Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: UT-Austin Entry Title: Sacred Springs Powwow Entry Credit: Patrick Davis Judge Comment: This story made excellent use of audio from the powwow. The music sounded incredible. I really enjoyed how the story dived into a variety of aspects of powwows and native culture, exploring storylines that often are glossed over, such as the relationship between North and South tribes.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Abilene Christian Entry Title: West Texas landowners can get federal money to clear invasive plants to fight drought Entry Credit: Sheridan Wood Judge Comment: This short story accomplished a lot. The reporter gathered a diverse set of voices to deliver a nuanced story.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: UT-Rio Grande Valley Entry Title: Revisiting Rusteberg Hall four months later Entry Credit: Timothy Chapman Judge Comment: This was an engaging piece of accountability journalism.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: UT-Rio Grande Valley Entry Title: The reality of immigration Entry Credit: Fernanda Gonzalez Judge Comment: Excellent sourcing in this piece, but I think it would have been nice to zoom in on one particular piece of the family's story to tell. Also, it needed an explanation for why the family was anonymous.
