Two University of Nebraska–Lincoln students earned recognition in the Hearst Journalism Awards multimedia narrative storytelling competition on Dec. 20.

Naomi Delkamiller, a junior advertising and public relations and journalism major from Omaha, placed 12th. Her winning entry, “Restrictions at Catholic hospitals reduce abortion access, even in blue states,” was published as part of the News21 project on Aug. 12, 2023.

Anne Gallagher, a May 2023 graduate from Bellevue who majored in broadcasting, placed 17th. Her winning entry, “How JUUL impacted the evolution of the vaping epidemic in Nebraska, U.S.,” was published on the Nebraska News Service on May 13, 2023.

The Hearst awards annually recognize the best college journalism, including feature writing, investigative journalism, photojournalism, multimedia, television and audio. Entries are evaluated based on their reporting, crafting, creativity and economy of expression. The multimedia narrative storytelling competition drew entries from 52 universities nationwide, with 20 finalists selected from 85 submissions.

“Naomi and Anne’s remarkable achievements underscore our commitment to nurturing journalistic excellence at UNL,” said Shari Veil, dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. “We take immense pride in celebrating their success.”

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to support, encourage and recognize journalism students across the United States. The program awards more than $700,000 in scholarships and grants annually, and its competitions in writing, photojournalism and broadcasting are among the most prestigious in the country.