Student Newspapers honored with WNAF Collegiate Better Newspaper Contest Awards

The cover of the 2020 WNAF Collegiate Better Newspaper Contest program.

On April 13, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation (WNAF) announced the winners of its 2020 Collegiate Better Newspaper Contest at a virtual award ceremony. Winner in 20 categories were selected from 300 entries from 12 campuses across the state.

UW-Madison student newspapers and reporters were among the award recipients in a variety of categories. The Badger Herald received 15 awards and three honorable mentions, and the Daily Cardinal received three awards and two honorable mentions, including second place in the General Excellence category and third place in the Collegiate Journalist of the Year category, won by Associate News Editor and J-School senior Nathan Denzin.

Award winners are as follows:

Arts and Entertainment (Group A)

Third Place – The Badger Herald
“Badgers with beats: Life as an underground student musician”
Veronica Kuffel*

Collegiate Journalist of the Year

Third Place – The Daily Cardinal
Nathan Denzin*

Coronavirus Coverage (Group A)

Honorable Mention – The Badger Herald
“COVID-19 in College: Students recovered from COVID-19 share experiences as year begins”
Abby Steinberg*

Editorial Writing (Group A)

First Place – The Badger Herald
“The Badger Herald Editorial Board: On elevating Black stories through ethical journalism”
Harrison Freuck*, Samiha Bhushan, Harry Quick, Abby Steinberg*, Gretchen Gerlach* and Nuha Dolby

Third Place – The Daily Cardinal
“Cardinal View: What did you expect?”
The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board

Feature Photography (Group A)

First Place – The Badger Herald
“Protesters march, speak out against new $150 million jail at County Board meeting”
Ahmad Hamid

Feature Story (Group A)

First Place – The Badger Herald
“A Cause for Paws: Students turn to four-legged friends during times of stress”
Gretchen Gerlach*

Third Place – The Badger Herald
“One Tomato at a Time: Local efforts to reconnect Black growers with the land”
Molly DeVore*

Honorable Mention – The Daily Cardinal
“’This is the time for change’: Milwaukee activist organizes impromptu march to Washington D.C. for racial equity”
Michael Parsky*

Freedom of Information Award

First Place – The Badger Herald
“UPDATED: City government members raise concerns about MPD lobbying in police policies”
Arushi Gupta

Third Place – The Badger Herald
“Records reveal UWPD spent over $6,000 on pepper spray, smoke grenades during George Floyd BLM protests”
Mary Magnuson

General Excellence

Second Place – The Daily Cardinal

In-Depth Story (Group A)

Honorable Mention – The Badger Herald
“(Press)ed for Freedom: As U.S. erupts with protests, debate on press rights ignites as journalists face police violence”
Nuha Dolby

Infographic (Group A)

First Place – The Badger Herald
“Elections Research Center battleground state survey challenges decisive victory for Biden, Trump”
Katie Hardie

Second Place – The Badger Herald
“Mens’ Basketball: Projecting Badgers’ 2020-21 starting five”
Katie Hardie

Honorable Mention – The Daily Cardinal
“2020 Presidential Election: Shifts in Wisconsin by Number of Votes”
Lily Houtman

Public Affairs Reporting (Group A)

First Place – The Badger Herald
“Dane County, UW divided over COVID-19 in Madison”
Mia Lee

Honorable Mention – The Badger Herald
“Tackling the moral restart: faculty, TAs, campus staff rally against in-person classes, fight for worker protections”
Mary Magnuson

Sports Photography

First Place – The Badger Herald
“Men’s Basketball: Badgers seek top 10 ranking with release of official preseason polls imminent”
Justin Mielke*

Third Place – The Badger Herald
“Women’s Hockey: Following sweep of Minnesota, Badgers look to continue domination of Huskies”
Ahmad Hamid

Sports Story (Group A)

Second Place – The Badger Herald
“Men’s Basketball: What if Netflix turned Badgers’ 2014-2015 season into version of ‘The Last Dance’”
Emilee Kather*

Third Place – The Badger Herald
“Football: The origins of Wisconsin’s most popular traditions”
Will Whitmore*

Use of Multimedia (Group A)

Second Place – The Badger Herald
“Shattering the Silence: Student organizations pave way for sexual violence prevention, survivor support on campus”
Anna Walters*

*denotes J-School student

These student winners join several J-School alums who received WNAF Better Newspaper Contest awards earlier this year. Congratulations to all!