UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Newscasts produced by Penn State earned five first-place finishes, sweeping all the broadcast categories, and images from photojournalism students added three more first-place finishes as the University crafted a strong performance at the annual Student Keystone Media Awards.
“Centre County Report,” a weekly newscast with special episodes, swept the top three spots in the Best Newscast (Broadcast) category. Its award-winning entry in that category was from Nov. 5, 2024.
The show also produced first-place finishes for:
- Best Spot News Coverage, “Suspect in United Health Care CEO Murder Arrested” (Broadcast).
- Best Feature, “Trout and Tradition: The Legacy of Joe Humphreys” (Broadcast).
- Best Public Service, “Istanbul Faces Major Earthquake Risk” (Broadcast).
- Best Sports Coverage, “Centre County is Key Spot for Fastest Growing High School Sport” (Broadcast).
Three different photographers claimed first-place awards for their work.
Aidan Conrad won first place for Sports Photo (“Team Support”), Magill Williams won for Feature Photo (“Rainbow and Laughter”), and Jackson Ranger won for News Photo (“Mourning Mother”).
The Daily Collegian lifted Penn State’s total to nine first-place finishes for its Ongoing News Coverage. Two dozen Penn State entries were among top finishers in the competition.
The Student Keystone Media Awards recognize high school and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers. Any student at any public, private or parochial Pennsylvania high school, college or university who has had their material published in the school news publication may enter the contest. Students who have had their work published on a digital news site may enter the contest provided the site meets the criteria as outlined in the contest rules.