Drake University student media organizations set a new University record in this year’s College Media Association Pinnacle Awards, nabbing seven first place finishes, including Feature Magazine of the Year and Weekly Newspaper of the Year.
“These wins are a testament to the excellent work Drake students produce on a regular basis,” said Catherine Staub, dean of the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “Whether they are creating content for our capstone Urban Plains or for the University’s student-led media organizations, our students never cease to amaze me with the level of work they are capable of producing.”
The Pinnacle Awards are the CMA’s flagship contest that recognizes the best student work in collegiate journalism, media production, and organizational excellence from across the country. This is the 14th year in a row that Drake University students have earned Pinnacle Awards. While the number of finalists was less than 2024—15 this year, down from a record 20 last year—2025 counts as the second-highest number of finalist nods ever for the University. This year’s seven first place finishes set a new Drake record, though, beating out the school’s six first place finishes in 2016.
Particularly notable wins include Drake Mag’s Feature Magazine of the Year first place finish, its third such win overall and first since 2022, and the Times-Delphic’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year first place prize, its first such win. Also of note is Drake University literary magazine Periphery’s strong showing in its first year competing in the Pinnacles. It came away with first place in the Best Literary Magazine Cover competition and third place in the Literary Magazine of the Year contest.
Here’s the complete list of this year’s winners.
Organizational
Feature Magazine of the Year: First Place, Division II, Drake Mag
Weekly Newspaper of the Year: First Place, Division II, Times-Delphic
Literary Magazine of the Year: Third Place, Division II, Periphery
Creative:
Best Literary Magazine Cover: First Place, Division III, Emma Masso, Periphery
Best Magazine Spread: First Place, Division II, Emily Zeller, Drake Political Review, “The House Speakeasy”
Best Special Event Coverage (Audio/Video): Second Place, Division II, Eve Loehrer, Dylan Powers, Times-Delphic, “Day on the Hill”
Best Magazine Spread: Honorable Mention, Division II, Tyler Strachan, Drake Political Review, “Beyond Brute Force”
Best Editorial Illustration: Honorable Mention, Division II, Tyler Strachan, Drake Mag, “Des Moines Coffee Crawl”
General:
Best General News Story (print/text): Honorable Mention, Division II, Caroline Siebels-Lindquist, Drake Political Review, “Iowa in Crisis”
Sports:
Best Sports Feature: First Place, Division II, Emment McMenamy, Times-Delphic, “Emilie Meyer races towards her final collegiate finish line”
Best Multimedia Sports Story: Third Place, Division II, Serena Thiede, Veronica Meiss, Sarah Fey, Times-Delphic, “Drake Men’s Basketball Sees First-Round Bye in Arch Madness Tournament”
Features:
Best A&E Story (print/web): First Place, Division II, Madeline Cisneros, Urban Plains, “Dance of Love”
Best Feature Photo Package: First Place, Division II, Jayden James, Drake Mag, “Cocktail Couture”
Best Feature Story: Third Place, Division II, Lauren Theisen, Urban Plains, “Empty Plates and Empty Promises”
Best A&E Story (print/web): Honorable Mention, Division II, Norah Judson, Times-Delphic, “Punk rock weekends in the church basement”
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) and has been continuously accredited since 1972. This prestigious status has been achieved by fewer than 30% of the nation’s undergraduate programs. Furthermore, Drake’s program holds a unique distinction: it is the only accredited program at a private school in the Midwest. The Drake Public Relations program holds the Certification in Education for Public Relations (CEPR)—a distinction only 50 programs in the world have achieved. The program first earned the recognition in 2014.