The Kansas Collegiate Media (KCM) Spring Conference took place April 21-22 in Wichita, Kansas, during which a host of awards were announced. These included the winners of overall publication, Journalist of the Year, copy editing and individual photography, design and writing competitions, among others.
The results of these contests are provided below.
Overall Awards
The overall awards recognized the top publications or student media outlets, judged as a whole. There were seven different divisions for this contest.
| Division | Publication Name | School Name | Award/Ranking |
| Yearbooks | The Sunflower | Emporia State University | 2nd Place |
| The Sapphire | Washburn University | All-Kansas | |
| Magazines | The Dragon’s Tale | Hutchinson Community College | 2nd Place |
| Indigo | Washburn University | All-Kansas | |
| 4-Year Private Online & Digital Media | Sterling College Observer | Sterling College | 2nd Place |
| The Baker Orange | Baker University | All-Kansas | |
| 4-Year Public Online & Digital Media | The Washburn Review | Washburn University | 3rd Place |
| University Daily Kansan | University of Kansas | 2nd Place | |
| The Sunflower | Wichita State University | All-Kansas | |
| 2-Year Newspapers | The Lantern | Butler Community College | 2nd Place |
| The Hutchinson Collegian | Hutchinson Community College | All-Kansas | |
| 4-Year Private Newspapers | The Spectator | McPherson College | 2nd Place |
| The Vantage | Newman University | All-Kansas | |
| 4-Year Public Newspapers | The Collegian | Kansas State University | 2nd Place |
| The Sunflower | Wichita State University | All-Kansas |
Journalist of the Year (JOY)
This award honors student journalists who have made exceptional contributions to their student media staff and collegiate journalism in Kansas during the academic year. Students are judged by the work they have done, and they compete against fellow journalists in their division, which is either a 2-year or a 4-year school.
| Division | Participant Name | School Name | Award/Ranking |
| 2-Year | Nina Becaro | Hutchinson Community College | 3rd Place |
| Carly Thompson | Hutchinson Community College | 2nd Place | |
| Ella Boozer | Butler Community College | 1st Place | |
| 4-Year | Meredith McCalmon | Kansas State University | 2nd Place |
| Mia Hennen | Wichita State University | 1st Place |
Copy Editing Contest
This is an on-site contest in which students can showcase their AP and current events knowledge.
| Participant Name | School Name | Award/Ranking |
| Courtney Lane | University of Kansas | 2nd Place |
| Mia Hennen | Wichita State University | 1st Place |
BIG-J Journalism Award
The BIG -J Journalism Award recognizes an individual or group of student journalists for exceptional and courageous work in the face of difficult or challenging circumstances. This award is determined by the KCM President.
Individual Awards
The individual awards recognized the best work by student journalists in areas of design, writing, photography, social media, multimedia, and advertising. For 2024, a combined 750 entries were submitted in the individual contest categories, and 251 of those entries earned awards.
In most cases, the submissions in each contest were organized by division (2-Year Newspaper, Magazine/Yearbook, 4-Year Private Newspaper, and 4-Year Public Newspaper). However, in order to maintain the integrity of the contests, competitions with fewer than 7 entries in a division were combined with another division, referred to as a “Circ Group.”
2024 KCM Individual Contest Results (final)
Corrections
If any names or other information is incorrect, please complete the form at the following link to submit a correction: 2024 KCM Contest Corrections