The Hearst Journalism Awards Program announced Brigham Young University’s Jeremy Harris as a finalist and fifth place winner in the 2014-2015 television broadcast features competition.
Harris was recognized alongside students from the University of Southern California, Arizona State University and the University of South Carolina, among others. The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and fully funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Annually, it awards up to $500,000 in scholarships, matching grants, stipends and intercollegiate awards for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, such as that showcased by Harris and others in the BYU program.
“Professor Chad Curtis talked to me about submitting some of my work, so we selected a few of my best stories to send in,” Harris said. “I had no idea what my chances were and I didn’t really know how many students I would be competing against. Several weeks later I got a packet in the mail that told me I had been selected.”
The top five television winners were selected from 76 entrants, representing 45 different schools. Harris credits his BYU education with giving him the skills necessary to compete at such a high, national level.
“The journalism program at BYU has held me to high standards since day one. My teachers have expected professional-level work at every level of the program,” Harris said. “Every time I would put a story together, Professors Curtis and Othello Richards would critique my work and point out anything I could have done better. This was critical in helping me learn, and ultimately allowed me to produce work that could compete at a national level.”
In preparation for the next phase of the competition, the top five television winners will submit additional entries for a semi-final round of judging, along with five winners from the second television competition. Following the semi-finals, five television finalists will be chosen to participate in the 2015 Championship in San Francisco, along with the radio, writing, photojournalism and multimedia finalists.
Harris is planning to graduate from BYU this year with a degree in Journalism. To see one of Harris’ program submissions, click here.