ACP announces winners of spring Clips & Clicks contest

August 15, 2025

MINNEAPOLIS — Congratulations to the winners of the Clips & Clicks contest for the spring 2025 semester — and to the ACP-member student media outlets competing for this year’s Sweepstakes.

The competition, open to all ACP members, honors current work among student journalists, and the spring-semester winners feature work produced from Dec. 7, 2024 to May 1, 2025.

There were 286 submissions in the spring competition. Judges were collegiate professors, student media advisers and professional journalists.

“The judges consistently said they were very impressed with the quality of the entries submitted,” associate director Gary Lundgren said.

In all, 67 entries, approximately 23 percent of those entered, were recognized. The number of winners in each category was determined by the judges based on the quantity and quality of the entries. When calculating Sweepstakes, the following points are assigned —

First Place: 10
Second Place: 9
Third Place: 8
Fourth Place: 7
Fifth Place: 6
Honorable Mention: 5

The Battalion, Texas A&M earns Sweepstakes honors for a third year

The Battalion, Texas A&M University, earned the Clips & Clicks Sweepstakes trophy for a third consecutive year.

Results of both fall and spring contests generate final standings. Sweepstakes rankings are by ACP-member student media outlet, not by school. The top 10 winners are listed below. In all, 28 student-media outlets scored points in the contest.

First
CNY Communities Grapple with Ongoing Rock Salt Shortage
Max Williams
NCC News
Syracuse University (NY)

Second
Rachel Flynn Explores One of the Original Churches and Buildings
Rachel Flynn
Pepperdine Graphic Media
Pepperdine University (CA)

Third
The Price of Shutting Down the Department of Education
Anjana Dasam
NCC News
Syracuse University (NY)

First
Keera Kittles on Dancing at the Grammys
Jules Kamoie, Coleman Standifer
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Second
Japanese Baseball Player and Media Dynamics Continue to Shift
Cole Weintraub
NCC News
Syracuse University (NY)

Third
Il Limone Provides Classic Italian Dishes
Josh Solomon
NCC News
Syracuse University (NY)

First
Syracuse Mother Finds New Purpose on the Mat
Kyra Ceryanek
NCC News
Syracuse University (NY)

Second
As Tough as Ice
Murphy McFarlane
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Third
Deslyn’s 5k Memorial Run & Walk
Jenna Parsio
Pepperdine Graphic Media
Pepperdine University (CA)

First
Being Muslim in Today’s America
Lila Sepici, Jules Kamoie
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Second
The Problem with Anonymous Posting
Reece Cartee, Jules Kamoie
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Third
Del Mar Students Should Avoid Using AI to Complete Assignments
Isaac Mungia
Foghorn News
Del Mar College (TX)

First
Let the Madness Begin
Pranay Dhoopar, Zoe Rich
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Second
L.A. County Fires
Betsy Burrow
The Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)

Third
Welcome to Our Land
Pia Maria Flores, Yanelli Z. Robles, Julio Rodriguez, Deionna Williams, Dira Marie Wong
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)

First
From Bowler to Bowl Games
Julio Rodriguez
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)

Second
The Tiger’s Top Moments of 2024
Caroline Block, Julia Wilson
The Tiger
Clemson University (AL)

Third
Ring Day Bling Bling
Zoe Rich
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

First
Maroon Life
Hudson Elkjer, Zoe May, Laura McClintock
Maroon Life
Texas A&M University

Second
Ink
Marty Alexeenko, Caleb Goss, Maeve Hickey
Amendment Literary and Art Journal
Virginia Commonwealth University

Third
Jerk
Megan Radakovich, Collin Snyder
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

First
Making the Most of Space
Quentin Deming, Olivia Ingram, Valeria Kolster
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Second
Where Ecology Meets the Ocean’s Edge
Carmel Drogin, Mary Elisabeth
Currents
Pepperdine University (CA)

Third
A Girl’s Best Friend
Hudson Elkjer, Laura McClintock
Maroon Life
Texas A&M University

First
Centennial Coverage 1930
Ariella Green, Jake Sperling, Ava Stroshane
Ibis
University of Miami (FL)

Second
Dare to Dream
Jake Sperling
Ibis
University of Miami (FL)

Third
Remember the 12
Autymn Browne, Hannah Harrison, Avery Kracmer
The Aggieland
Texas A&M University

First
Trending Toward Purple
Cherry Salazar
NYCity News Service
City University of New York

Second
Ring Day Bling Bling
Zoe Rich
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Third
Ebvangel’s History Reveals Legacy of Inclusion
Zoe McIntyre
The Lance
Evangel University (MO)

First
Protest Truck
Haylie Godoy
Foghorn News
Del Mar College (TX)

Second
An Eventful Evening of Talent
Katie McClave
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Third
A Firefighter Sprays Down Flames from the Palisades Fire
Jake Crandall
The Corsair
Santa Monica College (CA)

Fourth
Day of Drag Protest
Samuel Falade
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Fifth
Giveaway Mayhem
Jake Sperling
Ibis
University of Miami (FL)

First
Nick Anderson of the Wrecks
Jasmyn Chioda
KVCU Radio 1190
University of Colorado Boulder

Second
Kalpulli Ehekatl Papalotzin Danza
Lola Ponce
Foghorn News
Del Mar College (TX)

Third
She Wanted to be in the Military. Trump’s Executive Order is Stopping Her.
Griff Yarmaloff
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Fourth
Magic Green Room
Charles (AJ) Barber
The Corsair
Santa Monica College (CA)

Fifth
Senior Spotlight
Jake Sperling
Ibis
University of Miami (FL)

First
Dunkin’
Elena Thompson
Ibis
University of Miami (FL)

Second
Pitching Battle
Mary Funsten
The Corsair
Santa Monica College (CA)

Third
Las Vegas Bowl Trojan Leap
Chris Swann
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Fourth
Lone Star Showdown
Rocio Salgado
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Fifth
Men’s Volleyball Couldn’t Overcome No. 16 CSUN
Colton Rubsamen
Pepperdine Graphic Media
Pepperdine University (CA)

First
NY Police Officer Left a Gun Unattended in a School Bathroom
Kelly Brown, Marissa Carello, Claire Harrison, Sara Oppenheimer, Alejandro Rosales
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Second
Fentanyl Responses Differ Amongst Officials, Local Departments
Aynsley Larsen
The Daily Toreador
Texas Tech University

Third
Conservative Influence on Aggieland soars
Nicholas Gutteridge
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Fourth
Female Interns Speak Out on Bias and Double Standards within SU Football
Lily Newman
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Fifth
LMU Assessing Policy Changes Following Department of Education Letter
Julia King
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

First
Who’s Behind @beautifulsuwomen?
Brenne Sheehan
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Second
A Voice for the Vulnerable
Ankit Bandyopadhyay
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Third
The Ocean Serves a Therapeutic Purpose
Amanda Monahan
The Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)

Fourth
Community Nonprofit Facilitates Family Reunions After Decades of Separation
Aurora Martinez
NYCity News Service
City University of New York

Fifth
Richmond’s Black Drag Queens ‘Serve’ and Inspire the Community
Lelia Contee
Amendment Literary and Art Journal
Virginia Commonwealth University

First
Beep Baseball Builds Community
Mathias Cubillan
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Second
As Tough as Ice
Murphy McFarlane
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University (NY)

Third
The Making of Henry Coleman III
Ian Curtis
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

First
Lax Oversight May Cost Students Dearly
Alexa Lima
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College (CA)

Second
Fullerton Threatens Press Censorship
Bryan Jimenez, Ruben Montoya, Luis Vizcaino, Emily Wilson
Daily Titan
California State University, Fullerton

Third
In Defense of Free Speech on Campus
Audrey Glass, Sarah Hutter, Olivia Silvester, Sabatino Stacchi, Ava Zuerlein
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

First
Pepperdine Must Make Menstrual Products Free and Accessible
Cassandra Barron
The Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)

Second
Does the Metro E-Line Need More Security?
Jasmine Villanueva
The Corsair
Santa Monica College (CA)

Third
We Need to Save Student Media — And We Need to Do it Now
Lila Sepici
The Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University (CA)

Fourth
SGA Culture at Pepperdine Needs a Change
Cassandra Barron
The Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine University (CA)

Fifth
Living as Citizens of Heaven While on Earth
Kylie Burks
The Lance
Evangel University (MO)