General Column ( Division 1)
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- Place Name: First Place
Contestant Name: A&M-College Station
Entry Title: Portrait of a tradition on fire
Entry Credit: Joshua Abraham
Judge Comment: Wow. Just wow. Joshua Abraham knows how to make an argument, write a narrative and probably compelling kinesiology papers too. Writing from experience with an Aggie-like passion, his argument for something as minute as a ticket pulling system should be read by the administration just because of its readability and voice, and of course its argument.
- Place Name: Second Place
Contestant Name: Texas Tech Toreador Media
Entry Title: Gatto transcends 'Jokers'
Entry Credit: Nathan Kenison
Judge Comment: The snappy, engaging opening guides a great review that remains clear and never lacks focus. Kenison’s a punchy writer, but brings some sort of affection too, balancing his voice with the message he wants to convey. In in this dissection of one stand-up routine, he explores comedy, personality and ultimately reveals what makes a great performance.
- Place Name: Third Place
Contestant Name: Baylor
Entry Title: Running shouldn't be a death sentence
Entry Credit: Jenna Fitzgerald
Judge Comment: Laken Riley found her place in the partisan echo chamber because an undocumented immigrant murdered her. But as Jenna Fitzgerald writes, Riley was an avid jogger who was murdered like other young women while jogging. She integrates her personal experience into a well-researched call to action and amplifies the existing ones. Many of these women were murdered on or near a college campus. It’s fitting for the venue then. That is, a college campus. Fitzgerald did a lot of great things here, and we should all be thankful she wrote it.
- Place Name: Honorable Mention
Contestant Name: Texas State
Entry Title: Gentrification threatens SMTX neighborhood
Entry Credit: Nikita Arefiev
Judge Comment: Gentrification threatens SMTX neighborhood is a fantastic example of localizing national issues like affordable housing and gentrification and the oft-fraught balance of town-gown relations. This deeply researched and no-bars-held contribution shows Nikita Arefiev is already a rockstar as a sophomore and needs to keep writing.
- Competition Comment: This was tough to judge but worth the struggle. The opportunity to read so many well thought out opinions from journalism students and those in other fields was a delight. That made choosing the top entries difficult, but worth the struggle.
