CONTACT:
Lou Harry, SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards, [email protected]
Nadia Gordon, SPJ Communications Coordinator, [email protected]

The Society of Professional Journalists recognizes the best collegiate journalism in Region 1 with 2024 Mark of Excellence Awards winners.

SPJ’s Region 1 comprises Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (Central/Eastern), Rhode Island and Vermont. First-place winners will compete at the national level among other MOE winners from the 12 SPJ regions. National winners will be notified in late spring.

MOE Awards entries are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience. Judges were directed to choose entries they felt were among the best in student journalism. If no entry rose to the level of excellence, no award was given. Any category not listed has no winner.

School divisions are based on student enrollment, including both graduate and undergraduate: Large schools have at least 10,000 students and small schools have 9,999 or fewer students.

The list below details all Region 1 winners. If you have any questions regarding the MOE Awards, contact SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards Lou Harry by email.

This list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award entries.

Print/Online 

Breaking News Reporting (Large)

Winner: Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns, shortest tenure in University history — by Emma H. Haidar, Cam E. Kettles, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Pepper spray and surging crowds: Videos show flashpoints at City College — by Luca GoldMansour, Melanie Marich, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Finalist: Former assistant dean of Seton Hall Law School sentenced to 3 years in prison for embezzlement — by Jacqueline Litowinsky, Rachel Suazo, The Setonian, Seton Hall University

General News Reporting (Large)

Winner: Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery initiative — by The Harvard Crimson staff, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Norris Square vs The Land Bank as community fears increasing gentrification — by Alyana Hutchinson, The Logan Center for Investigative Reporting, Temple University

Finalist: AI boom poses threat to trans community, experts warn — by Eduardo Salazar, NYCity News Service, CUNY

General News Reporting (Small)

Winner: Kensington nonprofit to cease storefront operations  — by Luke Sanelli, The Hawk News, Saint Josephs University

Finalist: One year later: University begins to address gaps in communication since false shooter incident — by Ally Engelbert, Allie Miller, The Hawk News, Saint Josephs University

Finalist: Cumberland Valley School Board reverses decision to cancel anti-bullying assembly — by Adam Beam, Connor Niszczak, The Slate, Shippensburg University

In-Depth Reporting (Large)

Winner: A theater of hunger  — by Chloe Budakian, The New Journal, Yale

Finalist: The encampment files  — by Ben Binday, Jasmine Ni , The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania

Finalist: In Allston’s Brazilian community, new arrivals suffer in overcrowded apartments — by Jack R. Trapanick, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

In-Depth Reporting (Small)

Winner: Keene State College conduct cases — by Nathan Hope, Charlotte King, The Equinox, Keene State College

Finalist: Bethlehem public schools combat mental health crisis — by Fiona Corr, The Brown and White, Lehigh University

Finalist: Beyond the binary — by Allie Miller, The Hawk News, Saint Josephs University

Feature Writing (Large)

Winner: From blight to blessing — by Allison Beck, The Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, Temple University

Finalist: Another day on the job — by Joe Lister, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Feature Writing (Small)

Winner: Locked in — by Jay’Mi Vazquez, Julien Laforest, Crescent Magazine, Southern Connecticut State University

Finalist: Over the edge — by Jay’Mi Vazquez, Crescent magazine, Southern Connecticut State University

Finalist: El nuevo periódico: A behind-the-scenes look at Framingham State’s newest student-run publication — by Ryan O’Connell, The Gatepost, Framingham State

Personality Profile Writing (Large)

Winner: Bows up: Freshman Elijah Moore brings signature elbow celebration to SU — by Aiden Stepansky, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Finalist: The heart of the valley — by Emma Kelly, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Finalist: From starting line to starting over: The path to launch a sports radio network — by Truth Headlam, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Personality Profile Writing (Small)

Winner: An introspection of professor Christopher Driscoll — by Isabella Insingo, The Brown and White, Lehigh University

Finalist: Professor’s travel passion inspires global research — by Arava Rose, The Brown and White, Lehigh University

Finalist: Gaze long — by Mia Rose Kohn, Yale Daily News Magazine, Yale University

Sports Writing (Large)

Winner: Sign man: A fan’s unmatched legacy — by Pedro Gray Soares, Massachusetts Daily Collegian, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Finalist: ‘I don’t feel safe’: Penn track and field program accused of sexual harassment, mistreatment — by Vivian Yao, Sean McKeown, Walker Carnathan, The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania

Finalist: ‘It’s hard to stay silent’: Pro-Palestinian athletes on the risks of speaking out at Columbia — by Heather Chen, Takashi Williams, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University

Sports Writing (Small)

Winner: Women’s ice hockey opens inaugural season: Historic moment for Framingham women’s athletics — by Sophia Oppedisano, The Gatepost, Framingham State

Finalist: Women’s Big 5 coverage lacking despite growing interest — by Mia Messina, The Hawk News, Saint Josephs University

Finalist: Shot stoppers – a dive into the art of goalkeeping — by Kyra Tolley, Riley Crowell, The Gatepost, Framingham State

Editorial/Opinion Writing

Winner: Harvard Crimson editorials — by The Harvard Crimson editorial board, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Montclarion editorials — by Cassandra Michalakis, Colin Luderitz, The Montclarion, Montclair State University

Finalist: Massachusetts Daily Collegian columns — by Samuel Cavalhiero, Massachusetts Daily Collegian, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

General Column Writing

Winner: A broken system — by Rachael A. Dziaba, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Daily Orange columns — by Sarhia Rahim, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Finalist: A school outside Boston — by Yona T. Sperling-Milner, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Large)

Winner: Columbia Daily Spectator — by Columbia Daily Spectator staff, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University

Finalist: The Harvard Crimson — by The Harvard Crimson staff, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: The Vector — by The Vector staff, The Vector, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Small)

Winner: The Ithacan — by The Ithacan staff, The Ithacan, Ithaca College

Finalist: The Equinox — by Staff, The Equinox, Keene State College

Finalist: The Gatepost — by Staff, The Gatepost, Framingham State

Best Single-issue Student Magazine

Winner: NYC under the surface — by Scienceline staff, Scienceline, New York University

Best Ongoing Student Magazine

Winner: The New Journal — by The New Journal staff, The New Journal, Yale University

Finalist: Baked — by Baked staff, Baked, Syracuse University

Finalist: Jerk  — by Staff, Jerk , Syracuse University

Best Affiliated Web Site

Winner: theithacan.org — by Ithacan staff, The Ithacan, Ithaca College

Finalist: kscequinox.com — by Staff, The Equinox, Keene State College

Finalist: The Daily Orange — by The Daily Orange staff, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Best Independent Online Student Publication

Winner: Scienceline — by Scienceline staff, Scienceline, New York University

Finalist: Harlem View — by Staff, Harlem View, The City College of New York

Finalist: The Herring — by Staff, The Herring, Amsterdam University College

Art/Graphics/Multimedia 

Breaking News Photography

Winner: Philadelphia Police Department declines to disband encampment after Penn requests immediate help — by Ethan Young, The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania

Finalist: Go inside the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden — by Tyler Paz, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Finalist: Shafik authorizes NYPD to sweep ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment,’ officers in riot gear arrest over 100 — by Stella Ragas, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University

General News Photography

Winner: A pierce-ing devotion — by Jack Henry, The NewsHouse, Syracuse University

Finalist: Butler shooting vigil — by Esteban Marenco, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Finalist: Mourning mother — by Jackson Ranger, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Feature Photography

Winner: The Dollhouse is the ‘most inclusive house’ for CNY bands — by Lars Jendruschewitz, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Finalist: Locked in — by Tyrese Abdul-Shakoor, Crescent magazine, Southern Connecticut State University

Finalist: Upside down flier — by Esteban Marenco, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Photo Essay/Slideshow

Winner: Last sermon — by Natalie Book, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Finalist: Otto Tunes’ first ICCA semifinals is the result of a close knit brotherhood — by Cassandra Roshu, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Finalist: A look inside local recycling — by Arthur Maiorella, The NewsHouse, Syracuse University

Illustration

Winner: New York Jazz — by Dorothea Dolan, Jerk, Syracuse University

Finalist: Harvard’s feeder schools — by Catherine H. Feng, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Inside Columbia’s surveillance and disciplinary operation for student protesters — by Kelsea Petersen, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University

Photo Illustration

Winner: The American Dream — by Zobayer Joti, Jerk, Syracuse University

Finalist: Mervin James’ journey to Rider — by Josiah Thomas, The Rider News, Rider University

Finalist: Infighting and pressure from above: Inside Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery initiative — by Hannah S. Lee, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Sports Photography

Winner: Paralympic hard knocks — by Jackson Ranger, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Finalist: Olympic retirement — by Jackson Ranger, Bellisario Student Media, Penn State

Finalist: Field Hockey: No. 2 Northwestern’s overtime victory over Virginia carries the weight of a title bout — by Dov Weinstein Elul, The Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University

Best Use of Multimedia

Winner: East Palestine: One year later — by The News Lab staff, The News Lab, Penn State University

Finalist: Impact unveiled: Wildfire smoke — by Zach Nemirovsky, The NewsHouse, Syracuse University

Finalist: The Editorial Board’s overseer endorsements — by Alexander D. Cai, Dennis S. Eum, Neil H. Shah, Victoria A. Kauffman, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

News Videography

Winner: Pro-Palestine protesters begin encampment in Harvard Yard — by Julian J. Giordano, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Food vendors compete with restaurants in Jackson Heights — by Lizbeth Fuentes Ascencio, Harlem View, The City College of New York

Feature Videography

Winner: Art exhibit dismantles stereotypes of incarcerated people — by Matthew Ferrera, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Finalist: On the Fly diner brings Cajun food to Syracuse with ‘labor of love’ — by Joe Zhao, The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

Sports Videography

Winner: Harvard Men’s Crew prepares for 2024 Head of the Charles Regatta — by Lara R. Berliner, Julian J. Giordano, Ben J. Lann, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Data Visualization

Winner: Tracking the path to professorship at Brown University — by Brown Daily Herald staff, The Brown Daily Herald, Brown University

Finalist: Most schools dream of sending students to Harvard. These 21 expect to. — by Elyse C. Goncalves, Matan H. Josephy, Grayson M. Martin, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Audio  

Radio News Reporting

Winner: Full or not, Ogdensburg’s new flights to DC are taking off — by Zach Jaworski, North Country Public Radio, St. Lawrence University

Finalist: After the Daniel Penny trial, New Yorkers evaluate how safe they are on the subway — by Melanie Marich, AudioFiles, CUNY

Finalist: Protecting the Hudson: Riverkeepers’ newest captain — by Jesse King, AudioFiles, CUNY

Radio Feature

Winner: Newspaper press in the Adirondacks keeps printing despite national trends — by Zach Jaworski, North Country Public Radio, St. Lawrence University

Radio In-Depth Reporting

Winner: New rat city — by Perry Gregory, AudioFiles, CUNY

Finalist: How Watertown’s rare, non-partisan government shapes its elections — by Zach Jaworski, North Country Public Radio, St. Lawrence University

Finalist: The green black market — by Jamie Korenblat, AudioFiles, Syracuse University

Radio Sports Reporting

Winner: Real life gladiators fight in medieval combat tournament — by Graham Hartmann, AudioFiles, CUNY

Best All-Around Radio Newscast

Winner: WRHU FM Newsline — by Staff, WRHU FM, Hofstra University

Podcast (Narrative)

Winner: What’s it like to plan for when you lose it? — by Rebecca Rand, Caroline Handel, AudioFiles, CUNY

Finalist: The Wakefields: Two brothers, Six generations  — by Cade Miller, The News Lab / West Virginia Public Media, Penn State University

Finalist: Dancing, drones and changes across New York — by AudioFiles staff, AudioFiles, CUNY

Podcast (Conversational)

Winner: We the Students:  LGBTQ+ in America — by Sophia Moore, Alejandro Rosales, Tommy DaSilva, The NewsHouse, Syracuse Universi

Broadcast 

Television Breaking News Reporting

Winner: Haley Jacobs: Election night breaking news — by Haley Jacobs, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Finalist: Psi Upsilon hazing allegations — by Michael Lamorte, Staff, CitrusTV, Syracuse University

Finalist: CUNY students mobilize to support those arrested in campus protests — by Ana Valdez Saravia, Jackie Zamora, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Television General News Reporting

Winner: Swipe gone wrong: The rise of social media scams — by Haley Jacobs, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Finalist: Rumor has it — by Nicole Aponte, NCC News, Syracuse University

Finalist: Child poverty rate in Syracuse remains high; How the community is responding — by Max Williams, NCC News, Syracuse University

Television Feature Reporting

Winner: Welding with a purpose — by Moira Vaughan, NCC News, Syracuse University

Finalist: Central New York drive-in opens for first time in 40 years — by Max Williams, NCC News, Syracuse University

Finalist: One more minute: A mother’s fight for bridge barriers — by Erin Holton, Facundo Martinez, Sofia Milojevic, Highlands Current, Marist University

Television In-Depth Reporting

Winner: The reality behind Turkey’s water resources — by Sophia Montanye, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Finalist: CitrusTV Election Night 2024 — by Margueritte Bellotti, Brandon Myers, staff, CitrusTV, Syracuse University

Finalist: Green black market — by Zach Richter, Jamie Korenblat, Nardeen Saleep, Josh Feldstein, Newhouse Spotlight Team, Syracuse University

Television Sports Reporting

Winner: Centre County is key spot for fastest growing high school sport — by Savannah Wood, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Finalist: ACC Women’s Soccer coast-to-coast travel feature — by Nico Horning, ACC Network Extra, Syracuse University

Finalist: The Brotherhood: Rugby Club aims to grow the sport in Pennsylvania — by Ryan Eslinger, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Best All-Around Television Newscast

Winner: Hofstra Votes Live 2024 — by HEAT Network staff, HEAT Network, Hofstra University

Finalist: Centre County Report — by Staff, Centre County Report, Penn State University

Best All-Around Television News Magazine

Winner: Centre County Report in Turkey — by Centre County Report staff, Centre County Report, Penn State University

All Platforms 

Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism

Winner: Broadway Broadcast — by Hannah Seeman, WRHU FM / WRHU.org – Radio Hofstra University, Hofstra University

Finalist: I read 150+ pages of a BoF-McKinsey Report so you don’t have to: The state of fashion 2025 — by Victoria Palumbo, The Marist Circle, Marist University

Finalist: As Puerto Rico prepares for its gubernatorial elections, Bad Bunny ensures his community is heard — by Suzanne Bagia, Massachusetts Daily Collegian, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Campus Reporting

Winner: Our campus. Our crisis. Inside the encampments and crackdowns that shook American politics. — by Columbus Daily Spectator staff, Columbia Daily Spectator / New York Magazine, Columbia University

Finalist: Viral Veritas: How student influencers turn Harvard into payouts and purpose — by Harvard Crimson staff, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: The stakes of solidarity: What low-income students risked the day of Columbia’s April 18 mass arrest — by Ann Vettikkal, Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University

Collaborative Journalism

Winner: A tale of two cities: Reclaiming Niagara Falls and Salinas — by A Tale of Two Cities staff, The Newhouse School, Syracuse University, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

Cultural Criticism

Winner: Harvard Crimson columns — by Vivienne Germain, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University

Food/Restaurant Journalism

Winner: How far to get food in Weeksville, Brooklyn? — by Apolline Lamy, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Finalist: Montclair hidden gem “da Pepo” offers taste of Italy inside bookstore — by Rob Ferguson, Jordan Reed, The Montclarion, Montclair State University

Finalist: Jollof Wars at First Love NY Church — by Adeshewa Coker, Harlem View, The City College of New York

Investigative Reporting

Winner: Day care danger — by NYCity News Service Staff, NYCity News Service, CUNY

Finalist: Chipped away — by John Perik, Lilli Iannella, Finn Lincoln, Julie Gilchrest, NCC News, Syracuse University

Finalist: How Brown’s inner circle helps well connected applicants get admitted — by Owen Dahlkamp, The Brown Daily Herald, Brown University

Regional Political Reporting

Winner: In Harvard’s backyard, A state representative fights for her political life — by Matan H. Josephy, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Signs pointed to Trump’s close race in New Jersey and others — by Peter Guziejewski, The Montclarion, Montclair State University

Finalist: Talking Points — by Margueritte Bellotti, Luke Radel, Jake Morel, Ben Bascuk, CitrusTV, Syracuse University

Retail/Small Business Journalism

Winner: Parthenon Books emphasizes shopping local | Juice and Java — by CitrusTV staff, CitrusTV, Syracuse University

Science/Environment/Climate Reporting

Winner: Are whales trying to tell us something? — by Serena Jampel, The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College

Finalist: Catch of the day: The round goby — by Grace McConnell, Julia Virnelli, Dan Klosowski, Gloria Rivera, The Canal Keepers, Syracuse University

SPJ champions journalists by recognizing outstanding achievement, fighting to protect press freedom, promoting high ethical standards and educating new generations of emerging professionals. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member and give to the Legal Defense Fund, First Amendment Forever Fund or SPJ Foundation. 

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