2019 SIPA’s Best Writing Contest

March 3, 2019

Broadcast

Academic Script

First Place – Courtney Smith, “The Buzz TV,” Fort Mill HS
Second Place – Grayson Smith, “The Buzz TV,” Fort Mill HS
Third Place – Gabrielle Greenley, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS

News Script

First Place – Cassidy Burns, “The Buzz TV,” Fort Mill HS
Second Place – Grayson Smith, Cassidy Burns and Courtney Smith, “The Buzz TV,” Fort Mill HS
Third Place – Rashaun Tobias, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS

PSA

First Place – Caleb Daniels and Wade Fletcher, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Jamie Collins and Rashaun Tobias,”RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Yasmin Lee, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS

Sports Script

First Place – Caleb Daniels and Wade Fletcher, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Kirslyn Gunter, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Kevin Mueller, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS

Literary Magazine

Drama

First Place – Darius Adamson, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Chloe Grant, Catharsis, Coral Gables Senior HS
Third Place – Angie Villalobos, Catharsis, Coral Gables Senior HS

Poetry

First Place – Chloe Grant, Catharsis, Coral Gables Senior HS
Second Place – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Raegan Craddock, Voices, Nation Ford HS

Prose Fiction and Narrative

First Place – Claude Hejl, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – Allyson Turino, Catharsis, Coral Gables Senior HS
Third Place – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS

Prose Non-Fiction

First Place – Preston Lyerly, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – Ana Rodriguez, Catharsis, Coral Gables Senior HS
Third Place – Tristin Holley, Voices, Nation Ford HS

Review

First Place – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Emily Nagel, Voices, Nation Ford HS

Newspaper

Editorial Column

First Place – Katie Grace Upchurch, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Gaby Paez, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Third Place – Franklin Wei, Northwest Horizons, Northwest Guilford HS

Staff Editorial

First Place – Nighthawk News Magazine staff, First Flight HS
Second Place – Olivia Watts, The Shield, McCallum HS
Third Place – The Dispatch staff, James Bowie HS

Entertainment/Feature Column

First Place – Morgan Carpenter, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Second Place – Haley Havelock, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Claudia Martinez, Crimson Crier, Sparkman HS
Honorable Mention – Angela Seo, Northwest Horizons, Northwest Guilford HS

Feature Story

First Place – Sophie Ryland, The Shield, McCallum HS
Judge’s comments: “It’s not a “sexy” topic, but this piece on Community College is so well-written and researched. The story is personal with excellent quotes and yet informative with expert sources and national stats to give the big picture. With rising costs of college, this story is a real service to readers. This journalist knows how to do the legwork, pack a story with valuable information, and also how to tell a story – not just write an article – which is tricky sometimes with a topical feature. Nice job on AP style as well. It’s this attention to detail and a feel for how to grab a reader and make them care about the topic that sets this story apart. Very professional.”
Second Place – Abby Ong, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS
Judge’s comments: Freedom of the press and free speech is, of course, a critical topic – especially today, and especially for all of us in scholastic journalism. This well-researched article could be used as a primer for teaching press law in classrooms. Well-written, this piece does an excellent job of informing readers in an in-depth and broad way on the topic. The journalist addresses both national issues and localizes the story, and the subheads are definitely needed. A lot of hard work went into researching this piece. Impressive. Suggestion: Because it begins almost like a textbook or with what is likely to be common knowledge, you might grab readers to begin with an overall lead – more of a delayed (feature) lead, perhaps even a quote – to hook readers with the promise of why this story affects the reader right away. Then go for the subheads. This topic has plenty of drama and conflict to grab readers (as opposed to the review of First Amendment law.) Hook, then back up and explain, then get to the conflict and drama of real lives being affected by prior review.
Third Place – Max Nevins, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Judge’s comments: The story is an eye-opener, and a source willing to go on the record speaks to the trust this reporter can engender in sources. This story is more than a profile, however, and it focuses on the issue and how the school both is and is not aware of the problem. At least three sources and the article also tells a dramatic story of the real challenges of a young person without painting her in a solely positive light – she’s real, bravery and blemishes, perseverance and pain. Homelessness as a topic can seem like a list of stats, but this story makes it real and personal. Well-written, though there is an opportunity here for a more dramatic delayed lead. Nice job – and a service to the community.

News Feature

First Place – Madison Olsen, The Shield, McCallum HS
Judge’s comments: A wide variety of student perspectives and personal connections to the issue make this story stand out.
Second Place – Rosemary Delamater, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Judge’s comments: The opening personal story and other anecdotes humanize the topic well.
Third Place – Cooper Lockett, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Judge’s comments: This interview with the brother of a school shooting victim shows an emotional side to this national story.

News Story

First Place – Sophie Ryland, The Shield, McCallum HS
Second Place – Molly Archer, The Charger, Oxford HS
Third Place – Katie Holme, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS
Honorable Mention – Aidan Downey, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS

Personality Feature

First Place – Haley Havelock, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Second Place – Maddy Rice, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS
Third Place – Elena Gilbertson Hall, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS

Review

First Place – Anya Lomsadze, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Second Place – Eva Chillura, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Bonnie Zhang, The Eagle, East Mecklenburg HS
Honorable Mention – Camryn Teder, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS

Sports Column

First Place – Julie Robertson, The Shield, McCallum HS
Judge’s comments: You do a nice job here of diving into a complicated issue with a great scene-setter style of lede that explains WHY what you are about to argue about is so important. Great job!
Second Place – Mackenzie Caudill, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Steven Tibbets, The Shield, McCallum HS

Sports Feature

First Place – Gabby Norman, Kingwood Park Times, Kingwood HS
Second Place – Alexander Robinson, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Will McFarlane, Nighthawk News, First Flight HS

Sports Story

First Place – Rosemary Delamater, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Judge’s comments: Despite some little things in this story, you told an interesting story with a lot of different perspectives and had a really fun lede, and that put you over the top!
Second Place – Alexander Robinson, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Andrea Matta-Castillo, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS

Online

Alternative Storytelling

First Place – Hannah Miller, hhsmedia, Harrisonburg HS
Second Place – Charlie Holden, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Third Place – Hannah Elliott, Panoptic online, Lee County HS

Blog

First Place – Mackenzi NierDuffy, Tribal Tribune online, Wando HS
Second Place – Nicole Prus, PHS News, HB Plant HS
Third Place – Edwin Gately, Tribal Tribune online, Wando HS

Features

First Place – Addie Robey, PHS News, H.B. Plant HS
Second Place – Tyler Jones, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Third Place – Sophie Ryland, The Shield online, McCallum HS

Investigative Story

First Place – Sophie Ryland, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Second Place – Tanya Raghu, Coppell Student Media, Coppell HS
Third Place – Kelsey Tasch, The Shield online, McCallum HS

News

First Place – Ana Aldridge, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Haley Medeiros, Eagle Nation Online, Prosper HS
Third Place – Sydney Thompson, Northwest Horizons online, Northwest Guilford HS

Personality Feature

First Place – Bella Russo, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Second Place – Maddie Moats, Eagle Nation Online, Prosper HS
Third Place – Liz Hipes, Tribal Tribune online, Wando HS

Reviews

First Place – Audrey Enghauser, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Mackenzie Caudill, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Anthony Cesario, Coppell Student Media, Coppell HS

Sports

First Place – Julie Robertson, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Judge’s comments: “This is a wonderfully detailed story with tons of quotes that let people tell the story about the coaching change.”
Second Place – DayOnna Carson, The Central Digest, Chattanooga Central HS
Third Place – Maya Waid, Juju Butler and Lucia Gable, hhsmedia, Harrisonburg HS

Photo Cutlines

Feature Cutline

First Place – Kelly Fulford, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Avery Householder, Beacon, Calvary Day School
Third Place – Abby Hunsinger, Beacon, Calvary Day School

News Cutline

First Place – Madison Olsen, The Knight, McCallum HS
Second Place – Preston Rolls, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS
Third Place – Krista Shumaker, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS

Sports Cutline

First Place – Kelly Fulford, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Shelby Foster, The Prowler News, Starr’s Mill HS
Third Place – Austyn Keelty, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS

Yearbook

Academic Copy

First Place – Haley Burke, Beacon, Calvary Day School
Second Place – Avery Householder, Beacon, Calvary Day School
Third Place – Editorial board, Trojan, Lee County HS

Ads/Community Copy

First Place – Grace Brady and Olivia Watts, The Knight, McCallum HS
Second Place – Gracie Boyce, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Kelsey Tasch, The Knight, McCallum HS

Groups Copy

First Place – Georgia Boutot and Celeste Montes de Oca, The Knight, McCallum HS
Second Place – Ella Irwin and Abby Robison, The Knight, McCallum HS
Third Place – Emily Duncan, Trojan, Lee County HS

People Copy