ACP honors top collegiate stories

Story of the Year

Breaking News Story • In-Depth News Story
Feature Story • Sports Game Story
Sports Feature Story • Editorial • Column
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reporting
Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile
Local Climate Change Reporting

Oct. 30, 2023

Associated Collegiate Press salutes the winners of its 2023 Story of the Year competition.

ACP’s Individual Awards are among the top prizes in collegiate media, and the awards are a showcase of journalistic excellence.

Winners were announced during the Fall National College Media Convention, on Oct. 30 in Atlanta.

The University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication sponsors the ACP Story of the Year contest in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The winner receives a $500 cash award presented by the Hubbard School.

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.

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.

First Place
Sneha Dhandapani, Shannon Stocking
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
3 students dead following shooting at Michigan State University

Second Place
Drew Shaw, Christine Vo
The Shorthorn
The University of Texas at Arlington
School shooting outside Lamar High School

Third Place
Ethan Horton
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
NC Supreme Court says NCGA has sole power over redistricting, makes two other decisions

Fourth Place
Amber Mohmand
Iowa State Daily
Iowa State University
Update: Gunman knew victims, bought ammo one hour before shooting

Fifth Place
Patrick McCaslin
The Miami Hurricane
University of Miami (FL)
Drugging allegations, misogynistic chanting: SigEp chapter closes immediately

Honorable mentions

Nico Vinuela
Mustang News, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Paul Flores found Guilty

Miles Anderson, Matthew Shanbom
The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
GEO commences strike against UMich at 10:24 a.m.

Milla Surjadi, Katie Tan
The Chronicle, Duke University (NC)
Duke looks to prove that graduate students are not employees, seeks challenging of 2016 NLRB ruling

Emma Balcom, Zachary Jarrell
The News Record, University of Cincinnati (OH)
One killed in hit-and-run with suspected stolen vehicle near UC campus

Carmen Guzman
The Et Cetera, Dallas College Eastfield Campus (TX)
TikTok banned from college networks

First Place
Staff
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)
Infodemic

Second Place
Elissa Maudlin
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University (IN)
Tenants raise concerns about property management company

Third Place
Aiden Brady
Golden Gate Xpress
San Francisco State University (CA)
How Turning Point USA uses controversy to fuel growth

Fourth Place
Staff
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)
The Class of COVID

Fifth Place
Lucy Alden, Celia Frazier, Isabella Hammond, Henry Larson, Jessi Sachs
CU Independent
University of Colorado Boulder
CU Boulder signed football player with four-year history of sexual misconduct allegations

Honorable mentions

Samantha Torre
The Graphic, Pepperdine University (CA)
Pepperdine Ambassadors Council Placed on Pause

Henry Larson, Suvu Singh
CU Independent, University of Colorado Boulder
CU Boulder enrolled alleged white supremacist with knowledge of his past

Jack McClellan
Iowa State Daily, Iowa State University
We just didn’t eat: VetMed students speak out about working conditions

Sellers Hill, Sage Lattman
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University (MA)
Still Unresolved: Harvard Student Group Missing Approximately $30,000 After Leadership Dispute

Ariel Kim, Meimei Xu
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University (MA)
Dan Schrag, Top Harvard Climate Scientist, Faces Allegations of Bullying and Toxicity Spanning Two Decades

First Place
Ryan Doan-Nguyen
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University (MA)
Napalm, Birthed in Harvard’s Basement

Second Place
Delaney Parks
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
The Radio Rebels of Penn

Third Place
Kayla Pallotto
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
The Education of a Freshman: How freshmen navigate the transition into the “best years of their lives” and the Red Zone

Fourth Place
Gretchen Lenth
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City Sober Living searches for a home

Fifth Place
Meg Gladieux, Walden Green
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
Working Hard, Partying Sober

Honorable mentions

Grace Crandall
Pursuit, California Baptist University
Thank You, Stranger

Erin Flaherty, Spencer Steppe, Beth Verghese
The Heights, Boston College (MA)
The Absence of Abstinence: Students Reflect on Sex Culture and Policy at BC

Sarah Akaaboune
The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Jonathan Vaughn: a portrait of healing

Roni Kane
The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Nothing as dramatic as the pawpaw’: Ann Arbor pawpaw farmer Marc Boone retraces memories through orchard

Connor McNeely
The Magnolia, Wake Forest University (NC)
Homestretch

First Place
Jon Christon 
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA football loses tight battle to crosstown rival USC

Second Place
Jared Greenspan
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Michigan obliterates Hawaii in J.J. McCarthy’s first start

Third Place
Jon Christon 
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
Another last-second shot from Gonzaga sinks UCLA men’s basketball

Fourth Place
Lucas Thomae
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Armando Bacot coronated as UNC’s all-time rebounding king in N.C. State victory

Fifth Place
Kenna Roering 
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa men’s wrestler Real Woods earns first career NCAA Championship finals berth

Honorable mentions

Toby Hammes 
The Kansas State Collegian, Kansas State University
Wildcats advance to Cayman Islands championship in thriller

Jack Silvers, Griffin Wong 
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University (MA)
Yale Beats Harvard, 19-14, in 138th Rendition of The Game

Jacob Kisamore 
Elon News Network, Elon University (NC)
Kathy Bocock becomes Elon University softball’s all-time winningest coach

Shelby Swanson 
The Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC field hockey avenges last year’s loss to Northwestern in defining championship win

Aaron Heisen 
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon
Oregon safety Bennett Williams bounces back and leads Ducks in 20-17 over Utah

First Place
Jonathan Perriello
The Shorthorn
The University of Texas at Arlington
Born to ride

Second Place
Sasha Richie
The Chronicle
Duke University (NC)
The new wave of football’: How Duke football’s game-day culture came roaring back to life in Elko’s first season

Third Place
Camila A. Gonzalez
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)
Freewheeling Skateboard Culture is Zig Zag Zen

Fourth Place
Walker Carnathan
The Daily Pennsylvanian
University of Pennsylvania
All work, no pay: Athletic scholarship lawsuit threatens future of Ivy League conference

Fifth Place
Sam Settleman
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
Coach on the court: How David Singleton became UCLA men’s basketball’s leader

Honorable mentions

C.J. Flores
The Express, Las Positas College (CA)
Hawks guard Isaiah Victor is getting exactly he wanted

Emily Ingco
The Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College (CA)
Keeping track of what is most important

Jack Silvers, Griffin Wong
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University (MA)
Ahead of 5th Annual Fundraiser at El Jefe’s, Ben Abercrombie Continues ‘Inspirational’ Recovery

Jack Bergamini, Sourabh Gokarn
The Heights, Boston College (MA)
They Were Part of BC’s Best Men’s Basketball Teams. Now, the Players Worry the Program Forgot About Them.

Annabel Curran
Michiganensian, University of Michigan
50 Years of Title IX

First Place
Kate Bent
Coast Report
Orange Coast College (CA)
Student journalists need support now more than ever

Second Place
Staff
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL)
To Mask or Not to Mask — That is Not the Question

Third Place
Liliana Anguiano, Alicia Rivero
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)
Ongoing corruption poisons our college

Fourth Place
Editorial Board
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA community deserves explanation for Professor Amarasekare’s suspension

Fifth Place
Carmen Guzman, Moira McIntee
The Et Cetera
Dallas College Eastfield Campus (TX)
DEI hiring supports our student body

Honorable mentions

Editorial Board
The Miami Hurricane, University of Miami (FL)
The UM community’s silence on the Sig Ep allegations is deafening

Editorial Board
Kentucky Kernel, University of Kentucky
Hazing is life and death, not a game of semantics

Editorial Board
The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
How should we let ChatGPT change education?

Editorial Board
The Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC’s surveillance state

Carmen Guzman, Moira McIntee
The Et Cetera, Dallas College Eastfield Campus (TX)
Loan forgiveness is a Band-Aid on bigger issue

First Place
Benjamin McAvoy-Bickford
The Daily Pennsylvanian
University of Pennsylvania
Students like Charlie Javice want Penn. Penn wants students like Charlie Javice.

Second Place
Zoe Abel
Vanderbilt Hustler
Vanderbilt University  (TN)
Don’t kill me on my morning run

Third Place
Meghan Sawitzke
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University (IN)
Guns Drawn in Spite of Tragedy: society falls into complacency until it happens again

Fourth Place
Patrick Sloan-Turner
The DePaulia
DePaul University (IL)
Strength in community — How last week’s tragedy in East Lansing changed my perception of home

Fifth Place
Elina Morrison
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Conversation is the first step toward a healthier democracy

Honorable mentions

Cheri-Ann Inouye
The Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College (CA)
A Roaring Success

Alex Nettles
Elon News Network, Elon University (NC)
Future educators have a disproportionate burden to bear

George Schroeder
The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University (TX)
Back away from the political cliff

Moe Clark
The Et Cetera, Dallas College Eastfield Campus (TX)
Mental Health Boogeyman

Heather Sherrill
News-Register, Dallas College North Lake Campus (TX)
A mother’s nightmare becomes reality

First Place
Anthony Brinson III, Shakyra Mabone, Jada Vasser
The State News
Michigan State University
All Shades of Chocolate

Second Place
Cam Rodriguez
14 East
DePaul University (IL)
The Long Shadow of White Supremacy at DePaul

Third Place
Yvonne Marquez
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
Respite for Deliveristas

Fourth Place
Alexis Baker, Rayleigh Deaton, Karrington Garland
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
“Let this be a movement.” Peaceful protest conducted for victim of racial violence on campus

Fifth Place
Cedric McCoy
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
The racialization of Washtenaw County’s unhoused population

Honorable mentions

Staff
F Newsmagazine, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL)
Flash Back Fight Forward

Alexandria Anderson, Madison Carter, Michael Crimmins, Molly Dobberstein, Debra Murray
College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University
City of Nations

Timia Cobb
The NewsHouse, Syracuse University (NY)
Syracuse is growing its post-criminalized cannabis industry and killing stigmas

Sarah Dolgin
Jerk, Syracuse University (NY)
Dinner Table Discussions

Caleb Barber
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon
MEChA holds first in-person Raíces Unidas conference since COVID-19 pandemic

First Place
Staff
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
Superstorm Sandy’s Long Wake

Second Place
Emily Shaw
The Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)
Close to Home: Climate Change Disproportionately Affects Populations in Malibu and Neighboring Areas

Third Place
Alexandria Anderson, Madison Carter, Debra Murray, B Turner, Price Wilborn
College Heights Herald
Western Kentucky University
The Climate Issue

Fourth Place
Naomi Priddy
The Arbiter
Boise State University (ID)
The role of storytelling in the fight for salmon conservation

Fifth Place
Alec Matulka, Addison Whiten
The Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)
Forged by Fire: Extreme Weather Events Threaten Malibu

Honorable mentions

Liza Esquibias
The Graphic, Pepperdine University (CA)
The Tip of the Sinking Iceberg: The Climate Crisis Impacts Mental Health Among Youth

Samantha Moilanen
The DePaulia, DePaul University (IL)
Research team seeks to expand access to environmental data in Chicago: NASA grant provides funding for research, expansion of ChiVes database

Nathan Wilson
Daily Emerald, University of Oregon
The Next Fire Generation

Jack Bingham
The Daily Gamecock, University of South Carolina
Gamecocks find parallels between identity, environment

Jonathan Perriello
The Shorthorn, The University of Texas at Arlington
Texas mitigates flooding damages

First Place
Lesley Garate
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)
Chicano Park’s Guardian Angel

Second Place
Christa Dutton
Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University (NC)
How a mother’s choice saved her child

Third Place
Naoufal Enhari
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
When Nearby is Out of Reach

Fourth Place
Natalie Robbins
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
The Trauma of the Train Operator

Fifth Place
Lauren Ulrich
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
She dreams of Afghanistan

Honorable mentions

Kim McGill
The Union, El Camino College (CA)
Justice for Cookie

Nichole Whiteley
Ke Alaka’i, Brigham Young University Hawaii
Growing in pain

Nichole Whiteley
Ke Alaka’i, Brigham Young University Hawaii
Piloting your dreams

Kyle Smedley
The Ball State Daily News, Ball State University (IN)
Justin Gillespie continues to hold on to hope while living with kidney failure for almost two years

Erin Flaherty
The Heights, Boston College (MA)
First and Foremost, Doxie McCoy