The Daily Collegian staff won the top sweepstakes award for media outlets at Pennsylvania’s largest universities – meaning that it won more honors than any other student media at a school with more than 10,000 students – in the annual contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
The Daily Collegian staff won a first, second or honorable mention in 15 of the Keystone Media Award’s 24 categories for student media, sometimes earning two of the three prizes in a category. Five of the categories in which it received no award were for broadcast news.
The top sweepstakes award is based on points given for each prize, 10 for first place, 5 for second place and 2 for honorable mention.
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation will award plaques to each first-place winner and certificates to each second place and honorable mention winner at the Student Keystone Media Awards Event in Harrisburg, on April 26.
The Daily Collegian winners are:
General News
First Place: Olivia Estright for “Hendricks Investments faces years of lawsuits from Penn State students, community, Pa. attorneys general”
Ongoing News Coverage
First Place: The Collegian Staff for “Uncensored America, Gavin McInnes Coverage”
Ongoing News Coverage
Second Place: Samantha Verrelli for “Continued Coverage of Penn State’s Budget Issues”
Feature Story
First Place: James Engel for “A light should burn | 21 years on, Penn State student Cindy Song remains missing”
Personality Profile
First Place: Luke Vargas for “90‐year‐old local legend David Kurtz still slalom kayaking, coaching after world class career”
Sports Story
First Place: Zach Allen for “More than just the player | Ex‐Penn State football player Aaron Maybin’s art, passion helping Baltimore area”
Editorial
First Place: Kit Schroder for “Penn State administration must be more transparent with Center for Racial Justice cancellation; Canyon Pizza must learn from health inspection violations to uphold State College tradition; Penn State administration needs to keep education, careers in mind with potential law school merger”
Editorial
Second Place: Phoebe Cykosky for “Penn State must exhibit objectivity in promotion, tenure processes to ensure job security; Penn State must give President Neeli Bendapudi benefit of the doubt amid Louisville lawsuit; Penn State must take students’ financial needs into account when increasing tuition rates”
Column
Honorable Mention: Fernanda Lopez for “Heritage, Food and Mental Health”
Review
Second Place: Olivia Woodring for “Downtown State College’s Allen Street Pizza serves up a panoply of pizza”
Cartoon/Graphic Illustration
First Place: Ella Freda for “Behind the Scenes; Stripe Out; Cindy Song”
Sports Photo
Honorable Mention: Caleb Craig for “Penn State vs. Minnesota, Parker falls”
Feature Photo
Second Place: Nick Eickhoff for “Fall Trees Feature”
Layout and Design
First Place: Tori Wilson and Carson Schultz for “Radio Front Page: Old School, But New Cool”
Website
First Place: The Daily Collegian Staff
Podcast
Honorable Mention: Nick Stonesifer, Braden Dyreson and Nick Eickhoff for “The Wrap Around Podcast”
Excellence in Reporting on Diversity‐Equity and Inclusion
Second Place: Jessie Nguyen, Ella Castronuovo and Anjelica Rubin for “Penn State’s new assistant vice provost of educational equity Seria Chatters ‘constantly’ works through barriers to connect with students; ‘It’s hard to be different’ | Indigenous community shares pride, hardships in light of Native American Heritage Month; Penn State alumnus brings attention to those ‘typically bypassed’ in Lancaster”
