Student reporting excellence on display at Society of Professional Journalists awards

Student journalists from The State Press, the independent student news organization at Arizona State University, earned regional recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists with first-place awards and multiple finalist honors in the 2025 Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards. 

The annual competition recognizes the best collegiate journalism produced across Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Guam. This year, The State Press was honored in categories spanning campus reporting, investigative journalism, sports writing, arts reporting and illustration. 

One first-place award was in the Campus Reporting category, for an article produced by Ellis Preston, politics reporter, and Sophia Ramirez, managing editor. Their story, “Hundreds protest CRU at ASU event, in solidarity with immigrants and DACA students," documented a large demonstration on ASU’s Tempe campus after College Republicans United announced a tabling event encouraging students to report classmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Preston said the story represented one of the most challenging and meaningful reporting experiences of her college career. 

"There was a lot of pressure because everything had to be right. Hundreds of people were there seeing the exact same things I did, and I wanted to make sure I was accurately representing what happened and respecting everyone involved," she said. 

Preston and Ramirez were both assigned to cover the event shortly after learning about it through social media. They quickly shifted into reporting mode: planning their approach, conducting interviews, gathering perspectives from protesters and organizers, and documenting an event that would become a widely discussed story. 

The collaborative nature of the project played a significant role in its success. While Ramirez focused on broader event coverage, Preston sought out a different perspective to help bring depth to the story. 

"Sometimes when you're writing a story so quickly, it can end up being surface level," she said. "I think we got everything in there. It was a very thorough story, especially in the short time frame we had to report it."

The Campus Reporting award was one of the several honors earned by The State Press staff. 

In the In-Depth Reporting category, Evan Silverberg took home first place for “Leaving an Ara-mark,” examining the impact of campus dining provider Aramark and its relationship with the university. 

The State Press also earned finalist recognition in multiple categories. Daniela Torres Martinez was named a finalist in Sports Writing for her story examining how Teaching Professor Matthew McCarthy and his students helped Sun Devil Swimming and Diving break an attendance record. 

Lexi Janusee earned finalist honors in Arts and Fashion Journalism for "The punk publishing of college zines," a story exploring the culture and significance of independent student publishing. She shared that the assignment allowed her to combine her passion for art with reporting on a unique student community at ASU.

"It was so much fun to work on because I love art, and that's kind of my beat," Janusee said. "I heard about zines, which are kind of like little magazines that students make, and I talked to students, alumni and a professor who teaches a class about them. It was really cool to get to see some of the more niche sides of ASU."

Caitlin Hawkinson was recognized as a finalist in Illustration for her work accompanying "Corridos y Coachella: Latino music is back and breaking language barriers." Hawkinson shared that illustrating stories for The State Press allowed her to combine creativity with journalism while helping draw readers into stories.

"I had a really great time being an illustrator and getting to use my artistic skills for something that felt meaningful," Hawkinson said. "I was able to support the article by creating a header that people would see and want to click on to read more."

Preston said the recognition reflects the dedication of the student journalists who power the newsroom each day. 

"We all sacrifice a lot of time to make sure our work is impactful and good," Preston said. "It definitely makes it feel worth it to get recognized on this level, especially by the Society of Professional Journalists."