Spring Hill College has recently been honored with an array of awards for the 2022-2023 school year on two separate occasions. Six students were honored with College Media Associations Pinnacle Awards in October and five students won top awards back in May with the Catholic Media Conferences St. Juan Diego college media awards, which SHC has won top awards in every year since 2020.
The CMA is the “nation’s largest organization dedicated to serving collegiate media advisers” and honors numerous college media organizations with their Pinnacle Awards. The categories judged for these awards include various forms of broadcast, print and online outlets during an academic year. SHC was judged in the Division IV category, which focuses on colleges with enrollments of 1000 or less.
SHC was awarded first place in the newspaper category for reporting with the College Media Associations Pinnacle Awards. The Best Special Section/More than Four Pages was awarded for the Spring Hillian’s special edition of the Inauguration of Mary Van Brunt, the first female president of SHC. The student-led staff involved with this edition of the newspaper included Nate Polk, Tori Ellis, Peri Carr, Fae Fox and Samantha Gonzalez.
Individually, current senior Fae Fox and SHC alumna Natalie Williamson were both honored by the CMA for their work. Fox was awarded second place for Best Video Special Event Coverage. She said, “I remember it felt like I was racing the clock to have my video turned in on time, but I am really proud of how it came out.” Fox covered the opening of the Janden Richards Center at SHC in a three minute long video package for SHC Student Media. Fox focused on Richards’ life and how her passion in graphic design inspired those who came across her, including local Mobile nonprofit organizations.
Williamson was awarded third place for Best Use of Short Video for News & Information with her “Resident Hall Mold Concerns” segment on Spring Hill Now. Williamson investigated reports from several SHC students regarding unsafe conditions with mold in campus residence halls. Williamson’s video package was over three minutes long, and she also won an award with the Catholic Media Conference in the St. Juan Diego competition. The CMC awarded Williamson with first place for Best Video – Single Episode. The CMC stated that Williamson’s video captured all elements of reporting. Her feedback said, “Impressive body of work on maybe not the most exciting topic, this video carefully and intentionally captured all the elements of solid reporting. Excellent use of graphic elements and video clips as well as personal experiences and professional sources. The reader easily understands the issue and what steps have or have not been taken to remedy it. Well done from beginning to end!”
Williamson was also awarded first place for her “Graffiti Response Coverage” in the category for Best Video – Series. SHC alum Beau Reed also won first place for the Best Presentation in Faith on Campus with the CMC. Reed’s segment, “Blackout Event on the Hill,” was recognized for having proficient videography and good storytelling. Another SHC alumna, Summer Poole, won second place for her “Dating App Safety” on Spring Hill Now for her “excellent coverage of a very opportune subject for young adults.” CMC also awarded an honorable mention to alumnae Carson Reeves, Producer of Spring Hill Now, and Kira Babiarz, Director of Spring Hill Now, for their newscast that aired on November 17, 2022. CMC stated that the newscast “encompassed excellent journalistic style, merging both feature and news style. It showcased a nice array of space and place around the campus which seriously enhanced the viewer’s experience. The reporter showed great interest by engaging with the subject in the story. Those personal elements add to the professionalism of the piece.”
To find out about the other winners of these competitions, visit collegemedia.org or catholicmediaconference.org.
