Students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University received numerous local, regional, and national awards at competitions this spring. Both individual and collaborative projects in magazines, public relations, and broadcasting journalism were recognized.
“All of these contests are judged by industry professionals,” says Kathleen Richardson, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “The fact that our students do so well, against many larger programs, is a wonderful testament to the quality education we offer at Drake.”
In April, Drake Magazine was honored as best student magazine in the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards. This region includes colleges and universities in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.
Drake also received individual awards at SPJ. First-place awards were given to Meagan Flynn in the newspaper feature writing category, and Ben Curtis in the feature photography category. Olivia Young and Carter Osgood received second-place for best non-fiction magazine article and general news photography, respectively.
Students studying public relations were also recognized this spring, winning two PRIME Awards from the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). PRIME Awards recognize excellence in the public relations practice throughout central Iowa. The Drake Public Relations Student Society of America Chapter won for a social media plan created for Amanda the Panda, a local grief support center for children. Abby Bedore, Halli Kubes, Cecily Miniaci, Jenna Mushro, and Kali O’Brien were honored for a campaign they created to combat childhood obesity. Additionally, Abby Bedore won the Ferne Bonomi and Dr. Henry Milam Scholarship at the ceremony.
Broadcast students also received recognition this spring at the Iowa Broadcast News Association convention. Five first-place awards were given to Drake students. The following five broadcasts, which were run on the campus radio station KDRA-FM, received first place:
• Mary Kate Wachtel, In-Depth, “HPV Testing”
• Katherine Fritcke, Political Coverage, “Campaign Exhaustion”
• Katherine Fritcke, General Reporting, “Secretary-General Visits Drake”
• Erin Hassanzadeh, Public Affairs, “The Governor’s Education Proposal”
• Erin Hassanzadeh, Best Newscast
Erin Hassanzadeh, president of the Drake Broadcasting System, also received a scholarship at the convention.
For more information, contact Kathleen Richardson at 515-271-2295 or kathleen.richardson@drake.edu.