Collegian staff wins awards at KCM Convention

By Sammi Carpenter
Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Collegian staff had the chance to go to Wichita State for the Kansas Collegiate Media Convention. Every year KCM holds a convention for collegiate media across Kansas, writers and photographers get recognized for their work in newspapers, magazines, and yearbooks.

The Collegian Staff had the chance to learn from students that have graduated and are in the journalism field, keynote speaker Rob Curley, other collegiate writers/photographers, and had the chance to listen to Eric Meyer, the editor and publisher of The Marion County Record.

From the middle of last spring semester to all of fall semester, to the early half of this spring semester, the collegian staff submitted some of their best work to the KCM judges.

The Collegian as a whole also received two awards. They received the All Kansas Overall Publication Award for a two-year school which means they won it back-to-back. The paper also got recognized for all of their work covering the NJCAA Women’s National Championship game which ended up having them win the Big J award.

“The work this staff has done this year has been exceptional. I’m most proud of the spontaneous trip we took to Casper, Wyo. to cover the Blue Dragon women’s basketball team in the national championship game, and the subsequent special edition the students cobbled together.” Collegian Advisor Brad Hallier said.

Carly Thompson, the Collegian’s Editor in Chief worked hard making this paper what it is.

“Carly has been amazing. She wanted so bad to tell me ‘no’ when I asked her to be Editor in Chief, but I knew she had what it takes,” Hallier said, “Her attention to detail and the way she takes every story serious shows she is serious about journalism, even if she’s not a journalism major.”

The awards the Collegian Staff got for the 2024 KCM Convention were:

First Place Winners:

• Danae Moser – Inside Page Design
• Sam Ojeda – Profile Writing; Social Media Reporting; Sports Game/News Writing
• Josie Schrag – Feature Photography
• Ainsley Trunkhill – Breaking/General News, Feature Writing
• Sammi Carpenter – Sports Feature Writing
• Braedon Martin – Headline Writing
• Carly Thompson – Front Page Design, Column Writing

Second Place Winners:

• Paige Asberry – Inside Page Design
• Jolie Shultz – Feature Photography
• Lynn Spahr – Review Writing
• Carly Thompson – Breaking/General News; Front Page Design
• Graciela Vallejo – Sports Photography; Portrait Photography
• Lizzie Kipp – Feature Writing
• Greta Klein – Sports Feature Writing; Sports Game/News Writing
• Josie Schrag – Social Media Reporting
• Jolie Shultz – Headline Writing

Third Place Winners:

• Connor Keating – Review Writing
• Sam Ojeda – Inside Page Design; Sports Game/News Writing
• Ainsley Trunkhill/Laci Sutton – Profile Writing
• Graciela Vallejo – Sports Photography
• Victoria Lewis – Sports Feature Writing
• Braedon Martin – Front Page Design; Editorial Writing
• Jolie Shultz – Social Media Reporting
• Lynn Spahr – Headline Writing; Column Writing

Honorable Mention Winners:

• Carly Thompson – Headline Design
• Ainsley Trunkhill – Breaking/General News
• Victoria Lewis – Feature Writing
• Connor Keating – Feature Writing
• Sam Ojeda – Sports Game/News Writing
• Lynn Spahr – Headline Writing; Column Writing

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