Quest for excellence

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:19:52 +0000

At Metro State Student Media, spring is known as awards time. Metro’s student journalists and broadcasters hope to be honored on a national scale for writing, reporting, photography and design in print, television and radio. Winning makes all the work to compile and submit articles, photos and MP3s more than worthwhile. Nominations alone communicate the respect of peers and office staff.

After several weeks of organization – with a little nagging thrown in – Student Media has submitted 25 entries to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence competition, one of collegiate journalism’s most prestigious annual contests.

With hundreds of choices, the process of selecting the best is neither simple nor casual. Student editors and station managers, working with Student Media administrators, pore over the contest requirements and then place entries in those categories best suited to achieve results. It sounds a little greedy or manipulative, but the fact is that the number of contest awards won is a strong indicator of that entity’s health and progress.

In 2011, Metropolitan writers and photographers won 10 regional Mark of Excellence awards and the Met Report won one. Photographers Drew Jaynes and Sean Mullins garnered national finalist recognition, with Mullins winning the national “Breaking News” competition.

The 25 works submitted for 2012 are equally top-notch and encompass all student-run entities. At the same time, our creative team has entered eight ads and campaigns in a similarly prominent competition run by the College Newspapers Business and Advertising Managers organization.

The Office of Student Media has boundless pride in all of our talented and diligent student journalists and broadcasters. We are happy to celebrate your efforts and look forward to sharing the joy of your success. In that spirit, OSM is pleased to share links to our Mark of Excellence Award entries. Congratulations.

The Met Report

Television Feature Reporting: Simone VonRivenburgh for ‘High school quarterback beats disease’

Television Breaking News Reporting: Anthony Kustura for ‘Moammar Gadhafi dies‘

Television Sports Reporting: Kevin Hall for Meet ‘Metro State’s assistant coaches‘

Television General News Reporting: Met Report Staff for ‘Obama talks student debt at Auraria’

KMet Radio

Radio Sports Reporting: Friday Hangover Staff for ‘Inside NFL Blitz’

Radio News Reporting: The Daily Met Staff for ‘The Sandusky scandal’

The Metropolitan

Column Writing: Heather Carnes, Wesley Reyna and Nathalia Velez for ‘On the Record’

Sports Column Writing: Thomas Belinksi, Matt Hollinshead and Daniel Laverty

Editorial Writing: Walt House, Ramsey Scott and the Metropolitan Editorial Staff