Twenty Indiana University Southeast journalism students and recent graduates collectively won 34 awards – including second place newspaper of the year – at the annual convention of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association on Saturday, April 9, in Indianapolis.

All work was published in IU Southeast’s student news outlet, The Horizon. Awards were in categories recognizing superior work in writing, design, photography, and online journalism, and students won more than twice as many awards as The Horizon had won at the 2015 convention.

“I am so proud of my students and the work they’ve done to receive such recognition,” said Adam Maksl, assistant professor of journalism and faculty adviser to The Horizon. “These awards are great external validation for the kind of serious journalism that students work so hard to produce.”

Among the work recognized were major in-depth stories on homelessness among IUS students and what the university is doing to address sexual assault. Additionally, students were recognized for design, multimedia, and social media work, which Maksl said helps show the impact of recent changes in the journalism program as it has transitioned to focus more on cross-platform digital storytelling.

“Many of our classes and the journalism program in general focus significantly on digital storytelling and using multimedia tools, so seeing students win awards that relate to that work is very exciting,” Maksl said.

For example, Maksl said, The Horizon staff won an award for Best Facebook Page, with a judge saying that the page “does what social media should do – be social.” Maksl said the extra effort students put into cultivating The Horizon’s social media this year came in part as a result of what students learned in the program’s Social Media Strategies class.

Paige Thompson, a senior journalism major and co-editor-in-chief of The Horizon, won third place for in-depth reporting and was part of a team that won third place for a breaking news story. Thompson, who before she has even graduated has been hired in the newsroom at WDRB in Louisville, said she is proud of the professional-level work she and her fellow Horizon journalists have produced.

“I was beyond proud and honored hearing the awards being announced, seeing my friends get recognized for their hard work,” Thompson said. “The Horizon has given me experience that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else. I’ve gained knowledge, friendships and skills that I’ll be able to put to good use in my career.”

In addition to the awards ceremony, the annual convention included breakout sessions and an election of officers. Maksl was elected to be the new executive director of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, and two of his students, junior journalism majors Joseph Kauffman and Katie Casper, were elected to the ICPA board as president and vice president for small newspapers, respectively.

The Horizon is a multi-platform student-run news organization that serves as an experiential learning lab for journalism majors at IU Southeast. Non-journalism majors also often volunteer for the staff. Students on The Horizon learn and apply skills in information analysis, effective storytelling, and principles of digital media.

The IU Southeast Journalism Program congratulates all award winners listed below for their work:

• Chelsey Carr, journalism and English senior (Third place, Best Photo Essay/Picture Story)
• Olivia Cook, psychology freshman (Second place, Best Informational Graphic)
• Duncan Cooper, journalism sophomore (First place, Best Review; Second place, Best Review)
• Charlyn Corum, journalism junior (First place, Best Entertainment Story)
• Marisa Gartland, journalism junior (Second place, Best Feature Photo; Second place, Best News Photo; Second place, Best News or Feature Series; Third place, Best Front Page; Third place, Best News or Feature Series)
• Kate Harrison (Second place, Best News or Feature Series)
• Parker Henes (Second place, Best Sports News Story)
• Rain Hopkins, journalism junior (Second place, Best News or Feature Series)
• Joseph Kauffman, journalism junior (First place, Best Entertainment Column or Review; Third place, Best Breaking News Reporting Online)
• Kristin Kennedy, journalism senior (Second place, Best Animation/Interactive Graphic; Third place, Best Breaking News Reporting)
• Zak Kerr, journalism senior (Second place, Best Special Section Front/Cover; Third place, Best Breaking News Reporting Online; Third place, Best Video; Second place, Best News or Feature Series)
• Thomas McAndrews (Third place, Best Entertainment Column or Review)
• Tassy Payne, journalism junior (Second place, Best Informational Graphic)
• Aprile Rickert, journalism alumnus (First place, Best In-Depth Story; Third place, Best Video)
• Ethan Smith, journalism alumnus (First place, Best Non-Deadline News Story)
• Joel Stinnett, journalism senior (Third place, Best Opinion Column)
• Paige Thompson, journalism senior (Third place, Best In-Depth Story; Third place, Best Breaking News Reporting Online)
• Daniel Vance, fine arts sophomore (First place, Best Sports Page)
• Bekah White, fine arts alumna (First place, Best Feature Page; Third place, Best Illustration)
• Jordan Williams, journalism and English senior (First place, Best Sports Feature Story; Third place, Best Breaking News Reporting Online)

The Horizon staff also collectively won six awards:

• Third place, Best Facebook Page
• First and Second place, Best Overall Design
• First place, Best Pull-Out/Wrap Section
• First and Second place, Best Themes Issue
• Second place, Best Single Issue
• Second place, Division II Newspaper of the Year