The William Randolph Hearst Foundation has announced the 29 journalism students representing 16 universities from across the country who will compete in the 65th annual National Championships, held in San Francisco,
May 31 – June 6, 2025.
These finalists’ monthly competition entry submissions were selected as the best from the 1,260 entries received in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program this year and qualified them for the Championships. During the Championships, the finalists will fulfill spot assignments selected by our media professional judges, vying for scholarship awards of $1,500 to $10,000 in each category. We congratulate the 2025 National Championship Finalists!
Writing Finalists
Sophia Abolfathi, University of Florida
Marshall Baker, Arizona State University
Nicole Blevins, Indiana University
Lauren Brensel, University of Florida
Madison Holcomb, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jami Martin-Trainor, University of Iowa
Rylie Oswald, University of Kansas
Ashton Slaughter, Oklahoma State University
Photo Finalists
Emilee Arnold, Western Kentucky University
Chad Cushing, University of Kansas
Abbey Cutrer, University of Kentucky
Ellie Kollme, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cara Penquite, University of Missouri
Audio Finalists
Julia Boboc, University of Oregon
Pierce Gentry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Blake Mace, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Layli Nazarova, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Henry Taylor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Television Finalists
Denzen Cortez, Arizona State University
Samantha Hoffman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nathan Lee, University of Missouri
Ricky Podgorski, University of Maryland
Karina Prieto, Michigan State University
Multimedia Finalists
Faith Cabalum, Michigan State University
Max Feliu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brett Phelps, Western Kentucky University
Madeline Powell, Western Kentucky University
Hannah Zinn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Podcast Finalist
Sarah Ellis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Presently, 105 colleges and universities with accredited undergraduate journalism schools are eligible to participate in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Funded and administered for 65 years by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the Journalism Program awards up to $700,000 in scholarships, grants and stipends annually.