ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½

[Story updated 6/6/25]

ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ student journalists have taken home two national Mark of Excellence Awards (MOE) for 2024 from the Society of Professional Journalists, an honor bestowed upon only 73 students in the country. These two awards, chosen from the first-place winners at the regional MOE level, were given to The Daily Campus in the photo illustration category and ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look in the fashion/arts/entertainment journalism category.

Students also received eight regional MOE awards in Region 8, including the coveted “Best Ongoing Student Magazine” award. Another five entries from ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ were noted as finalists in their categories. Students were also honored with 13 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) awards for 2024, including first place wins for Headline Writing and Cover Design: Newspaper.

All three of ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Meadows’ student media outlets were represented among the winners in both contests: The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look and ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½-TV, with awards across reporting, design, podcasting, social media, broadcasting and photography categories.The TIPA and MOE contests are highly competitive and this was a great showing by our students.

“What is notable about these wins is that they highlight the strength of all three arms of our student media operation and the incredible and talented professors who advise these operations,” says Melissa Chessher, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½’s Belo Foundation Endowed Distinguished Chair in Journalism. “They spend a great deal of time coaching and working with these gifted student journalists.”

The staff of The Daily Campus won MOE and TIPA awards across reporting specialties, including radio reporting and podcasting, breaking news, and investigative reporting. ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media, the Division of Journalism’s fashion brand that includes a digital site and award-winning magazine, swept creative awards including for cover design for ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look magazine, graphic design, story package design, and illustration. It also won reporting awards for general column writing and for arts, entertainment, and fashion journalism. ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½-TV won an MOE award for feature reporting.  

“When I look at the wins from this year, it exemplifies the versatility of ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½’s Journalism program,” says Jacqueline Fellows, Professor of Practice in the Division of Journalism and the faculty advisor to The Daily Campus. “Recognition of student journalism comes at a crucial time, and these awards are a reminder that students are part of telling ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½’s story.”

Here is a list of the winners in both contests:

2024 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, National

All Platforms

Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism

“Click, post … passe?” — by Virginia Wall, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Art/Graphics/Multimedia

Photo Illustration

“Pop!” — by Ellen Rogers, Grace Bair, Katie Bergelin, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

2024 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, Region 8

Best Ongoing Student Magazine

Winner: The DC: Untold stories at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ — by Staff, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Finalist: Staff, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Feature Writing 

Winner: A tale of two Janes — by Ellen Rogers, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Photo Illustration

Winner: Pop! — by Ellen Rogers, Grace Bair, Katie Bergelin, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Podcast (Conversational)

Winner: Ask the expert: From banking to baking — by Breanna Laureti, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

*This is the third consecutive year The DC has won this category.

Food/Restaurant Journalism

Winner: Michelin meets the Lone Star State — by Sydney Strollo, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism

Winner: “Click, post … passe?” — by Virginia Wall, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Television Feature Reporting

Winner: Chris Young: From poverty to prison to Dallas — by Brian Richardson, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½-TV, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Radio News Reporting

Winner: Brothel law’ stirs tension between students and neighborhood residents — by Sydney Schulze, Bella Monaco, KERA News, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Breaking News Reporting 

Finalist: Rashee Rice and Teddy Knox involved in high-speed crash — by Staff, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Personality Profile 

Finalist: “Meet Mama T, the heart of ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½’s Umphrey Lee Dining Hall” — by Melanie Jackson, The Daily Campus, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

General Column Writing

Finalist: Tyler Talks Fashion — by Tyler Martin, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media Digital, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Illustration

Finalist: “Click, post … passe?” — by Carrington Miller, Maddie Miller, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Media, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

Investigative Reporting

Finalist: Residents and students clash in University Park over ‘brothel law’ ordinance — by Sydney Schulze, KERA-FM, ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ University

2024 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Awards

Cover Design: Newspaper

First Place: “Untold Stories at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½” – Daily Campus Staff

Headline Writing

First Place: Daily Campus Editorial Team – Liz Cruz, Melanie Jackson, Katie Bergelin

Social Media: General Coverage

Second Place: “Solar Eclipse” – Daily Campus Staff

Static Information Graphic

Second Place: “Jorts! The baggy jeans shorts everyone loves to hate are back – and more popular than ever.” – Maddie Miller, Tami Olujobi

Cover Design: General Magazine

Second Place: ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look Spring 2024 – Leighton Cottrell, Maddie Miller, Juan Silva, Arden Eiland

Podcast

Third Place: “The Pony Pod: Ask the Expert, From Banking to Baking” – Breanna Laureti

Narrative Reporting

Third Place: “Michelin Meets the Lone Star State” – Sydney Strollor

Story Package Design: Magazine

Third Place: “Purse Pursuit” – Angelica Koutsoubis, Maddie Miller, Juan Silva, Leighton Cottrell

Breaking News

Third Place: “Multimillion dollar lawsuits filed against Knox, Rice for crash” - Caleigh Daugherty, Ceara Johnson

Overall Excellence: Social Media

Honorable Mention: ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Daily Campus Social Media – Grace Bair, Sydney Strollo, Sara Hummadi

Cover Design – Newspaper

Honorable Mention: “Pop!” - Ellen Rogers, Grace Bair, Katie Bergelin

Narrative Reporting

Honorable Mention: A Tale of Two Janes – Ellen Rogers

Blog

Honorable Mention: ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½Look.com – ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Look staff