Minnesota State Moorhead Journalism Students Earn 37 Major Awards & Distinctions
More than a dozen Minnesota State Moorhead journalism students were recognized with 37 awards and distinctions at the 2025 Midwest Journalism Conference in Minneapolis.
Pictured above from left to right: Grace Schmidt, Jade Millner, Drew Berg, Chris Hovden, Jacob Anderson, Selah Jacoway, Nathan Coen, Nathan Stange, Mac Kunza, Dr. Aaron Quanbeck
The university’s student-produced Campus News is once again recognized as a top program in the Midwest, having received awards from three major broadcasting organizations.
- Campus News earned first place in the morning newscast category of the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association (MBJA) Eric Sevareid Awards, which cover Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska.
- The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) also awarded Campus News best all-around student news magazine in its Mark of Excellence Region 6 Awards. First-place winners advance to the national competition. Region 6 includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- The Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) honored Campus News with a Crystal Pillar in the college magazine program category. Its Upper Midwest Chapter spans Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Moorhead students also earned individual awards across all three contests. Senior Chris Hovden won eight awards, including first place in Broadcast Writing and Investigative categories from the MBJA. Dr. Aaron Quanbeck’s Broadcast Journalism class students also won radio awards, including Nathan Coen for SPJ’s radio feature category. In total, MSUM students received 18 Sevareid Awards, 15 SPJ Awards, and four Crystal Pillars.
Dr. Quanbeck, Program Director for Campus News, said the recognition reflects the high quality of the students’ work. “It’s gratifying to see our students’ stories stand out among programs from much larger schools,” he said.
Campus News airs on Prairie Public Television on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. during the spring semester and has been broadcast since the early 1980s. Archived stories are available at youtube.com/MSUMCampusNews.
MBJA also recognized “The Pioneer Barber,” a documentary from Kevin Wallevand’s class, with an Award of Merit. NATAS awarded a Crystal Pillar to Quanbeck’s video production class students for a PSA on limiting screen time. All three PSAs were nominated.
Finalists and winners for awards are as follows:
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards
Best All-Around Television News Magazine
Winner: Campus News 4-27-24 – Link to Newscast
Radio Feature
Winner: Nathan Coen – College Hunting Group – Link to story
Radio In-Depth Reporting
Winner: Selah Jacoway– International Student Challenges – Link to story
Radio News Reporting
Winner: Kassidy Wendt – Red River Farmers Market – Link to story
Finalist: Nathan Stange – Caffeine and College Students
TV Feature Reporting
Winner: Alex Sapp – Campus News: 40 Years – Link to story
Finalist: Drew Berg – MSUM Speech Clinic
Finalist: Chris Hovden – Riley Gaines Visits NDSU
TV General News Reporting
Winner: Chris Hovden – MSUM Network Outage – Link to story
Finalist: Katlyn Haugrud – Period Products
TV Sports Reporting
Winner: Josh Boyko – NDSU Pro Day – Link to story
Finalist: Jacob Anderson – Concordia Track Twins
Sports Videography
Winner: Bella Ternes – MSUM Netball Club – Link to story
Finalist: Bella Ternes – NDSU Esports Lab
News Videography
Finalist: Hunter Schwartz – MState Power Sports
Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association Eric Sevareid Awards
TV Morning Newscast
First Place: Campus News 4-27-24
Radio – Audio
First Place: Nathan Coen – College Hunting Group
TV Broadcast Writing
First Place: Chris Hovden – Chris Hovden Composite
Radio Broadcast Writing
Award of Merit: Nathan Coen – College Hunting Group
Radio DEI Reporting
Award of Merit: Selah Jacoway – International Student Challenges
TV DEI Reporting
Award of Merit: Katlyn Haugrud – Period Products
TV Documentary / Special
Award of Merit: F23 Documentary Class – The Pioneer Barber – Link to documentary
TV General Reporting
Award of Merit: Chris Hovden – MSUM Network Outage
Award of Merit: Drew Berg – MSUM Speech Clinic
TV Hard Feature
Award of Merit: Chris Hovden – Riley Gaines Visits NDSU
TV Investigative
First Place: Chris Hovden – Fake IDs – Link to story
TV Soft Feature
Award of Merit: Alex – Campus News: 40 Years
TV Sports Reporting
First Place: Jacob Anderson – Concordia Track Twins – Link to story
Award of Merit: Jacob Anderson – MSUM Netball Club
Radio Sports Reporting
Award of Merit: Mac Kunza – Redshirt Freshmen
TV Sportscast / Program
Award of Merit: Campus News Sportscast 4-13-24
TV Videojournalism
Award of Merit: Bella Ternes – NDSU Esports Lab
TV Weather Feature
First Place: Coleman Rehder – The Not-So-Freezeathon
NATAS Upper Midwest Student Production Awards
College Magazine Program
Crystal Pillar – Campus News 4-13-24
College Writer
Crystal Pillar – Chris Hovden Composite
College Hard News Report
Crystal Pillar – MSUM Network Outage
Public Service Announcement
Crystal Pillar – Andrew Dehkes, Ash Davis, Isaiah Stetz, Elizabeth Richter – Limiting Screen Time
Learn more about Moorhead’s School of Communication & Journalism: https://www.mnstate.edu/academics/colleges-schools/communication-journalism/