Journalism Students Win Awards in Pro Group's Diamond Competition
LITTLE ROCK – Students from Arkansas State’s School of Media and Journalism won five Diamond Journalism Awards and were finalists in four other categories at the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual awards banquet at Ron Robinson Theater.
Delta Digital News Service’s Atsuki Ohbuchi of Tokyo, Japan, won the Photo Spread/Essay category for “Red Wolves beat Texas State 77-31.”
Winning entries from The Herald, A-State’s student newspaper, included:
-- General News: Herald editor-in-chief Rachel Rudd’s article, “How the nationwide Adderall shortage affects A-State students.” Rudd is from Beebe.
-- News Photo: Rudd’s “Young Democrats and Gender and Sexuality Alliance host on-campus drag show.”
-- Criticism/Reviews: Work by former Herald editor-in-chief Rebecca Robinson of Sheridan and Caroline Averitt of Jonesboro.
-- Feature Photo: “Hispanic heritage at A-State” by Shelby Russom of Paragould.
Finalists from The Herald staff were:
-- General News: Averitt’s article, “A-State students impacted by tornadoes that swept the state.”
-- Sports: Averitt’s article, “There is not a moment to spare when it comes to bowling.”
-- Editorials: Work by Elijah Templeton of Jonesboro and Averitt.
-- Arts & Entertainment Reporting: Work by Jerry Don Burton of Wynne and Averitt.
“I’m so proud of The Herald staff for placing in this competition,” Rudd said. “We’re a very small, hardworking staff, so seeing that work pay off is so rewarding. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
The Herald adviser, Sandra L. Combs, welcomed the news.
“The Herald is a great training ground and it shows when staffers and editors are finalists and winners at the SPJ Diamond Awards,” Combs said.
Outgoing DDNS adviser Terrance Armstard spoke to the news service’s success during his tenure.
“It’s been great working with the students of Delta Digital News Service,” Armstard said. “Their continual efforts to strive for excellence in journalism reflects the A-State School of Media and Journalism faculty’s dedication to the education of each and every student here. They will be sorely missed.”
Overall, the regional competition drew 538 entries in 82 categories from professional and collegiate journalists in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Proceeds from the competition and awards banquet help the Arkansas Pro chapter fund additional cash awards given at the Arkansas College Media Association’s annual awards banquet.
For more details about SPJ’s Arkansas Pro chapter, visit https://arkansasspj.org/.
