Aidan Wirtz won the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Writing Award, for his story, Dancing Differently. Aidan originally wrote this story for his Enterprise Reporting and Writing class. It was later published by KRUI.

Members of the SJMC Professional Advisory Board serve as judges for the annual competition. 

The judges said, “we were truly impressed by the quality and caliber of writing on display. This piece stood out for many reasons, but the top was its immersive storytelling - it engaged all five senses and made us feel as though we were right there in the moment. While the subject matter itself was compelling, it was the strength and craft of the writing that truly brought it to life. This is clearly the work of a talented writer with a very bright future ahead. Well done.”

Aidan also received an honorable mention recognition for his story, When Purpose Outruns Pain, written for Sports Writing and published by KRUI

Isabella Tisdale received second place for her Daily Iowan story, Putting a Pin in Histor

Fatima Salinas Gutierrez received third place for her story, Against the Odds. Fatima wrote this piece for her Reporting and Writing class.

The Outstanding Achievement in Writing Award competition started in 2023 with the first award winners honored in 2024. It is a competitive award with 40+ submissions received and reviewed annually by professional advisory board members.