The
Press Club of Southeast Texas hosted its 30th annual Excellence in the Media & Newsmaker of the Year event virtually on Oct. 24. Through this event, the club recognizes exceptional bodies of local media across dozens of categories including radio, television, web design, news publications and public relations.
With over 1,738 total entries among local media representation, Lamar University’s media organizations ––
Office of Marketing Communications,
LUTV,
KVLU and
University Press –– combined snagged a total of 19 first place awards, 9 second place awards and 15 third place awards.
“It’s a great testament to how great the talent is here at Lamar University,” said Daniel McClemore, associate director of marketing communications. “From the staff and faculty to the students, everyone is truly talented in everything that they do, and it really is showcased by the awards that the press club puts on."
Donations, contest entry fees and banquet proceeds collected by the Press Club each year fund their Press Club Memorial Scholarship, one of the largest endowments exclusive to communication majors at LU. This year’s scholarship recipient was Tim Cohrs, a journalism major in the
College of Fine Arts and Communication and the managing editor for the University Press. In addition to the scholarship, he’s also among 12 other Press Club award winners from the University Press.
First place University Press award winners include the following:● Nakisha Burns, Emily Russell, Andrew Ortiz, Olivia Malick in the Feature Release category for “Advertorial: ExxonMobil provides community support amid COVID-19 pandemic”
● Olivia Malick in the Feature Story category for “Abuse of Faith”
● Sierra Kondos in the Feature Photo category for “Cargill comes ‘long way’”
● UP Staff in the Sports Page Design Layout category for the “February 27, 2020 issue”.
● UP Staff in Overall Excellence category for Jan. 30, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27 issues.
● Christina Segura in the Fine Arts Reviews/Critiques section for “Fiona Apple’s ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’ is sublime”
● Brandi Hamilton in Photo Essay or Picture Page section for “Lone Good Night”.
Second place University Press award winners include the following:● Tim Cohrs in the Feature Story category for “Preserving history’s back pages”
● Tim Cohrs in the Photography category for “Gray Library’s Special Collections houses Lamar, SETX archives
● Noah Dawlearn in the News Photo category for “Hot Rods”
● UP Staff in the Feature Page Design category for “Super Bowl LIV”
● UP Staff in Overall Excellence category for “UPbeat Fall 2020 Issue”
● UP Staff in Website News category for University Press Website
● Susan Salvo in the Travel Writing category for “Bus company uses awareness training to improve public service”
● Claire Robertson in the Website Photography category for “Protestors march in Port Arthur, June 2”
Third place University Press award winners include the following:● Olivia Malick in the Feature Page Design category for “Valentines Day”
● Olivia Malick in the Photography category for “Women share tales of religious oppression, breaking free”
● Olivia Malick in Digital Feature Story for “‘I’m not a politician, I’m a human being’”
● Bailey Broussard in the Fine Arts Reviews/Critiques for “‘Blithe Spirit’ is hauntingly hilarious”
● Tiana Johnson in Personal Profile/Interview category for “Fast Mind, Slow Food”
● Claire Robertson in Digital News Story for “Vidor peace march sparks concern for Black safety
Honorable mentions from the UP Include Bailey Broussard and Christina Segura in the COVID-19 Coverage category for “Learning how to be together from a distance”, Olivia Malick in the Layout category for “Abuse of Faith” and Cheyenne Ard in the Sports Feature Category for “Posting for success”.
First place Marketing Communications award winners include the following:● Kevin McGee, Hannah Hudgins and Landon Richard in the Video Editing category for “Black History Month Trivia”
● Hannah Hudgins, Kevin McGee, Mandy Arceneaux and Morgan Hill in the Internal Public Relations Campaign category for “Quality Enhancement Program”
● Hannah Hudgins, Kevin McGee and Jessi Lavergne in the Broadcast Internet Video category for “Mascot Conspiracy”
● Amanda Toups, Cynthia Hicks and Kate Downing in the Overall Excellence category for “Cardinal Cadence”.
● Kevin McGee in the Documentary category for “Spindletop Tour”
● J.T. Robertson in the Personal Profile/Interview category for “Finding their song through a pandemic”
● Morgan Hill in the Brochure category for “Recruitment Viewbook”
Third place Marketing Communications award winners include the following:● Kevin McGee, Hannah Hudgins, Shelbe Rodriguez, Amanda Toups and Morgan Hill in the Public Relations Program category for “#MaskUpLU”
● Kevin McGee, Landon Richard and Daniel Houston in the Internal Publications/Individual story category for “Connecting with Cardinals”
● Kevin McGee, Hannah Hudgins and Shelly Vitanza in the News Organization Internet Video category for “Cardcast: Dorm Tour”
● Shelbe Rodriguez in the Feature Story category for “BusinessMatters Magazine”
● Amanda Toups in the Layout category for “Alumni Keeps Kids Learning During the Pandemic”
Honorable mentions from Marketing Communications includes J.T. Robertson and Shelly Vitanza in the Personal Profile/Interview category for “Connections: Innovative teaching during a pandemic”, Morgan Hill and Shelbe Rodriguez in the Special Events Materials category for “Winter Commencement 2020” and Amanda Toups in the Internal Public Relations Campaign category for “Red+White Together”
First Place LUTV award winners include:
● Jonathan Tippett, Jade Moreau, Chandler Smith, Dominique Leh and Gordon Williams in the COVID-19 Coverage category for “LUTV News ‘InFocus’ - COVID Coverage - In-depth Features”
● Derrick Thomas and Sara Scott in the Best Sportscast category for “LUTV Sports Break: Wednesday, March 3, 2020”
● Jonathan Tippet and Gordon Williams in the News Organization Internet Video category for “LUTV News ‘InFocus’ - Dr. Sara Gubala: Educating the Electorate”
● Sara Scott, Derrick Thomas, Emily Sterling, Brandon Arnold and Gordon Williams in the Sports Show category for “LUTV Sports Break: Super Bowl LIV - Madness in Miami”
● Dominique Leh in the Feature (Light) category for “Dia De Los Muertos”
Second Place LUTV award winners include:
● Gordon Williams in the Internal Publications/Individual story category for “Jade Moreau: My LUTV News Experience”
Third Place LUTV award winners include:
● Sara Scitt, Derrick Thomas, Emily Sterling, Arthur Harmon and Gordon Williams in the Sports Show category for “LUTV Sports Break: ‘The Last Dance’ - Episodes 3 and 4”
● Chandler Smith in the Feature (Light) category for “‘The College Try’ - Beaumont’s ‘Burger King’”
● Derrick Thomas in the Sports Story category for “20/20 David Wong”
● Gordon Williams in the Internal Public Relations Campaign category for “My LUTV News Experience”
Honorable mentions for LUTV include Sara Scott in the Sports Story category for “The Price is Right”.First place KVLU 91.3 award winners include Shannon Harris, Jason M. Miller, Judith Linsey and Katie St. Clair in the Public Affairs Program category for “Bayoulands Documentary Series”. Third place KVLU award winners include Shannon Harris and Josh Cole in the Public Affairs Program category for “Slice of Orange: WH Stark House”. Honorable mentions include Shannon Harris and Ellen Rienstra in the Public Affairs Program category for “Early Settlement of Orange Co and the Surrounding Area”.
For a complete list of winners, visit
pressclubofsoutheasttexas.org.