2020 Story of the Year finalists
Oct. 9, 2020
Associated Collegiate Press announces the finalists in its 2020 Story of the Year competition.
Winners in this and all Individual Award categories, as well as the ACP Pacemaker Awards, will be announced virtually at 6 p.m. Eastern Thursday, Oct. 22, during the Fall National College Media Convention.
To view the awards presentation, register for the convention at collegemediaconvention.org.
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 with an array of skills. He 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 Local Climate Change Reporting contest is in partnership with the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.
Finalists listed below are alphabetical by state.
2020 Individual Award Finalists
Advertisement • Cartoon • Design
Multimedia • Reporter • Photo • Story
Best Use of Social Media • COVID-19 Coverage
2020 Pacemaker finalists
Broadcast • Business • Innovation
Magazine • Newspaper • Online • 2019 Yearbook
Breaking News Story
Andrew Howard
The State Press
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona
McCain Institute head Kurt Volker steps down as US diplomat
Aidan McGloin
Mustang News
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
Seven arrests, 110 officers, tear gas and flash bangs down Santa Rosa in San Luis Obispo Protests
Daniel Caudill, Emily Dulohery, Lindsay Smith
The Sunflower
Wichita State University
Wichita, Kansas
Disheartening: Students, faculty react to calls to fire WSU President Jay Golden over Ivanka Trump fiasco
Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Breaking down the UK cheerleading hazing investigation
Zach Walker
The Clarion
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Kallan Arkeder, Toby Craner, Meilin Quinn
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Protest spills into the streets as both sides dispute negotiation efforts
Mattie Townson
Empire State Tribune
King’s College
New York, New York
King’s freshmen rescued after jumping into Hudson
Nick Hazelrigg, Bailey Lewis, Jordan Miller
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
OU Gaylord College professor uses racial slur during class in comparison to ‘OK, boomer’ phrase
Maddie Aiken
The Daily Collegian
Penn State University
State College, Pennsylvania
Jerry Sandusky’s 30-to-60-year prison sentence doesn’t change after resentencing hearing
Jonah Charlton, Pia Singh
The Daily Pennsylvanian
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Former ICE Director Thomas Homan returned to speak at Penn. Protesters returned too
In-Depth News Story
Molly Stellino
The State Press
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona
ASU abandoned most of its operational sustainability goals
James Moore, Alex Neis
Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Freedom Wall Saga Casts Light on Relationship between Pepperdine and LGBTQ+ Students
Spencer Donovan, Hunter Riggall, Savannah Sicurella
The Red & Black
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
The full story: How lack of oversight allowed a UGA employee to steal $1.3 million over a decade
Leo Smith
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
When the Dean Said a Slur, and Then Got Promoted
Bailey Vandiver
KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington’s East End: A changing neighborhood
James Bikales
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Three Renowned Harvard Anthropologists Face Allegations of Sexual Harassment
Evan Petzold
Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Texas Tech sexual assault complaints, arrest follow Jett Duffey in recruitment to CMU
Rocio Fortuny, Patrick Linehan
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
New York college students eagerly await marijuana legalization
Matthew Fischetti
Washington Square News
New York University
New York, New York
Jana Allen
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Feature Story
Cory Blackmon, Trice Brown, Evan Mealins
The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
One Year Later: Beauregard Mourns
Fernando Haro
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California
Humanitarian pushes through traumatic past to help others
Ande Richards
Collegian
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles, California
Art Student’s Paint Brush Draws ‘Giants’
Cheyenne Miller
Crusader News
Seward County Community College
Liberal, Kansas
Walking dynamite lights up community
Maddie Christy, Emma Harville, Manisha Shakuntala, Katie Viesselman
Textura India
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Dominic Hoscher
Lindenlink
Lindenwood University
St. Charles, Missouri
The story of a Paralympic gold medal-winning sled hockey player
Jordan Muller
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
By chance: Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing
George Stoia
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Courageous: The Maggie Nichols story
Annabelle Williams
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
You Can’t Not Take That Home’: Penn Nurses on the Emotional Toll of Coronavirus
Cecilia Lenzen
The Shorthorn
University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas
An inside look at the struggle of a sexual assault survivor
Sports Game Story
Austin Hall
Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Gonzaga Outlasts Pepperdine in Conference Battle
Emily Maise
The GW Hatchet
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C
Richmond stunts men’s basketball’s two-game win streak
Emma Healy
The Heights
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Guy’s Game Winner Leads Eagles to Season Sweep of Notre Dame
Max Marcovitch
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan fails to overcome early deficit, loses to Penn State, 28-21
Chase Michaelson
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
‘LeBron Tillman’ and the final play that helped MSU men’s basketball escape Illinois
Andrew Graham
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Louisville crushes Syracuse’s bowl game ambitions with 56-34 win
Chapel Fowler
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
‘Absolutely devastating’: This loss, 98-96 in OT to Duke, is a brutal one for UNC
Stephen Thompson
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Final foul lifts Louisville over Pitt, 73-68
Landon Dierks
The Collegian
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota
Colton McWilliams
The University Star
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
Bobcats knock off panthers in triple-overtime thriller
Sports Feature Story
Ethan Sears
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Emma Eidsvoog, Nala Goyal, Braeden Peterson, Vada Stoddard, Jake Van Loh
Textura India
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Josh Schafer
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
In a city full of Girards, Joseph Girard III made it big
Ian Kreider
KentWired.com
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio
Walk-on to coach: How Jon Fleming moved from one seat on the bench to another
George Stoia
OU Daily
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Kyle Garcia
The Beacon
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Chase Adams steps up as ‘glue of the family’ as grandmother battles coronavirus
Trent Leonard
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Crissy Shannon: Bending over backwards for Pitt band
Shane Connelly
The Daily Collegian
Penn State University
State College, Pennsylvania
Where his brother’s memory lives on, Penn State men’s lacrosse’s Teddy Darcey blazes his own trail
Taylor Jennings-Brown
Garnet & Black
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Brianna Harmon
The Et Cetera
Eastfield College
Mesquite, Texas
Following physical and emotional hardship, Courtanae Calhoun is looking to strike back
Editorial
Omar Rashad
The Union
El Camino College
Torrance, California
Administrators need to issue parking permit refunds this month
Staff
The Signal
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia
Mayor Bottoms, tear down this statue!
Kaylie McLaughlin
The Collegian
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
Denying proposed calendar ignores the needs of students, disrupts shared governance
Natalie Parks
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
UK planning committees, here are some things you must consider
Staff
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
It’s On Us, but it’s also on MSU
Dylan Goetz
Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Dropping the ball: Moving rivalry game to Detroit upsets students, locals
Tori Pender
The College Voice
Mercer County Community College
Cranbury, New Jersey
Staff
The Daily Tar Heel
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Editorial: UNC’s coronavirus response — the good, the bad and the ugly
Column
Solé Ruiz
The Sun
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California
Disrespect of Black men is demoralizing
Mary Margaret Davis
The Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Breath is Precious: The Vaping Disease Killed My Mother
Alyssa Story
Los Angeles Loyolan
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California
Shiavon Chatman
The State Hornet
California State University, Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Shiavon’s Jawn: I was raised by a village that didn’t talk about feelings
Erin Holve
The Orion
California State University, Chico
Chico, California
Madison Lotenschtein
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Tracing the origins and present-day resurgence of anti-Semitism
Missy Johnson
Talisman
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Piecing life together after an eating disorder
Jules Graebner
Stephens Life
Stephens College
Columbia, Missouri
Aidan Segal
The Pitt News
University of Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Opinion | One year later: Perspective from a Tree of Life congregation member
Joshua Howell
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Diversity Story
Karina Zapata
Calgary Journal
Mount Royal University
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Delia Johnson, Kyley Warren
Cronkite News
Arizona State University
Phoenix, Arizona
We can help ourselves:’ Native women come together to confront high rates of maternal mortality
Kevin Caparoso
Warrior Life
El Camino College
Torrance, California
Makena Huey, Maria Belen Iturralde, Brianna Willis
Currents
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
If it isn’t intersectional, it isn’t feminism
Bridgette Baron, Lauren Ho, Dustin Newman, Kaia Sherry, Max Wu
Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Annie Aguiar
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
Megan Conn, Georgina Hallowell, Larisa Karr Karr, Modou Nyang
NYCity News Service
City University of New York
New York, New York
Shannon Fang
The Chronicle
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
’We are tenacious’: The first-generation, low-income student experience at Duke
Lyndsey Brennan
KentWired.com
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio
Lisi Merkley
The Daily Universe
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Racism continues to surface in the Church and at BYU
Local Climate Change Reporting
The Local Climate Change Reporting contest is in partnership with the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.
Jenna Gaertner, Brianna Willis
The Graphic
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Sea Level Rise and Its Impact on Coastal Cities Like Malibu
Richard Tzul
University Times
California State University – Los Angeles
Cerritos, California
Layla Chamberlin
The Daily Californian
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Emma Edmund
The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
In Focus: As climate change worsens, combined sewers pose new issues
Dustin Lowman
F Newsmagazine
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Divestment, Part 2: A ‘Neutral’ Policy
Max Zambrano
Talisman
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Erin White
The Michigan Daily
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Climate Inaction: Historical activism and the University’s response to the climate movement
Wendy Guzman
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Big Ten students call for fossil fuel divestment
Fernanda Brizuela
34th Street Magazine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Behind Penn’s 1.5* Minute Climate Lectures
Quinn Clark, Sam Dahm, Michael Greer, Meghan Gresk, Jeanna Prudhomme
Arches
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile
The Human-Interest Profile Award is sponsored by the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation and Scripps Howard.
Michelle Johnson
The Arbiter
Boise State University
Boise, Idaho
Making a discovery: How Julianna Ramirez used her passion for science to find success
Caroline Anders
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
Katelyn Weisbrod
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
2 years ago, she was pre-med at the UI. Now, she’s running her own organic farm
C.J. Moore
The State News
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
It fills my soul’: One woman’s goal to train psychiatric service dogs for survivors
Zach Walker
The Clarion
Bethel University
St. Paul, Minnesota
Amanda Paule
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Neal Powless: SU Ombuds brings a message of healing to a polarized world
Kimiko Dugan
SALT: Military Photojournalism 2020
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Omar Padillo
Washington Square News
New York University
New York, New York
Financial independence at 25 cents an hour
Mia Werner
The Beacon
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Chasing ice with the U.S. Coast Guard
Skye Seip
The Et Cetera
Eastfield College
Mesquite, Texas