2025 Awards

Congratulations to our award-winning students and faculty!

Student Awards

September 2025

Society of Professional Journalists Professional Category

Magazine Design Cover

  • First Place: Distraction Magazine – Staff, Winter 2024 Issue Covers

Magazine Single Issue

  • First Place: Distraction Magazine – Staff, Fall 2024 Issue

Society of Professional Journalists Student Category

Student Publication

  • First Place: Distraction Magazine – Staff, Fall Semester Issues

Student Broadcast Outlet

  • First Place: UMTV – Staff

Special Issue

  • First Place: The Miami Hurricane – Staff, Election Special

Website

  • First Place: The Miami Hurricane – Staff

Review

  • First Place: The Miami Hurricane – Gabriel Mena, Jay Wheeler brings unbridled passion to Miami

Sports Photo

  • First Place: The Miami Hurricane – Emily Rice, Dunkin

August 2025

 

2025 Student Category
 
Vaseline: Got It From Momma
by Miranda Brennan: Copywriter / Art Director Vinny Palmieri: Copywriter  Mackenzie Sands: Graphic Designer
 
Stimuless
by Sara Kelly (AD/CW), Wesley Lucas (Design)
 
Turn Up the Heinz
by Lucia Moscarella (AD), Gabriel Viaud (Design/ CW)

2025 Hispanic Marketing Council Strategic Excellence Awards

Silver
Orange Umbrella
 

Spring 2025 Clips & Clicks 

FEATURE/GENERAL AUDIENCE MAGAZINE PACEMAKER FINALIST

Distraction Magazine

NEWSPAPER/NEWSMAGAZINE PACEMAKER FINALIST

The Miami Hurricane

 

Yearbook Spread
Sports Photo
News Photo
Feature Photo

July 2025

Yellow Pencil
 
Stimuless
  • Sara Kelly
  • Wesley Lucas
Wood Pencil
 
One Stick Away
  • Sabrina Greenberg
  • Veronica Benarroch
  • Paige Mason

June 2025

Best All-Around Television Newscast National Winner
 
NewsVision
  • Katelyn Kucharski, Maddie Bassalik, Delanie Haddad and Darrel Creary

May 2025

Bronze Award – Student Print
Got it From Momma
Vaseline
  • Educational Instructors: Meryl Blau & Will Hughes
  • Copywriters: Miranda Brennan & Vinny Palmieri
  • Art Director: Mackenzie Sands

April 2025

Winners

  • Podcast (Narrative)
    • Podcast UM: The Green Haven Project by Vanessa Bonilla, Allison Bliss, Joshua Ertel, and Julie Peley
  • Television Sports Reporting
    • Igniting the beat by Regina Potenza
  • Best-All Around Television Newscast
    • NewsVision by Katelyn Kucharski, Maddie Bassalik, Delanie Haddad, and Darrel Creary
  • Best All-Around Television News Magazine
    • Hometown Heroes by UMTV Staff
  • Cultural Criticism
    • The Culture: Fall 2024 by Melanie Lowe

Finalists

  • Best Ongoing Student Magazine
    • Distraction Magazine by Distraction Magazine Staff
  • Illustration
    • Summer lovin’ by Marita Gavioti of Distraction Magazine
  • Podcast (Conversational)
    • Podcast UM: Hip-hop for social change by Ajhada Gabriel, Gianna Milan, John McCall, and Mariana Vasquez
  • Broadcast
    • Woman rescued from dangling SUV after crash by Regina Potenza of UMTV
  • Best All-Around Television News Magazine
    • UMTV PrimeTime Staff

Winners

  • NewsCast
    • Decision Day 2024: UMTV Election Special
  • News Magazine
    • Hometown Heroes: 2024 Edition
  • Interview/Discussion
    • UMTV This Morning
  • Hard News
    • Harvey Duplock
  • Public Affairs/Community Service
    • Ethan Gany
  •  

2024 Winners

  • Education Reporting (College Television)
    • “In the Wake of Don’t Say Gay” by Isabella Popadiuk
  • Health Reporting (College Television)
    • “The Lucky Few” by Simone Werner, Julia Hecht, and Joe Anillo
  • Investigative Reporting (College Television)
    • “Investigating Reports of Mold in UM’s Frost School of Music” by Harvey Duplock
  • Environmental Reporting (College Television)
    • “Saving the Sea Turtles” by Ryan Marshall
  • Producer (College Television)
    • “Decision Day 2024: UMTV Live Election Special” by Katelyn Kucharski
  • Public Affairs
    • “Primetime Spring 2024 Edition” by Derryl Barnes, Isabella Morales, and Simone Werner
  • Best Newscast (College Television)
    • “NewsVision 03/07/2024” by Katelyn Kucharski, Maddie Bassalik, and Delanie Haddad

2024 Finalists

  • Sports Reporting (College Television)
    • “Against the Odds: Nine Years, One Dream” by Manny Naccarato
  • Health Reporting (College Television)
    • “Quadriplegic Jiu Jitsu Athlete Keeps Fighting Despite Disability” by Daniel Toll
  • General Assignment Reporting (College Television)
    • “Car Crashes on Top of Tree” by Regina Potenza
  • Weathercast (College Television)
    • Quinn Davidson
  • Reporter (College Television)
    • Billie Brightman
  • News Anchor (College Television)
    • Gracie Palmer

YODL Final Tournament at California Polytechnic University

  • Honors Divison Finalists
    • Emily Danzinger
    • Simone David

Sports Category Winner

  • UMTV SportsDesk
    • Morgan Champey, Producer
    • Delanie Haddad, Director and Producer
    • Taryn Jacobs, Producer
    • Wrigley Kordt, Writer
    • Jake Baum, Writer
    • Andrew Klein, Producer and Writer
    • Mia Housman, Writer
    • Derryl Barnes, Producer
    • Annie Watson, Producer
    • Billie Brightman, Producer
    • Jadyn Cohee, Writer

March 2025

Staff Recognition:

  • BROADCAST: News Program
    • First Place – UMTV: Decision Day: Election 2024
  • Feature Magazine (four-year campus)
    • First Place – Distraction
  • Yearbook
    • First Place – Ibis
  • Website (four-year campus, 15,000 or fewer)
    • Tenth Place – Distraction

Individual Recognition:

  • BROADCAST: News Story
    • First Place – Regina Potenza
  • DESIGN: Magazine
    • Second Place – Sal Puma, Marra Finkelstein
    • Sixth Place – Sal Puma, Marra Finkelstein
    • Seventh Place – Sal Puma
    • Eighth Place – Lizzie Kristal
  • BROADCAST: Sports Story
    • Third Place – Manny Naccarato
  • REPORTING: Feature Story
    • Third Place – Samantha Rodriguez
    • Ninth Place – Lauren Ferrer, Jenny Jacoby
  • ADVERTISEMENT: Print, Online, Video, Audio
    Cover
    • Third Place – Marita Gavioti, Sal Puma
    • Ninth Place – Jake Sperling
  • PHOTOJOURNALISM: Sports Photo
    • Third Place – Ava Stroshane
    • Eighth Place – Reese Putnam
    • Tenth Place – Emily Rice
  • PHOTOJOURNALISM: News/Feature Photo
    • Fourth Place – Jake Sperling
    • Eighth Place – Jake Sperling
  • BROADCAST: Feature Story
    • Fifth Place – Regina Potenza
  • DESIGN: Yearbook
    • Fifth Place – Kendall Bagmon, Carolina Camus, Jake Sperling
    • Sixth Place – Carolina Camus
    • Seventh Place – Isabelle Fitzpatrick
    • Ninth Place – Isabelle Fitzpatrick
  • DESIGN: Newspaper/Newsmagazine
    • Seventh Place – Charlotte Deangelis
  • REPORTING: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Seventh Place – Lauren Ferrer, Jenny Jacoby
  • REPORTING: News Story
    • Eighth Place – Jenny Jacoby
  •  

Winners:

  • Best Yearbook Cover
    • First Place
    • Ibis Yearbook
  • Best Feature Website
    • First Place
    • Distraction
  • Best Magazine
    • First Place
    • Distraction
  • Best Yearbook Spread
    • Second Place
    • Ibis Yearbook
  • Best Opinion Column
    • Honorable Mention
    • The Miami Hurricane
  •  

February 2025

Gold Winners:

  • Sarita Dip House – Brand Identity Campaign by Sara Kelly
  • Airbnb Gather – Digital Brand Experience by Abby Pak, Annie Volpe, Amber Quettan, and Sara Kagan

Silver Winners:

  • Takt Men’s Skincare – Brand Identity Campaign by Abby Pak, Cayla Todes, and Sara Kagan 
  • The Baddest Duo – Brand Activation by Abby Pak, Amber Quettan, and Veronica Benarroch  
  • Polaroid Strut Down Memory Lane – Brand Activation by Alli Van Rossem and Maggie Dobra 
  • Vacation Sunscreen – Backyard Leisure– Photography Campaign by Lani Silsdorf

Gold Winners:

  • Nosestalgia – Allie Van Rossem and Maggie Dobra

faculty Awards

Randy Stano, Professor of Professional Practice of Journalism and Media Management

  • Lifetime Achievement in Scholastic Journalism – This award is given to a member or members of the scholastic journalism community who have spent their professional lives serving the educational ideals for which we all strive: teaching the importance of, and ultimately the preservation of, a free press in our democratic society.

Dr. Victoria Orrego Dunleavy, Associate Professor of Communication Studies

  • Awarded $50K for pilot study, “Implementation and Evaluation of a Pilot Group Prenatal Care Program to Address Bias and Improve Minority Maternal Health Outcomes.” This study introduces Group Prenatal Care (GPNC) to the Uhealth/Jackson health system, aiming to reduce clinician bias and improve maternal health outcomes for low-risk patients. GPNC has been proven effective in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity through increased patient-provider contact and diverse, patient-led group settings.

Nicholas Carcioppolo, Associate Professor of Communication Studies

  • Enhancing Early Detection of Nail Unit Malignancies: Educating Nail Technicians Through Advanced Certification and Health Communication Intervention – $30K Award

Rhonda Trust, Lecturer of Communication Studies

  • Social Media to Improve Recruitment in Clinical Studies and Community Health – $30K Award

Sanjeev Chatterjee, Professor of Cinematic Arts

  • NET-AI, an AI-informed, spatially explicit, social network-based communication simulation model designed to increase breast cancer clinical trial participation among underrepresented populations, specifically Black and Latino communities – $30K Award

Yanfang Wu, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Management

  • Leveraging Digital Social Influencer for Addressing Mental Health Challenges: A Social Media Messaging Approach – $1K Award

Edmund J. Talavera, Professor of Cinematic Arts

  • Addressing HEAT (Heat-Related Education & Awareness Together) – A Public Health Communication Campaign for Heat-Related Health Risks & Illnesses – $1K Award

Margaret Cardillo, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice of Cinematic Arts

  • Earned the top $50,000 prize from the Miami Film Festival’s The Louies competition, to create her upcoming documentary, “Jane Chastain: The Untold Story of the Nation’s First Female Sportscaster”