PULLMAN, Wash. – The Society of Professional Journalists announced the 2019 Mark of Excellence Awards national winners earlier this year, which included two students from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University.
Connor Henricksen took first place in the Online Opinion & Commentary category with his piece “Anxiety shapes my life, but I’m not alone” and Jasmine Darakjy won the Television General News Reporting category with her story “From Puerto Rico to Washington, dogs find their forever homes”.
Murrow students Noak Schmick and Jakob Thorington finished as finalists in the Online Sports Reporting category with their story “Bobby”.
“The SPJ national winners celebrate the best in student journalism,” said Ben Shors, Journalism & Media Production Chair at Murrow College. “The work of these Murrow students is exemplary and a testament to their dedication to telling true stories that carry tremendous power.”
Several Murrow College students also received regional Mark of Excellence awards in the SPJ’s Region 10 division comprised of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Click here to check out the Region 10 winners.
The Mark of Excellence (MOE) Awards honor the best of collegiate journalism published or broadcasted within a calendar year. National MOE winners are chosen from category winners in each of SPJ’s 12 regions and are judged by journalism professionals with at least three years of experience.
School divisions are based on student enrollment, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment. Large schools have 10,000+ students and small schools have fewer than 10,000 students.
SPJ recognizes first-place national winners at the Student Union event during Excellence in Journalism. EIJ 20 is currently scheduled for Sept. 10-12 in Washington, D.C.
The Journalism and Media Production department at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication prepares students to join the many exciting and rapidly evolving careers in traditional and new media with a balance of conceptual understanding, critical thinking, ethical principles, and hands-on skill development.
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