IU student wins highest college journalism award

For the first time in 51 years, an IU student has won the Hearst National Writing Championship -- an award IU School of Journalism Dean Brad Hamm has called the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism.

Senior Danielle Paquette won the contest, earning a $5,000 prize and a medallion.

Caitlin Johnston, a recent IU graduate, won second place and Caitlin Keating, another IU graduate, also competed.

After months of smaller contests in varying categories, the winners of those were invited to the main event in San Francisco.

Paquette, Johnston and Keating were among those chosen, and most of their award-winning stories were originally published in the Indiana Daily Student or Inside Magazine.

They were selected from 631 entries across 91 accredited journalism schools throughout the nation.

Paquette won first in the personality/profile competition for her story, “The Shepard’s Lamb.”

Johnston placed first in the opinion writing competition for her piece “The home front,” and Keating placed second in the spot news writing competition for her coverage of a shooting in a Martinsville middle school.

Once in San Francisco, the students had to write three stories. One of which was a 1,000-word profile of California Attorney General Kamala Harris; another was a press conference-style interview with Harris.

The final story was a 750-word on-the-spot article based on a topic announced just before the students had to report on it.

“It was incredible,” Paquette said. “I’ve never lost so much sleep over a story. But the feeling of knowing hard work paid off can’t be topped. I’m ready for the next adventure.”