Oct. 14, 2021

Associated Collegiate Press salutes the winners of its 2021 Story of the Year competition.

Winners were announced during the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention awards ceremony, presented virtually on Oct. 14.

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 who 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 first-place winner earns $2,200. The second-place winner $1,200, the third-place winner $800, the-fourth place winner $500, and the fifth-place winner $300 from the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation and Scripps Howard Foundation.

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

The center develops and applies social-science insights to help society make informed decisions that will stabilize the earth’s life-sustaining climate and prevent further harm from climate change.

The first-place winner earns $500, and the second and third place winners $300 and $200 respectively. With team reporting, the cash prize is divided among the names on the entry.

First
“Infamy is just as good as fame: UK student among crowd that mobbed Capitol building”
Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

First
“Deconstructing the Divide”
Deconstructing The Divide Staff
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

First
“The Light Side of the Moon”
Allaire Nuss
Drake Mag
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

First
“Luka Garza: The Iowa men’s basketball program’s humble, team-driven all-time leading scorer”
Robert Read
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Second
“Cameron Mulé’s game-winner caps off miraculous comeback victory for Duke men’s lacrosse”
Evan Kolin
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Third
“Rob Lanier’s Panthers defeat Yellow Jackets 123-120 in instant classic”
Andrew Freedman
The Signal
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Fourth
“Helleson Beats Buzzer In OT For Battle Of Comm. Ave. Win”
Emma Healy
The Heights
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Fifth
“Historic volleyball run driven by confidence and trust”
Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Honorable mentions

“When a disappointing loss comes a lesson and a glimpse into the future for Altman, Ducks”
Shane Hoffmann
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

“Baylor closes season with double-digit loss to Oklahoma State”
D.J. Ramirez
The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

“No. 3 Texas baseball drops series opener 6-3 against No. 11 Texas Tech”
Vicente Montalvo
The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

“On to the championship”
Josh McSwain
Baylor Roundup, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

“VCU men’s basketball beats Dayton, advances to A-10 semifinals”
Noah Fleischman
The Commonwealth Times, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

First
“Raising Declan”
Aidan Bea
The University Star
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Second
“The original Brotherhood’: How Gene Banks paved the way for future generations of Black players at Duke”
Shane Smith
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Third
“Boog’s On First”
Emma Healy
The Heights
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Fourth
“Before Jackie Robinson, there was Thomas Harding”
Drew Favakeh
The Butler Collegian
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana

Fifth
“Southwestern 1, Yankees 0″
Andrew Sanchez
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California

Honorable mentions

“Looking back, stepping forward”
Emma Eidsvoog
The Clarion, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota

“A Lasting Impact”
Emily Barnes
The NewsHouse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York

“Throwback Wednesday: Terry Baker, Oregon State’s historic two-sport star”
Thomas Salgado De Almeida Leme
The Daily Barometer, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

“A mother’s love carries 2,625 miles”
Shane Hoffmann
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

“48 years and counting”
Hannah Underwood
The Battalion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

First
“This battle is (kind of) over. It shouldn’t have had to be fought.”
Natalie Parks, Sarah Michels, Gillian Stawiszynski
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Second
“Our view: Good intentions, limited impact”
Staff
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Third
“Baylor, make your choice on Gamma”
Camille Rasor
The Baylor Lariat
Baylor University
Waco, Texas

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Fourth
“Editorial: Do ‘blue lives’ matter more than Blue Demons?”
Lacey Latch, Ella Lee, Emma Oxnevad
The DePaulia
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Fifth
“Test proctoring software that films students is an invasion of privacy and presents problems with equity”
Molly Cochran
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California

Honorable mentions

“LeBlanc should resign — but GW needs to enact long-lasting change”
Hannah Thacker, Andrew Sugrue
GW Hatchet, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia

“Editorial: AHANA+ Students Deserve Better”
Rachel Phelan, Olivia Franceschini, Maggie DiPatri, Grace Mayer, Gabriel Wallen
The Heights, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

“What about our legacy?”
Staff
The Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

“At long last, Penn must forcefully condemn Donald Trump”
Staff
The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“Unidentified agents are unaccountable”
Chris Bird
The Clarion, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin

First
“Examining the erasure of Black history in education”
Yassie Buchanan
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Second
“I’m a survivor, not a victim”
Madalyn Amato
Daily Forty-Niner
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, California

Third
“Black faculty need representation”
Kara Otuke
The Shorthorn
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas

Fourth
“Involuntary ICE Sterilizations of Migrant Women are Barbaric”
Julia Woock
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California

Fifth
“Beyond the Brochure”
Eden Stratton, Isabelle Bekele
Jerk
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Honorable mentions

“Press Start: ‘Dragon Age’ and the exceeding importance of representation in games”
Perrin Smith
District, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia

“Column: How Loyola can improve the Black experience year-round”
Carrie Elizabeth Smith
The Maroon, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana

“Return Miakan-Garza remains”
Yliana Roland
The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

“A Message To Prospective Students: Boston College Is Still Homophobic”
Scott Baker, Rachel Phelan
The Heights, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

“Arthur Sackler and A Victim’s Legacy”
Guillermo Silva Hava
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

First
“Born with two strikes: Racial disparities for Black community evident in Norman Police Department data”
Jana Hayes
The OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

Second
“Spilling Trauma”
Omar Rashad
Mustang News
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California

Third
“You have a place: Latinx and Native American students celebrate 50 years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center”
Alexandra Skores
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Fourth
“While waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine, old traumas with the health care system resurface in the Black community”
Erin Threlkeld
The Columbia Chronicle
Columbia College
Chicago, Illinois

Fifth
“Making the Transition”
Makenzie Elliott, Carson Skrivan
Flux Magazine
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

Honorable mentions

“What wasn’t said: How racism shaped one IU student’s college experience”
Lilly St. Angelo
Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

“Back to Their Roots”
Akhira Umar
KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

“Black Penn students allege pattern of racism in Chemistry dept. on viral Instagram page”
Kamille Houston
The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“This is our reality | How racism has affected students of color in the Penn State School of Theatre”
Joshua Chu
The Daily Collegian, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania

“Striving to belong: LGBTQ students, alumni and faculty work for change”
Lisi Merkley
BYU Daily Universe, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

First
“God Only Knows: As Sea Level Rise Threatens Harvard and Greater Boston Area, Experts Mull Mitigation Strategy”
James Jolin, Natalie Kahn, Simon Levien
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Second
“CPP air quality resources show improvement following wildfires”
Isabella Cano
The Poly Post
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, California

Third
“Climate Change Edition”
Staff
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

Fourth
“Baltimore Wood Project reclaims urban wood and fights climate change”
Trisha Parayil
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Fifth
“UGA academics fight climate change through Drawdown Georgia”
Ben Lacina
The Red & Black
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Honorable mentions

“New sustainability programs look to reduce effects of climate change at CSULB, within communities of color”
Fernando Haro
Daily Forty-Niner, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California

“Could Beef Be Good For People and The Planet? Regenerative, Grass-Fed Beef May Offer A Solution To Our Health, Climate Crisis”
Ivy Moore
Graphic, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

“A New Era in Climate Policy?”
Lela Johnson
F Newsmagazine, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

“Some Duke environmental activists hopeful, others cautious about Biden’s policies”
Jimmy Benjamin
The Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

“How Penn State is becoming a leader in renewable energy options across its commonwealth campuses”
Julia Mertes
The Daily Collegian, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania

First
“Word on Davis Street“
Reina Harwood
Flux Magazine
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

Second
“Four Stories, Four Harvard Workers“
Cara Chang, Sophia Liang, Meimei Xu
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Third
“Steve Moore almost died“
Madison Smalstig
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

Fourth
“Insulin prices remain high through the pandemic, Iowa lawmakers push for reform“
Julia Shanahan
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Fifth
“Target On Our Back“
Isaac Gleitz
The Franklin
Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana

Honorable mentions

“COVID warrior“
Julia Woock
The Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California

“Georgia State student among 25,600 guardsmen on Inauguration Day“
Sharayah Davis
The Signal, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia

“Rhonda Ward makes strides in promoting diversity in Muncie Community Schools“
Taylor Smith
The Ball State Daily News, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana

“Kweku Brew’s Higher Goal“
Mary Steffenhagen
NYCity News Service, The City University of New York, New York, New York

“The Guy Behind the Trombone“
Spencer Buckler
SGTV, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina