Hussman School's 'Cuba's New Wave' takes 1st place in 2017 Online Journalism Awards

For the third-straight year, the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media has made its name at the Online Journalism Awards. This time, it's "Cuba's New Wave" taking first place.

The multimedia documentary website won the 2017 David Teeuwen Student Journalism Award for large newsrooms, the Online News Association announced Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Online Journalism Awards banquet in Washington, D.C. The Online News Association Conference is one of the largest annual gatherings of digital journalists, culminating with its awards banquet.

"I think we are all thrilled about the award, and I am proud to have been a part of the project," said Paul Cuadros, a Hussman School associate professor and one of six coaches who led the project. "We’ll always remember the experience.”

"Cuba's New Wave" — which explored the youth culture in Cuba — was produced by 23 Hussman School students and six coaches who traveled to Havana, Cuba, during UNC's 2017 spring break. The documentary debuted at the FedEx Global Center on Tuesday, April 18, and features five stories — all of which incorporate writing, photos, videos and graphic illustrations into storytelling.

Nearly six months after its debut, it's an award-winning venture.

"To work on a team full of people who were all totally devoted to making 'Cuba's New Wave' exceptional was inspiring," said Blake Richardson, a current Hussman School senior who wrote one of the five stories. "We fed off of each other's energy and determination, and I believe that was why our work turned out so great.

"It completely changed the way I approach reporting stories."

"Cuba's New Wave" was born from Julian W. Scheer Term Professor Pat Davison's spring semester course, "MEJO 584: Documentary Multimedia Storytelling," a Hussman School course in which students spend a semester producing a documentary in an international location. Davison served as the executive director for the project.

In 2016, Davison led a team of 26 students to Bocas del Toro, Panama, to produce "Undercurrent 360" — detailing social and environmental changes in the region — which won the small newsroom award for Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling at the 2016 Online Journalism Awards.

The Hussman School was a finalist at the 2015 Online Journalism Awards for the Pro-Am Student Award with "Powering a Nation: Whole Hog, the Power of Pork," a multimedia documentary site focused on the energy dynamics of North Carolina's hog industry. That project was created by six students, three co-producers and four consultants, all from the Hussman School.

Want to see more from the team that created Cuba's New Wave? Check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.