ACP honors top collegiate stories

Oct. 28, 2022

Associated Collegiate Press salutes the winners of its 2022 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 MediaFest22, the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention, on Oct. 28 in Washington, D.C.

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.

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.

First Place
Sarah Michels
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
NewsShowcase
The worst tornado in Kentucky history, told through one Bowling Green neighborhood’s survival stories

Second Place
Elizabeth Napolitano
NYCity News Service
The City University of New York
New York, New York
Too Close to Home

Third Place
Kate Cuadrado, Marek Corsello, Ryan Reynolds
The Beacon
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Students gather to protest Fr. Dan’s residence in Lund Family Hall

Fourth Place
Connor McNeely, Aine Pierre, Cooper Sullivan
Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Our house shook with the explosion:’ Students evacuate in aftermath of local fire

Fifth Place
Tammia Jacobs
The Hornet Tribune
Alabama State University
Montgomery, Alabama
It’s Time to Protest

Honorable mentions

Ashleigh Fields
The Hilltop, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
A Look Inside: Student Organizer And HUSA President Meet With President Frederick To Discuss Student Demands

Dania Kalaji
The Red & Black, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
UGA professor resigns mid-class after student refuses to wear mask

Suhail Gharaibeh, Rachel Fadem, Rachel Cohen, Arnav Binaykia, Ryan Kawahara
Washington Square News, New York University, New York, New York
NYU student shot on Brooklyn campus

Milla Surjadi
The Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Student Commencement speech bears striking resemblance to 2014 Harvard student address

Amy Needham, Charlotte Matherly
The Breeze, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Community Shares Personal Stories at Vigil

First Place
Grant Johnson
The Breeze
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Struggling in Silence

Second Place
Cate Charron
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
Dissonance in due process

Third Place
Vanessa Kiefer, Julian Wray
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Daily investigation finds 30 years of alleged unprofessional conduct by two musicology professors

Fourth Place
Hannah Pinski
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
UI students express the complications and challenges faced when reporting sexual violence and misconduct through university resources

Fifth Place
Sarah Bakeman, Soraya Keiser
The Clarion
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Devastation from a distance

Honorable mentions

Anushka Chakrabarti
Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
UCLA Medical School Faculty Allege Racially Biased Practices In Psychiatry Department

Isaac Gleitz
The Franklin, Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana
Uncovering Thomas Minar: A lifetime of achievement swallowed by consequences of hidden life

Joey Sills
The Ball State Daily News, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Ball State students call for an on-campus minimum wage raise

Rohan Goswami, Martha Sanchez
The Tulane Hullabaloo, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
‘Chaos’ at Campus Health: Employees cite burnout, abuse, dangerous levels of turnover

Nathan Varnell, Casey Stavenhagen
The Battalion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
The Rudder Association

First Place
Esteban Preciado
The Southwestern College Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California
Gorillas in Our Midst

Second Place
Abby Gunderson
BYU Daily Universe
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
How social media is widening the ideological divide in America

Third Place
Shelby Anne Taylor
Observer
Elgin Community College
Illinois, Illinois
Ernesto Olea’s story is still being written: First-year ECC nursing student refuses to let HIV diagnosis define him

Fourth Place
Luc Stringer
Pursuit
California Baptist University
Riverside, California
Our 9/11: How COVID-19 changed everything, again

Fifth Place
Lily Mae Lazarus
The Tulane Hullabaloo
Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Expel rapists:’ Survivors testify to sexual violence at Tulane

Honorable mentions

Ta’Kyla Bates, Jeffrey Kelly
Alice. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Protest Music: Not a Genre, Not a Style, But a Method of Engagement

Maddy Franklin
The Red & Black, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Finding beauty in death: A day in the life of the Oconee Hill Cemetery caretakers

Josie Fischels, Rachel Schilke
The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
After 20 years, the UI and Daily Iowan remember 9/11

Haeven Gibbons
Empire State Tribune, The Kings College, New York, New York
Train Ride to Nowhere: Facing Homelessness in NYC After Aging Out of the Foster Care System

Meredith Moran
The Collegian, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
UR alumnus fights for Ukraine

First Place
Jared Greenspan
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan shocks Ohio State, ends eight-game losing streak in The Game

Second Place
Robert Read
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Hawkeye fans storm Duke Slater Field to celebrate Iowa’s win over Penn State

Third Place
Shane Hoffman
The Daily Emerald
The University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Oregon again dismantled by Utah, loses 38-10 in Pac-12 Championship

Fourth Place
Ashlee Woods
The Crimson White
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Alabama ends 100-game win streak in College Station

Fifth Place
Jackson Roberts
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse women’s lacrosse bested 15-13 in Kayla Treanor’s return to Boston College

Honorable mentions

Matt Brown
Daily Forty-Niner, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California
Freshman phenom Jadon Jones sends Long Beach State to Big West Championship

Jared Tay
Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
UCLA football takes down USC in highest-scoring win of 2021 season

Griffin Wong
The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Last-Minute Comeback Lifts Football to 34-31 Win Over Yale in 137th Playing of The Game

Ethan Ott
The Heights, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Eagles Drop Heartbreaker In Death Valley

Lawson Murrell
The Daily Gamecock, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Analysis: Dawn Staley leads Gamecocks women’s basketball to 2022 national championship victory

First Place
Evan Gerike
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
The program is doomed’: Players say coach created a culture of fear

Second Place
Robert Read
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
From Suwanee to Iowa City: Tyler Goodson’s path to becoming Iowa’s All-Big Ten running back

Third Place
Anthony Gharib
Daily Trojan
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Inside Boogie Ellis’ mission to prove everyone wrong

Fourth Place
Sasha Richie
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
46 years of family: Coach K on and off the basketball court

Fifth Place
Ian Hansen
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
How K.J. got his cape: Ball State Football defensive line coach Keith McKenzie’s son, K.J., won a five-year battle with sickle cell anemia

Honorable mentions

Ammy Sanchez, Victor Gonzalez-Vaca
The Reporter, Miami Dade College, Miami, Florida
He Defected From The Cuban National Team In June, Now He Pitches At Miami Dade College

Christopher Cicchiello
The NewsHouse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Why doesn’t Syracuse University pay Otto the Oranges?

Sadie Wuertz
The Beacon, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon
More than the uniform: Volleyball players speak out about body image and sexism

Max Ralph
The Daily Collegian, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Penn State football running back Noah Cain’s fight through adversity rallies hurricane-damaged hometown

Lindsay Wyson
BYU Daily Universe, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Name, image, likeness: leveling the playing field for female athletes

First Place
Gillian Stawiszynski, Brooklyn Kelley, Rayleigh Deaton
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Game over: UK can no longer hide behind its lawsuit

Second Place
Staff
The Appalachian
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the UNC System does not deserve you

Third Place
Srishti Bungle, Alex Tey
Washington Square News
New York University
New York, New York
Do no harm, Grossman. Reject Sabatini.

Fourth Place
Parker Yamasaki
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Tell Me How You Really Feel

Fifth Place
Editorial Board
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
On the Unnecessary Comaroff Letter

Honorable mentions

Editorial Board
The Crimson White, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Autherine Lucy Foster’s Name Does Not Belong Beside a Klansman’s

Camila Gonzalez
The Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California
Racists Co-opt First Amendment

Jordan Parker, Nijzel Dotson, Emma Hall, Erick Salgado, Ayaana Williams
The State Hornet, California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, California
President Nelsen, we don’t accept your apology — you should resign

Corryn Brock
Daily Eastern News, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois
Racism towards Homecoming Court not OK

Nora Smith
The Vanderbilt Hustler, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Masked up; Let down

First Place
Hana Kiros
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
A Slow Motion Version of the Death Penalty’: Why Harvard Shouldn’t Invest In Prisons

Second Place
Shannon McCloskey
Ball Bearings Magazine
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
My Pink Snowsuit

Third Place
Debbie Wang
The Vanderbilt Hustler
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
WANG: What’s in a name?

Fourth Place
Rachel Blood
Textura
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Learning to live

Fifth Place
Tagwa Shammet
The Commonwealth Times
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia
Tea Time With Tagwa: This nation’s justice system delivers anything but justice

Honorable mentions

Yassie Buchanan
The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Evaluating Iowa’s racial disparities in infant mortality

Erik Uebelacker
The DePaulia, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
I joined Truth Social so you don’t have to

Ary Russell
Washington Square News, New York University, New York, New York
Ranked: NYU students who will break your heart by senior year

Ian Grenier
The Daily Gamecock, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Column: USC’s historical markers tell an incomplete history

Zach Freeman
The Battalion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
And nothing else matters

First Place
Matt Cohen
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
Indignity in death: Unmarked graves in Bloomington indicate long history of racism

Second Place
Staff
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
> Where Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Lives Today
> Harvard Holds Human Remains of 19 Likely Enslaved Individuals, Thousands of Native Americans, Draft Report Says
> A Note to Readers: On the Legacy of Slavery at Harvard
> Can HUPD Reform?
> Landmark University Report Details How Slavery ‘Powerfully Shaped Harvard’

Third Place
Katherine Oung, Rachael Perrotta, Charlotte Mauger, Ekta Anand, Mae Monette
The Vanderbilt Hustler
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
> A more inclusive Vanderbilt: What has changed and what still needs to be done
> UPDATED: University investigates racist statements written in Central Library, Divinity School
> Hold white students accountable for their racism’: Banner in response to Chabad event taken down, replaced
> Chabad’s Rudy Rochman speaker event sparks allegations of racism, claims of antisemitism ensue

Fourth Place
Ashlyn Campbell, Kamryn Koch, Jake Conley
The Breeze
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Divided Over Diversity

Fifth Place
Jade Neptune, Jennifer Tran, Adele Morris, Liv Reilly, Maydha Devarajan
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
> ‘Tarred Healing’ photo story on Black history at UNC pulled from display
> ‘We’re hemorrhaging faculty of color’: BIPOC faculty feel undervalued at UNC
> Carolina Indian Circle holds first in-person powwow since pandemic
> Research shows significant inequities in UNC faculty salaries

Honorable mentions

River Lisius
The Occidental, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California
‘It doesn’t meet the threshold’: Asian students reported anti-Asian texts in November 2021, the search for solutions continues

Harm Venhuizen
Chimes, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Walking a tightrope’: Calvin’s complicated stance on LGBTQ+ issues has caused problems for decades

Emma Roberts, Savannah Heeren, Estefania Rosal, Matt Tiegland
Textura, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Fear for the fearless: A mother spends years fighting for her disabled son, but when she loses her job, she must let go to rely on him

Chris Kuo
The Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Meet Durham’s Friendship House, a community of Divinity School students and people with disabilities

Olivia Bennett
Flux Magazine, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
High School Students Fight for Representation in Newberg

First Place
Soraya Keiser, Majo Diaz, Bryson Rosell
Textura
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
A bus, a brocha and bullet holes: Checha Taj drives one of the most distinctive forms of Guatemalan public transportation despite the danger that comes with the job

Second Place
Misael Cruz
Inside Fullerton
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California
Finding Art During Adversity

Third Place
Grayson Buning, Tess Crowley
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Photo Essay: Sam Grewe

Fourth Place
Emmalyse Brownstein
Distraction Magazine
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
She’s Got Rhythm

Fifth Place
Chris Kuo
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
I wish I could do it forever: The story of Dean Sue’s decades at Duke, from student to dean to faculty-in-residence

Honorable mentions

Ana Paola Olvera
The Southwestern College Sun, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California
COVID Angel

Ana Acosta
Daily Forty-Niner, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California
From incarceration to liberation

Brady Caskey
Mustang Media Group, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California
The Man Behind the Maze

Sarah-Mae McCullough
Flux Magazine, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Between Two Worlds

Jose Romero
The Collegian, Tarrant County College, Hurst, Texas
A man, his art and phenomenology

First
Chloe Bryant
Flux Magazine
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Stewards of the River

Second
Nina Irani
The Guardsman
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Saving San Francisco One Species at a Time

Third
Elle Larson
Ke Alaka’i
Brigham Young University Hawaii
Laie, Hawaii
A combination of harvesting and coastal erosion continues to deplete the world of its second most used natural resource: sand

Fourth
Hanalei Potempa
The Arbiter
Boise State University
Boise, Idaho
The climate crisis in Idaho: Experts share environmental and health concerns

Fifth
Ryan Mulroy
Distraction Magazine
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Eco-Illusion

Honorable mentions

Elizabeth Wilson, Emma Robertson
Mustang News, California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California
How San Luis Obispo Communities are affected by the California drought

Nate Eisenmann
Drake Mag, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
Beating the Heat

Ellie Rose Mattoon
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Who was the plastic bag ban designed for?

Laura Bratton
NYCity News Service, The City University of New York, New York, New York
One Flood Too Many

Jules Kourelakos
The Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Duke students’ nonprofit Operation Climate tackles science misinformation through storytelling