Nine Alumni, Student Work Receive Arizona Press Club Awards

Nine University of Arizona School of Journalism alumni were announced as award winners in the Arizona Press Club’s 2024 journalism contest on September 17.

The alumni were recognized in seven award categories, including student features, in which all three awardees were recent graduates who reported for the School’s community newswire Arizona Sonoran News in 2024.

Alumni winners

Nick Oza Arizona Photojournalist of the Year

Third Place: Grace Trejo ('23), Arizona Daily Star

Personality profile/human interest reporting

First Place: Clara Migoya ('19 M.A.), Arizona Republic

Third Place: Samantha Callicutt ('25 M.A.), Arizona Luminaria

Photojournalism – Picture story

Third Place: Grace Trejo ('23), Arizona Daily Star

Photojournalism – News

Third Place: Grace Trejo ('23), Arizona Daily Star

Long-form audio storytelling

Third Place: Danyelle Khmara ('17), Arizona Public Media

Podcast

Third Place: Hannah Cree ('23), Danyelle Khmara ('17) and Katya Mendoza ('22 M.A.), Arizona Public Media

Student features

First Place: Analeise Mayor ('25 M.A.), Arizona Sonoran News

Second Place: Jackson Kimball ('24), Arizona Sonoran News

Third Place: Annabel Lecky ('25), Arizona Sonoran News

Adjunct instructor and Arizona Daily Star reporter Cathy Burch was also named a winner, placing third in the contest’s business reporting category. Former journalism adjunct Blake Morlock was recognized for his Tucson Sentinel opinion column.

Arizona Luminaria, co-founded by Irene McKisson ('03) and Becky Pallack, took the first-place prize for Community News Outlet of the Year. Tucson Sentinel, founded by former School of Journalism student Dylan Smith, placed second in the category.

Former student Hank Stephenson of the Arizona Agenda received a third-place award for political reporting.

The full list of 2024 Arizona Press Club award winners is available on the organization’s website.