The Miami Student takes home six awards from ONMAs

Staffers from The Miami Student attended the 2026 Ohio News Media Association (ONMA) Hooper and Collegiate Awards ceremony on March 26. The Student took home six awards, including first place for News Coverage and third place for Best Website.

The Student competed in Division A, which consists of student enrollment of 10,000 or more. The publication competed against 11 other collegiate newspapers overall in 10 categories, including local colleges such as Kent State University, Ohio University, University of Cincinnati and Bowling Green State University.

The Student took first place in the News Coverage category. One judge complimented the variety of topics The Student has covered over the last year, including “hard-hitting topics” such as sexual violence at Miami University.

“Every article felt like something I’d like to read as a student, and the stories are well written,” one judge said.

The Student was awarded second place in the Sports Coverage category. The judge noted a nice mix of game coverage and features.

“Love to read about the people behind the numbers,” one judge said.

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The Student was awarded third place in the In-Depth Reporting category for an article published last year by former Campus and Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh on sexual violence at Miami. One judge commented on the thoughtful writing regarding a harsh subject.

“The student journalist covered a challenging subject with a combination of frankness and sensitivity,” one judge said. “By highlighting multiple perspectives on a pervasive problem, the story is both educational and immediate.”

The Student was also awarded third place in the Arts and Entertainment category, with the award made out to Culture Editor Stella Powers and Campus and Community Editor Parker Green. One judge commented on how the pieces do an excellent job of immersing the reader into the event, making them feel like they are “actually in attendance, in the room, or on the red carpet at SNL50.”

“Strong graphic creation ability paired with extra details to help the reader not only understand the who or what, but the why and, above all, why it matters,” one judge said.

The Student was awarded third place in the Headline Writing category for the headline “Spilling the Tea: How a popular app has become a source of disinformation,” written by Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mahoney. One judge complimented the “simple, effective play on words that immediately lays out the story topic and goal of the piece.”

The Student was awarded third place in the Best Website category. One judge said the website had lots of information and was easy to navigate.

The Student will next travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for the regional Mark of Excellence Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists from April 10-11.

powerstj@miamioh.edu