A Buena Vista University (BVU) senior from Glidden has been named the Pat Pisarik Student Journalist of the Year through the Iowa College Media Association (ICMA). Carter Soyer, a Digital Media major at BVU, was presented the award during the ICMA conference on Feb. 6, alongside eight of his peers to bring back 25 statewide accolades, including the First Amendment advocacy award. The Pat Pisarik Student Journalist of the Year award is given to a student journalist serving in collegiate media over the past year with outstanding work, representing the role of the press as unbiased contributors to democracy and a voice of the marginalized, as the late Pat Pisarik, founding member of the ICMA and journalism professor at Loras College, believed. Professor of Digital Media, Dr. Andrea Frantz, says, “Carter’s leadership and work ethic have been outstanding across all media platforms at BVU, so it is especially gratifying to see him recognized with this top statewide honor.” Soyer’s nomination required an essay discussing why he should be considered, a nominating letter from a media advisor, a portfolio of work produced in the last year, and an interview with ICMA board members. Soyer says, “I am honored to be selected for this award and very thankful to everyone who has been part of this journey thus far.” Iowa colleges and universities, with student media outlets, participate in the ICMA journalism contest, with entries judged by newspaper, radio, and television professionals. BVU students earned seven first-place awards in categories such as video long-form documentary, podcast series, and more. A full list of BVU award winners from ICMA has been included below.
Online/Multimedia:
• First Place-Best Multimedia Slideshow: Lauren McCoy, Dee Merriman, and Zoe Etter
• Second Place-Best Multimedia Storytelling Package: Carter Soyer and Madisen Betcher
• Second Place-Best Multimedia Slideshow: Carter Soyer, Joel Sikora, and Sieger Canney
• Second Place-Best Staff Editorial: Dee Merriman and Tack Staff
• Honorable Mention-Best Review: Joshua Woolcott
• Honorable Mention-Best Feature Photo: Madisen Betcher
• Honorable Mention-Best Multimedia Storytelling Package: Carter Soyer and Lauren McCoy
Audio:
• First Place-Best PSA: Lauren McCoy and Caitlyn Ebert
• First Place-Best Podcast: Joceline Medina
• First Place-Best Creative Audio: Lauren McCoy and Carter Soyer
• Second Place-Best Podcast: Carter Soyer
• Second Place-Best News Programming: Carter Soyer, Joshua Tigges, Joshua Woolcott, and Abby Kraft
• Second Place-Best Promo: Abby Kraft
• Third Place-Best PSA: Carter Soyer
• Third Place-Best News Programming: Joceline Medina, Joel Sikora, and Jaxon Van Pelt
• Third Place-Best Sports Show: Jaxon Van Pelt and Nolan Faber
• Third Place-Best Long-Form Audio: Joshua Tigges
• Honorable Mention-Best Podcast: Joshua Woolcott
• Honorable Mention-Best Radio Show (entertainment): Carter Soyer and Lauren McCoy
Television:
• First Place-Best Music/Comedy Video: Joshua Tigges and BVTV crew
• First Place-Best Long-form Video Documentary: Joshua Tigges
• First Place-Best Corporate Video: Strategic Public Relations class
• Honorable Mention-Best Video News Programming: Joshua Tigges
Major Awards:
• First Amendment Award to KBVU
• Pat Pisarik Student Journalist of the Year Award—Carter Soyer
