It’s awards season, and we’re not talking about the Academy Awards. As the spring semester comes to a close, national journalism and communications organizations are making selections for top projects created by students and faculty. This year, the WVU Reed College of Media is bringing home the bling.
Most recently, students were awarded 2020 Mark of Excellence Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists. First-place winners from Region 4, which comprises Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, will compete at the national level among other regional winners from the 12 SPJ regions.
College of Media Mark of Excellence awards include:
- Radio News Reporting Winner: Kayla Starcher for her podcast, “To reach worshippers during the coronavirus pandemic WV churches get creative.” Starcher’s podcast, which was produced as part of Teaching Associate Professor Emily Corio’s podcast class, has also won awards from the Broadcast Education Association and the Hearst Audio Competition.
- Television Breaking News Reporting Winner: Taylor Hall for “College Avenue shooting,” produced for WVU News
- Best Independent Online Student Publication Winner: Women Beyond Bars, a collaborative project between journalism and public relations students led by Teaching Associate Professor Mary Kay McFarland and Associate Professor Geah Pressgrove
- Online/Digital Feature Videography Winner: Molly DeCarli for “Ariel Hill on the value of being uncomfortable” produced for Women Beyond Bars
- Online/Digital Feature Videography Finalist: Jeff McCullough for “Tanisha Spaulding on normal life” produced for Women Beyond Bars
- Best All-Around Television Newscast Finalist: Elisa Schwartzmiller and Jensen Mills for the WVU News Special Edition “Far apart together”
- COVID-19: Video Coverage Finalist: Taylor Hall for “Westover residents finding peace in Amazing Grace” produced for the WVU News Special Edition “Far apart together”
In addition to the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, Jeffrey Boggess was named an honoree in the Student Video category of the Webby Awards for “ The Rocky Marriage Between Coal and the Opioid Epidemic” produced for 100 Days in Appalachia. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and honors excellence in seven major media types: Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Social, Apps, Mobile, & Voice, Games, and Podcasts.
Visit mediacollege.wvu.edu/discover/awards for a full list of student awards.