VCU news

By Lauren Stewart
Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture

Virginia Commonwealth University students won 20 awards, including seven first-place awards, in the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Mark of Excellence competition for Region 2. The awards were presented on April 20 at SPJ’s Region 2 Spring Conference in Norfolk.

The first-place winners included VCU InSight, a public affairs TV news program that airs monthly on WCVW-TV Richmond PBS and was honored as Best All-Around Television Newscast, and students Sean Collins-Smith and Brandon Shulleeta, who won first place for In-Depth Reporting for an investigative package they published in the school’s Multimedia Journalism master’s program.

In the regional competition, VCU students competed against college journalists in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. in the “large” division, going up against schools with more than 10,000 students.

The regional first-place winners advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the Excellence in Journalism 2013 conference in Southern California from Aug. 24 to Aug. 26.

Student journalists could enter work in the contest published or aired during calendar year 2012.

Here is the complete set of winners from VCU:

Breaking News Reporting (Large)
Second Place
Leah Small
Rappahannock News; Loudoun Times; Capital News Service
33 women’s rights protesters arrested at Capitol

General Column Writing (Large)
First Place
Zack Budryk
Style Weekly, Richmond’s alternative newsweekly
Columns

In-Depth Reporting (Large)
First Place
Sean Collins-Smith & Brandon Shulleeta
Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Justice denied? Richmond ALJ hearing Social Security claims has one of the highest denial rates

Radio News Reporting
Third Place
Amir Vera
VCU Capital News Service / WVCW
EpiPen Law May Save Kids with Allergies

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (Large)
Third Place
Staff
The Commonwealth Times

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Large)
First Place
Staff
The Horn

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Large)
Second Place
Staff
Rams Review

Best Student Magazine
First Place
Staff
VCU Student Media Center
Ramble Magazine

Best Student Magazine
Second Place
Staff
VCU Student Media Center
Ink Magazine

Editorial Cartooning (Large)
Second Place
Phillip Whisenhunt
The Commonwealth Times
Cartoons

Editorial Cartooning (Large)
Third Place
Dan Nacu
The Commonwealth Times
Cartoons

Editorial Writing (Large)
Third Place
Shane Wade
The Commonwealth Times
Editorials

General News Photography (Large)
First Place
Amber-Lynn Taber
The Commonwealth Times
Traevon Martin rally

General News Photography (Large)
Second Place
Amber-Lynn Taber
The Commonwealth Times
Breaking the mold

Online In-Depth Reporting (Large)
Second Place
The Commonwealth Times Staff
The CT News Report 10/28/12

Online Sports Reporting (Large)
Third Place
Tommy Lopez & Logan Whitton
Rams Review
Shaka Smart instills resolve in Rams

Sports Photography (Large)
First Place
Chris Conway
The Commonwealth Times
It Ends 03.19.12 Conway

Sports Photography (Large)
Second Place
Chris Conway
The Commonwealth Times
Rich City Racing 04.30.12

Sports Writing (Large)
Third Place
Quinn Casteel
The Commonwealth Times
Fallen Striker

Best All-Around Television Newscast
First Place
Staff
WCVW-TV
VCU InSight

 

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