News
UNC Hussman students set new record for international design competition awards
For the 16th consecutive year, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media students earned the most awards in the Society for News Design International Student Competition. UNC Hussman and Carolina students set a new record this year with 30 awards, the most earned by any university in the history of the competition. The school previously set the record with 27 awards in 2014.
Sixteen awards were earned by students in classes taught by Walter Spearman Distinguished Professor Terence Oliver, who has led the school’s participation in the competition through the extended run of success.
“When I arrived at UNC-Chapel Hill 16 years ago, I could not have imagined a moment like this. Year after year, I am amazed at how our students push themselves to think deeper, work harder, and create at a truly world class level. That commitment has led to a sustained run of recognition and reflects the culture of excellence we have embraced,” said Oliver. “Watching them grow into professionals who can stand with the best anywhere in the world is deeply meaningful. In many ways, it feels like being a proud father, not only of this group, but of the many who have come before them and continue to carry high standards forward. Winning these awards is meaningful, but it also raises the standard for who these students are becoming.”
This year, Oliver’s students were recognized for individual projects, magazine covers and team publications including:
Democracy in America Explained — Khristine Bautista ’26 (Award of Excellence)
The Philippine Tarsier — Khristine Bautista ’26 (Award of Excellence)
Political Polarization — Sara Fenwick ’27 and Ella Hardin ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Tiramisu portfolio — Daneen Khan ’27 (Bronze Medal)
The Decline of Democracy cover — Daneen Khan ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Meet the Tiger — Daneen Khan ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The Loneliness Epidemic cover — Carter Loftin ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The Plastic Era — Nora Lyons ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Soft Tofu Soup — Nilin Ni ’26 (Award of Excellence)
Man’s Best Friend — Nilin Ni ’26 (Award of Excellence)
The Secret Life of Figs — Sofia Strickland ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The tale of two elephants — Erin Wadsworth ’22 (Award of Excellence)
Leopards — Lola White ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The Decline of Democracy magazine — MEJO 484 (Award of Excellence)
The Loneliness Epidemic — MEJO 484 (Award of Excellence)
Rewind Magazine — MEJO 683 (Award of Excellence)
Democracy Explained — Khristine Bautista ’26 (Award of Excellence)
Philippine Tarsier — Khristine Bautista ’26 (Award of Excellence)
Political Polarization — Sara Fenwick ’27 and Ella Hardin ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Tiramisu portfolio — Daneen Khan ’27 (Bronze Medal)
The Decline of Democracy cover — Daneen Khan ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Meet the Tiger — Daneen Khan ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The Loneliness Epidemic cover — Carter Loftin ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The Plastic Era — Nora Lyons ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Soft Tofu Soup — Nilin Ni ’26 (Award of Excellence)
Man’s Best Friend — Nilin Ni ’26 (Award of Excellence)
The Secret Life of Figs — Sofia Strickland ’27 (Award of Excellence)
The tale of two elephants — Erin Wadsworth ’22 (Award of Excellence)
Leopards — Lola White ’27 (Award of Excellence)
Other awards earned by student teams and international and capstone projects included:
The World of Barbie — Daneen Khan ’27, Adjunct Instructor Okirah Harris’ class (Award of Excellence)
The Beatles — Nora Lyons ’27, Adjunct Instructor Brendan McKenna’s class (Award of Excellence)
Walk in Their Footprints — Nora Lyons ’27, Adjunct Instructor Alexandra Hehlen’s class (Award of Excellence)
Almas al Viento — “MEJO 584: International Projects” led by Professor Pat Davison and coached by Associate Professor Paul Cuadros (Award of Excellence)
Floodlines — Carolina Photojournalism Workshop, led by Professor Pat Davidson (Bronze Medal)
World of Barbie — Daneen Khan ’27, Okirah Harris’ class (Award of Excellence)
Beatles — Nora Lyons ’27, Adjunct Instructor Brendan McKenna’s class (Award of Excellence)
Walk in Their Footprints — Nora Lyons ’27, Adjunct Instructor Alexandra Hehlen’s class (Award of Excellence)
Almas al Viento — MEJO 584 International Projects class, coached by Associate Professor Paul Cuadros (Award of Excellence)
Floodlines — Carolina Photojournalism Workshop, led by Professor Pat Davidson (Bronze Medal)
Nine awards recognized work produced by The Daily Tar Heel:
Back on Track (Two Awards of Excellence)
Defending the Dome (Award of Excellence)
Game Day in the Dome (Award of Excellence)
Tar Heels Rebuilt (Award of Excellence)
The Free Speech Issue (Three Awards of Excellence)
Portfolio — Grace Davidson ’26 (Bronze Medal)
Back on Track (Two Awards of Excellence)
Defending the Dome (Award of Excellence)
Game Day in the Dome (Award of Excellence)
Tar Heels Rebuilt (Award of Excellence)
The Free Speech Issue (Three Awards of Excellence)
With another year leading the field, UNC Hussman continues its long‑standing tradition of excellence in the Society for News Design international competition. This year’s results reflect the breadth of student work across visual journalism, magazine design and multimedia storytelling.
UNC Hussman alumni were also recognized among this year’s honorees including Hailey Haymond ’21 who was selected as the World’s Best Emerging Designer and Monica Ulmanu ’10 (M.A.) who won gold for her visual editing portfolio. The full list of award-winning entries is available through the Society for News Design and the official competition awards database.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The Society for News Design (SND) Best of News Design is a juried competition recognizing excellence in print and digital storytelling, graphics and social media. The goal behind the awards is to identify the best visual journalism, data visualization and storytelling that propels innovation and defines the highest standard in the industry. Winning entries are recognized with Awards of Excellence as well as gold, silver and bronze medals.
