families endure when they are separated. Using the homecoming of an army officer to his wife and 14-month-old son as peg, the report describes and shows viewers how this family used modern communications to stay in touch so that the officer would not miss a crucial stage of his son's development during his deployment. The story was well written and the multimedia presentation chose appropriate music (the kind you might hear in a commercial for disposable diapers) and was well organized, beginning with slides and audio of the wife and child, continuing with video of the reunion and ending with slides and audio of the officer.
Judge's comments: The Harvard Crimson’s made-to-look-easy audio slide show gave the campus community a great insight in under three minutes about a local personality who is probably seen by many but known by few. The selection of the first slide perfectly establishes the viewer's relationship with the subject. What the descriptive and intimate pictures don’t tell you about the individualistic lifestyle of Harvard Square’s street bookseller comes from the his own soothing radio voice, which was presented in skillfully edited sound bites. The use of black and white and background street sounds add a nice touch.
Judge's comments: The Baylor Lariat of Baylor University uses video to report on a blacksmith as part of a series on local crafts people. The first-rate video/audio quality, video edits of the blacksmith at work and selection of music create a perfect setting for the subject's nicely edited description of his somewhat nontraditional craft and lifestyle. A very professional job.
Judge's comments: The Daily Californian of the University of California, Berkeley, uses audio/video to explain a complicated game, and its growing appeal, that comes out of the Harry Potter series, which has been part of the lives of most college students since they learned to read. Using a match with Stanford University as a peg, the report covers the story well, with nicely edited action shots, comments from members of both teams and a bewildered spectator.
Judge's comments: The powerful subject matter of this text and audio slide show report, along with its moving and sensitive treatment by The Daily Bruin at UCLA, is why it belongs in the top 10.
Judge's comments: The Pitt News at the University of Pittsburgh selects an audio slide show as its medium for reporting on two former students who do impromptu drag queen shows in a local park. Since this is a see-it-to-believe-it story, it's pretty clear that using the frozen moments and nicely edited audio of the two former students explaining their art form was a good choice, even though the selection of pictures and variation of their angles was somewhat limited. A little audio from the drag show itself also would have helped.
Judge's comments: Everything that was said about the Baylor Lariat's piece about a local blacksmith can be said about its video report about a local stained glass window maker, except that it's longer than it needed to be.
Judge's comments: Spokane Falls Community College uses a skillful combination of slides, audio and video to report on local performing artists who spin hoops around their bodies, including ones that burn. Video is aptly invoked to show movement, while the still photos include some artsy and dramatic shots of spinning fire trails in the darkness that words could never capture. Multimedia Sports
Judge's comments: This is a terrific example of good off-campus enterprise reporting. This is not your basic “golly gee” profile of a football star, but an excellent attempt at getting a rounded image of who quarterback Denard Robinson is. There are no stats and scores to be found, just excellent narration and solid interviews with Robinson’s coaches and family. The student reporters relate their hesitation to approach Robinson’s house and are surprised at the warmth of the greeting they received.
Judge's comments: This piece gains points for its slick production values and measured and clear reporting by the student reporters. The well-paced news report does a good job of covering a multitude of sports in a short time.
Judge's comments: This well-edited and cleanly shot piece does a good job summarizing a lesser known sport. Even the interview with Camus the horse seemed to add character to the video. A good example of what can be done with a limited budget.
Judge's comments: A simple, straightforward but compelling profile on home-grown mixed martial arts champ Eddie Alvarez. Leaving in a segment where he politely asks to interrupt the interview so he could watch his brother grapple added a nice human touch.
Judge's comments: Well edited and does a good job of capturing real emotions before, during and after the big football game against Boise State.
Judge's comments: Nice enterprise reporting package on how three athletes deal with their injuries. No glitz, but a wealth of honest opinions and information.
Judge's comments: Nice one-person video effort with clean editing, nice interviews and solid photography. The calm but busy atmosphere of the horse barn is captured well.
Judge's comments: Cleanly edited and does a good job of relating the excitement before a big football game against local rival Northwestern at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago. Does a good job of capturing the game-day atmosphere.
Judge's comments: Nice package with two videos and four audio snippets as wrestlers explain their approach to the sport. The videos are well made and the package offers nice graphic work.
Judge's comments: Excellent slideshow with well-edited audio and a good explanation of how average people are embracing crossfit exercises to keep their bodies strong and healthy. The story gets across very well without a lot of glitz. Photo Slideshow
Judge's comments: This slideshow uses audio and somber images to tell, with a clear and meaningful use of natural sound, the story of a homeless man in Lansing, Michigan. Simple and elegantly executed, it depicts starkly an all too common American tale of poverty and disease in the Midwest. A brilliant example of how a three-minute slideshow plus audio can convey far better than a written article the essence of a story.
Judge's comments: The photographer was not afraid to get dirty and wet and to shoot day and night to get really close to the story of April’s Black River flood. Extraordinarily participative and heartfelt images, combined with informative captions, combine to produce a strong reportage that would not be out of a place in a national newspaper.
Judge's comments: The clever, if not radically new, concept of documenting the life of a community by having photographers follow it for 24 hours is executed well here. A simple but well-captioned slideshow produces a package of great interest to University of Minnesota students that is also visually appealing to everybody else.
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Contest DeadlinesNewspaper / Magazine Pacemaker - June 7, 2012 Individual Awards (Story / Photo / Design / Reporter / Advertising / Cartooning) - June 7, 2012 Upcoming ConventionsACP National Summer Journalism Workshops - Aug. 2-5, 2012, University of Minnesota ACP/CMA National College Media Convention - Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2012, Chicago |
