TV2 News Director Adam Kirasic, TV2 General Manager Anna Huntsman, The Kent Stater Editor Lydia Taylor, KentWired Digital Director Ray Padilla and The Kent Stater Managing Editor Jenna Kuczkowski pose with their awards.
TV2 News Director Adam Kirasic, TV2 General Manager Anna Huntsman, The Kent Stater Editor Lydia Taylor, KentWired Digital Director Ray Padilla and The Kent Stater Managing Editor Jenna Kuczkowski pose with their awards.

Student Awards and Accolades

One measure of the strength of a school – and its student body – is competitive evaluation by practitioners and peers in award competitions.

By this measure, the School of Media and Journalism's performance is outstanding, as demonstrated by achievements in 2018 and 2019. Our impressive standings in national and international competitions demonstrate our commitment to building media and communication leaders.  

Journalism 

Advertising and Public Relations 

Digital Media Production

Journalism

College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press

Kent State Student Media earned national recognition across all categories in the 2018-19 competitions. 

Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award (2019)

  • The Kent Stater

Individual Associated Collegiate Press Awards (2019)

  • Second Place, Sports Feature Story:  MVP, 8-time all-star, almost Golden Flash by Henry Palattella, '19
  • Fourth Place, Breaking News Photo: Carter Eugene Adams, '20
  • Fourth Place, Magazine Cover: The Burr Magazine (Madeline Kidd, '19)
  • Fourth Place, Advertising/Editorial Newspaper Supplement
  • And more

College Media Association Awards (2019)

  • First Place, TV Special Event Coverage: TV2 KSU
  • Second Place, Breaking News Coverage: KentWired.com
  • Second Place, House Ad: Kent State Student Media, Jaron Puszakowski, '19
  • Third Place, Sports Game Story: Henry Palattella, '19
  • And more

Society of Professional Journalists

First Place, National Mark of Excellence, 2019

Finalist, National Mark of Excellence, 2019

  • Photo Illustration (Hazing): Dani Watts, '19

Ohio SPJ Awards, 2019

Photojournalism Honors

Ohio News Photographers Association (ONPA) College Photographer of the Year

  • Nathaniel Bailey, '21

White House News Photographers Association

  • Runner-Up, Student Photographer of the Year: Nathaniel Bailey, '21

Advertising and Public Relations

Bateman Case Study Competition

Second Place, 2018; Honorable Mention, 2017 and 2019

For the sixth time in seven years, Kent State public relations students placed nationally in the Bateman Case Study Competition. The competition, sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), calls for teams of public relations students to research, develop, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign. This year’s competition charged students with creating a campaign that focused on diversity and inclusion in the communication profession. Read about the 2018 team's second place finish.

Effie Collegiate Competition

Second Place, 2019

Advertising and Visual Communication Design students took second place nationwide in the Effie Collegiate Competition for their efforts in creating a marketing campaign to reinvent the car buying process for Millennials and Gen Z. The competition, modeled after the professional competition of the same name, partnered with Subaru to challenge the next generation of advertising, marketing, design and communication students to work on real business challenge. The second-place team was made up of: Ashley Heilman, ’19 (advertising), Noah Lewchenko, ’19 (advertising), Abby Peters, ’19 (advertising) and Kelsey Velemirovich, ’20 (visual communication design). Standing out among hundreds of entries, judges called their entry an “industry changer” and an idea that taps “into the already established behaviors of the target audience.”

Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA Kent)

National Recognition, 2019

PRSSA Kent competes with more than 300 chapters nationwide for its awards. This year, the organization and its members received the following top honors:

  • Gold Key Award: Vanessa Gresley, '20
  • Teahan Award for Outstanding Chapter (highest Chapter honor)
  • Star Chapter Award

Digital Media Production

Broadcast Education Association (BEA)

Award of Excellence

  • "Forgive Me" - Senior Project by Alyssa Standen, '18

Film Festivals

Awards

  • Bronze, Best Student Short, 2019 Independent Short Awards: "Forgive Me" - Senior Project by Alyssa Standen, '18
  • Bronze, Best Cinematography, 2019 Independent Short Awards: "Forgive Me" - Senior Project by Dane Etto, '19

Selections 

  • "Forgive Me" - Senior Project by Alyssa Standen, '18: Lift-Off Global Network Series
  • "To the Moon and Back" - Senior Project by Zoe Logston, '18: Sprrkle Collective Fest, Independent Talents International Fest, Direct Monthly Online Fest
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