The Hustler won 35 national awards at the Fall National College Convention, taking home 26 College Media Association Pinnacle Awards and nine Associated College Press Individual Awards. The convention — the nation’s largest gathering of media students and journalists — was sponsored by ACP and CMA.
The Hustler as an organization won second-place Pinnacles in both the General Email Newsletter category for the weekly digest and the Sports Email Newsletter category for the weekly sports report. The Hustler also received an honorable mention in the Best Overall Campus Engagement category for hosting debates leading up to the Vanderbilt Student Government presidential election and an honorable mention for Best Website Front Page. The Hustler won second place in CMA’s Newspaper Website of the Year and third place in Best News Website Front Page.
For CMA awards, The Hustler competes in the division two category against other universities whose student enrollment is between 3,000 and 9,999.
Podcast
Podcasts Editor Jaylan Sims placed first in the Pinnacle Best Podcast category for his VU History episode analyzing the timeline of computer technology through the former Stevenson Library “Retro-computing” exhibit. Former Sports Editor Andrew Wilf and Deputy Sports Editor Henry Oelhafen received an honorable mention in the Pinnacle for Best Audio Sportscast category for their Live From West End podcast episode in which they interviewed Paul Finebaum. Wilf and Oelhafen’s podcast featuring Skip Bayless (B.A. ’74) received a Pinnacle honorable mention for Best Audio Talk/Entertainment Program.
Sports
The Hustler placed third in the Best Web Sports Section Pinnacle Award category. Wilf’s piece discussing Vanderbilt football’s offseason movements was awarded a second-place Pinnacle for Best Multimedia Sports Story. The fifth-place ACP Individual Award for Multimedia Story of the Year: Multimedia Sports Story went to Wilf’s Memorial Minutes piece. Wilf’s opinion piece on Mark Byington being hired as Vanderbilt’s Men’s Basketball head coach received an honorable mention in the Pinnacle Best Investigative Sports Story category. Former Deputy Sports Editor Anish Mago won a first-place Pinnacle for Best Sports Columnist for his Memorial Minutes pieces, and former Photography Director Josh Rehders won a first-prize Pinnacle Award in the Best Sports Feature Photo category for his “Commodores Go Dancing” photo.
News
The Hustler’s breaking coverage of the Kirkland Hall sit-in — written by Managing Editor Tasfia Alam, former Editorial Director Aaditi Lele, Data Editor Katherine Oung, former Editor-in-Chief Rachael Perrotta and former Photography Director Josh Rehders — won multiple awards. The piece won a first-place Pinnacle for Best Multi Outlet Breaking News Coverage, first-place ACP Individual Award for Story of the Year: Breaking News Story and an honorable mention Pinnacle for Best Breaking News Story. Senior Advisor Jorie Fawcett and Oung received first place for the Social Media Reporting Pinnacle for their coverage of the protest on X and Instagram, and Rehders won the Pinnacle for Best Breaking News Photo for his photograph of journalist Eli Motycka being arrested by VUPD.
Perrotta received an honorable mention Pinnacle for CMA’s Best News Package for her coverage of the rejection of several organizations from the Multicultural Leadership Council last spring. The package, written by Perrotta, featured a piece on the organizations that joined MLC and pieces on Vanderbilt United Mission for Relief and Development and Vanderbilt Students Supporting Israel being denied entry.
Perrotta’s piece on gender difference within admissions received an honorable mention Pinnacle for Best Enterprise Coverage of Diversity. Her piece on diversity in university admissions following the affirmative action ban was awarded second-place Individual Award for Story of the Year: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Reporting.
The Hustler also received second place in the Pinnacle Best General News Story category for Lele, Oung and Editorial Director Brina Ratangee’s piece about VUMC releasing patient records after a potential medical billing fraud investigation. A piece on VSG’s Fall 2023 expenditure report, written by Lele and Managing Editor Rhea Patney, won the Pinnacle for Best Multimedia News Story.
Opinion
Two pieces by The Hustler Opinion section were awarded ACP Individual Awards for Story of the Year: Column. Former Opinion Editor Zoe Abel’s piece, which won second place, discussed harassment faced by women on runs, and Staff Writer Olivia Chung’s piece on the university and Chancellor Daniel Diermier’s reactions to the drop in U.S. News rankings received an honorable mention.
A staff editorial, discussing Vanderbilt’s communication crisis, was awarded a second-place Pinnacle for Best Editorial, and an opinion piece by staff writer Pragya Shah on Vanderbilt’s climate change curriculum received an honorable mention ACP Individual Award for Story of the Year: Local Climate Change Reporting.
Additionally, Fawcett’s letter from the editor piece about finding courage as a student journalist and featuring a graphic by Graphics Editor Lexie Perez received an ACP honorable mention for Best Photo Illustration. Former Deputy Life Editor Isabella Bautista’s story about women in STEM received an honorable mention in ACP’s Multimedia Story of the Year: Blog category.
Data
The Class of 2027 First Year Survey, directed by Oung — which discussed data collected from students in the six categories of demographics, high school, admissions, college life, politics and lifestyle — received an honorable mention in the Pinnacle Best Multimedia Feature Story category. Additionally, The Class of 2023: Senior Survey piece focusing on demographics, life after Vanderbilt, experience on campus, lifestyle and politics received first place in the Interactive Graphic category of the ACP Individual Awards for Multimedia Story of the Year.
The Best Interactive Infographic third-place Pinnacle Award went to a data analysis piece on midterm exams by Oung, Ratangee and News Editor Jacob Stoebner, which analyzed the frequency and types of midterms in the Spring 2024 semester.
Photography
An honorable mention ACP Individual Award was also awarded for Multimedia Story of the Year: Photo Slideshow to Staff Photographer Harmony Wang’s story sharing photos and student descriptions of the African Student Union’s annual Harambee showcase.
Other VSC organizations
VandyRadio was awarded an honorable mention Pinnacle for Radio Station of the Year. The Vanderbilt Review received an honorable mention in the Pinnacle Literary Magazine of the Year category, and Sky Hooley of Vandy Radio received an honorable mention for the Best Audio Promo/PSA Pinnacle category.
Full list of awards
CMA Pinnacles
Best Overall Campus Engagement – Honorable mention: The Vanderbilt Hustler
General Email Newsletter – Second place: The Vanderbilt Hustler Digest
Sports Email Newsletter – Second place: The Vanderbilt Hustler Sports Report
Best Audio Sportscast – Honorable mention: “PODCAST: Paul Finebaum joins the show, talks new Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball head coach and Vanderbilt Football” by Andrew Wilf and Henry Oelhafen
Best Audio Talk/Entertainment Program – Honorable mention: “PODCAST: Skip Bayless joins the show, reflects on time at Vanderbilt” by Andrew Wilf and Henry Oelhafen
Best Podcast – First place: “VU History: The Retro-Computing Revolution” by Jaylan Sims
Best Breaking News Story – Honorable mention: “BREAKING: Divest Coalition protesters sit in at Kirkland Hall, at least seven suspended” by Tasfia Alam, Aaditi Lele, Katherine Oung, Rachael Perrotta and Josh Rehders
Best Editorial – Second place: “STAFF EDITORIAL: Vanderbilt, it’s past time to step up our crisis communication” by the Editorial Board
Best Enterprise Coverage of Diversity – Honorable mention: “It’s harder for women to get into Vanderbilt than men. Why?” by Rachael Perrotta
Best General News Story – Second place: “VUMC releases gender-affirming care patient records at behest of Tenn. attorney general amid ongoing fraud investigation” by Aaditi Lele, Katherine Oung and Brina Ratangee
Best Multimedia Feature Story – Honorable mention: “CLASS OF 2027 The First Year Survey” by Katherine Oung, Subha Mostafiz, Rhea Patney, Sofia El-Shammaa, Jacob Stoebner, Aaditi Lele, Chloe Whalen, Eleni Zerie and Brina Ratangee
Best Multimedia News Story – First place: “VSG releases fall 2023 expenditure report, launches new petition website” by Aaditi Lele and Rhea Patney
Best Multi Outlet Breaking News Coverage – First place: “BREAKING: Divest Coalition protesters sit in at Kirkland Hall, at least seven suspended” by Tasfia Alam, Aaditi Lele, Katherine Oung, Rachael Perrotta and Josh Rehders
Best News Package – Honorable mention: “Nine student organizations join MLC so far this semester, Students Supporting Israel denied entry,” “Vanderbilt United Mission for Relief and Development rejected from MLC” and “Students express varied reasons for rejecting Vanderbilt SSI from MLC, SSI says antisemitism motivated vote” by Rachael Perrotta
Best Social Media Reporting – First place: Jorie Fawcett and Katherine Oung for Kirkland Hall Protest coverage on X and Instagram
Best Interactive Infographic – Third place: “What is a midterm?” by Brina Ratangee, Jacob Stoebner, Katherine Oung and Coco Louie
Best News Website Front Page – Third place: The Vanderbilt Hustler
Best Website Front Page – Honorable mention: The Vanderbilt Hustler
Best Investigative Sports Story – Honorable mention: “WILF: Why the Mark Byington hire should bring donors back to Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball” by Andrew Wilf
Best Multimedia Sports Story – Second place: “Vanderbilt Football offseason transaction tracker” by Andrew Wilf
Best Sports Columnist – First place: “Memorial Minutes: Foot on the gas,” “Memorial Minutes: Bouncing back” and “Memorial Minutes: A season of promise” by Anish Mago
Best Web Sports Section – Third place: The Vanderbilt Hustler Sports
Best Breaking News Photo – First place: “Nashville Scene reporter arrested on campus, press denied entry to Kirkland Hall” by Josh Rehders
Best Photo Illustration – Honorable mention: “LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Finding courage in unlikely places” by Lexie Perez
Best Sports Feature Photo – First place: “Commodores Go Dancing” by Josh Rehders
Newspaper Website of the Year – Second place: The Vanderbilt Hustler
CMA Pinnacles for other VSC organizations
Radio Station of the Year – Honorable mention: VandyRadio
Best Audio Promo/PSA – Honorable mention: VandyRadio (Sky Hooley)
Literary Magazine of the Year – Honorable mention: The Vanderbilt Review
ACP Individual Awards
Multimedia Story of the Year: Blog – Honorable mention: “BAUTISTA: Stop telling women we don’t belong in STEM” by Isabella Bautista
Story of the Year: Column – Second place: “ABEL: Don’t kill me on my morning run” by Zoe Abel
Story of the Year: Column – Honorable mention: “CHUNG: Vanderbilt reveals its true colors after dropping in rank” by Olivia Chung
Story of the Year: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Reporting – Second place: “Diversity remains focus in Vanderbilt admissions post-affirmative action and 2024 U.S. News ranking” by Rachael Perrotta
Story of the Year: Local Climate Change Reporting – Honorable mention: “SHAH: Our climate curriculum is cursory — and that needs to change” by Pragya Shah
Story of the Year: Breaking News Story – First place: “BREAKING: Divest Coalition protesters sit in at Kirkland Hall, at least seven suspended” by Tasfia Alam, Aaditi Lele, Katherine Oung, Rachael Perrotta and Josh Rehders
Multimedia Story of the Year: Multimedia Sports Story – Fifth place: “Memorial Minutes: No quit, one potential firing” by Andrew Wilf, Nikita Rohila, Vince Lin and Rhea Patney
Multimedia Story of the Year: Interactive Graphic – First place: “Class of 2023: The Senior Survey” by Katherine Oung, Aaditi Lele, Brina Ratangee, Jacob Stoebner, Parker Smith, Rhea Patney and Subha Mostafiz
Multimedia Story of the Year: Photo Slideshow – Honorable mention: “IN PHOTOS: Harambee 2024” by Harmony Wang
