Five Consecutive Hearst Championships for UNC

Posted on June 15, 2023

Journalism students at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media won their fifth consecutive Hearst Journalism Awards national championship on June 7. The title was their 12th since 2002.

In individual awards, Hussman students also placed first in multimedia, second in writing, fourth in audio/television and sixth in photojournalism.

Considered the Pulitzer Prize among collegiate journalism competitions, the Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and consists of monthly competitions in writing, photojournalism, audio and multimedia. Over 100 journalism programs nationwide compete for the national school title as well as individual student titles.

The program awards scholarships to winning students and a matching grant to the students’ schools.

“It makes us extremely proud to see our students’ talent and hard work recognized at the highest level” said Hussman Dean Raul Reis. “This prestigious award celebrates their talent as storytellers and will open many professional doors for our students.”

Five UNC students traveled to San Francisco in June to compete in the individual championship finals. Sophie Mallinson ’23 brought home the individual championship in the audio category for a story describing how an artificial intelligence program called “Litterbug” can analyze littering patterns.

Angelina Katsanis ’23 placed second for Best Multimedia Story of the Year. Brianna Atkinson ‘23 received third in audio with her story on the use of artificial intelligence in the fishing industry. Alasdair McNinch ’23 was a finalist in writing, and J’Sha Gift ’23 was a finalist in photojournalism.

“At the Hearst Awards dinner, they reminded us of the amazing accomplishments of some of the previous recipients, which includes receiving Pulitzers, Emmys and Peabody awards, among other honors as professional journalists” Reis said. “That was very inspiring and gratifying for us and for Hussman students who attended.”

UNC was awarded $25,000 for overall collegiate champion. Students win $10,000 for first place, $7,500 for second, $5,000 for third, and finalists are awarded $1,500.