BVU Digital Media Students Earn 27 ICMA Honors Including First Amendment Award

Buena Vista University says its digital media students and faculty attended the Iowa College Media Association conference on February 5 and brought home 27 statewide accolades, including a major award for First Amendment advocacy and Overall Audio Excellence for KBVU, the university’s radio station. The university’s news release, posted February 10, also noted that BVU students earned nine first-place awards during the event.

KBVU’s Overall Audio Excellence honor was shared with Wartburg College because of a first-ever point tie for the contest, the release said. The tie highlights the strength of campus broadcasting at BVU and the region’s broader student media ecosystem, which includes BVTV and The Tack as training grounds for local storytellers and civic watchdogs.

Digital Media Professor Jerry Johnson framed the honors as recognition of the program’s craft and commitment. “We are always very proud when our students’ digital storytelling efforts are recognized with awards of excellence,” he said. Digital Media Professor Dr. Andrea Frantz emphasized why the First Amendment recognition matters beyond trophies, noting the scale of civic literacy challenges: “According to an annual survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, less than a third (30%) of Americans can name the majority of the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment,” and “It’s gratifying to know our students are creating stories that advance community members’ understanding of its role in our daily lives.”

BVU’s release named several explicit winners in online and multimedia categories. Fernanda Japa won first place for Best Feature Reporting. Lauren McCoy took first place for Best Print Design. Carter Soyer and Jaxon Van Pelt shared first place for Best Multimedia Storytelling Package, while Jaxon Van Pelt placed second in Best Online Investigative Reporting. Jacob Kriewald placed second for Best Multimedia Storytelling Package and earned an honorable mention for Best Photo Story/Essay. Carter Soyer received an honorable mention for Best Opinion Column, and Lauren McCoy and The Tack staff earned an honorable mention for Best Print Design.

Some local outlets reported different totals and dates. A Winterset Madisonian excerpt named Joshua Woolcott of Earlham among honorees and cited 30 awards from a Feb. 8 conference, while Storm Lake headlines suggested 33 awards and said a BVU junior was named Student Journalist of the Year. Those figures differ from BVU’s official release; ICMA’s full contest results and BVU’s complete award list are being consulted to reconcile the counts and any additional individual honors.

For Buena Vista County residents, the awards represent more than student achievement. Strong local media training strengthens civic oversight, improves access to reliable information on health and services, and builds pathways into journalism careers that serve rural communities. For more information or to request the full award list and photos, contact Morgan Wilson, Marketing & Communications Specialist, at 712.749.2068 or wilsonm2@bvu.edu.