The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is accepting nominations for the 2025 Outstanding Achievement in Writing Award. 

First place will receive $2000; second place will receive $1000; and third place will receive $500. 

The purpose of the award is to recognize high-quality writing by students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and to encourage and showcase such work. To be eligible for the award, the student must be a current undergraduate Journalism and Mass Communication major in good academic standing. 

The award will recognize high-quality writing completed in a JMC course, published in The Daily Iowan, and/or written for an outside publication/media outlet. 

Entries may be submitted by the writer (self-nomination), a journalism educator or a person associated with the publication in which the work appeared. Entries produced between January 1, 2024, and February 28, 2025, are eligible for submission. Submissions from previous years will not be accepted.

Submissions can be breaking news, feature stories, investigative work, commentary, sports, or other nonfiction writing. While good reporting likely will be part of the work, the quality of writing is the key factor in the award. 

To be considered: Complete the nomination form and submit your entry. If the submission is a piece of writing that was published online, please export it as a PDF and upload it with the submission. Limit of two entries per writer. 

Members of the SJMC Professional Advisory Board will review submissions and determine the winners. 

Deadline: March 1, 2025 by 5 p.m. (central time)

Winners will be recognized at the SJMC student exhibition and scholarship event on April 10, 2025.

2024 Outstanding Achievement in Writing Award Winners

• Jami Martin-Trainor, 1st place
• Campbell Wood, 2nd place
• Parker Jones, 3rd place
• Jordan Barry and Virginia Russell, honorable mention