Taylor Wooten, a 2022 graduate from Clarksville, captured first place in the Breaking News Category for her story on the 2022 transgender sports bill before the Indiana General Assembly. Alexa Shrake, a 2022 graduate from Martinsville, Isaac Gleitz, a 2023 graduate from Corydon, and Sydney Byerly, a senior from New Albany, claimed first place in the General News Category for their series onthe criminal case involving former Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar.

Shrake and Wooten are both reporters in Indianapolis, with Shrake covering law at the Indiana Lawyer and Wooten covering business developments at the Indiana Business Journal. Gleitz recently graduated with a double major in multimedia journalism and Spanish. Byerly will continue reporting for TheStatehouseFile. coming the fall, finishing her last year at Franklin College.

“I am extremely proud of these student journalists,” Franklin College President Kerry N. Prather said. “The journalism profession demands creativity, critical thinking and the pursuit of truth. They not only captured the essence of these qualities in their work but have also demonstrated the ability to navigate the evolving media landscape effectively. Their accomplishments will inspire future Franklin College journalism students.”

The awards honor the best in student journalism. Franklin College students competed against students from every other college or university in the country with an enrollment of less than 10,000. Winners were previously recognized by receiving first place in one of SPJ’s 12 regional competitions held earlier this spring. Each first-place regional winner then advanced to the national competition, where judges were to choose only those entries they felt were outstanding work worthy of national honor.

The students’ work will now advance to the MOEy Best in Show Award contest, SPJ’s top prize given to students at the Mark of Excellence Awards on June 17.