2025
American City Business Journals, “Best Scoop” of 2024
Placed 1st
An internal award issued by American City Business Journals, the parent company of Jacksonville Business Journal, won first for my article: Jacksonville University’s financial woes paint an uncertain future.
Co-written with Mauricio La Plante, it was selected as the “best scoop” of 2024 across all 46 ACBJ markets. The article caught “immense local interest but also touched on a topic with national reach, the result of strong sourcing and deep-dive analysis,” per judge notes.
2024
SPJ Sunshine State Award, College Journalist of the Year
Placed 1st
Won first for three broadcast reels aired with Inside Jacksonville, the University of North Florida School of Communication’s student-run show, plus a general summation of clips written for various outlets in 2023.
- Jacksonville Against Hate
- Jacksonville Opening its Arms to the LGBTQ+ Community
- How Florida laws are reshaping the classroom for aspiring teachers
SPJ Sunshine State Award, “Best Coverage of LGBT Issues”
Placed 1st
Won first for my video package Jacksonville Opening its Arms to the LGBTQ+ Community
Hearst Journalism Award, Placed 12th
Placed 12th among the Top 20 finalists nationally in the 2023-24 Hearst Journalism Awards Investigative Competition for a single article: They were sexually assaulted in the dorms. Now, they will graduate alongside the man UNF deemed responsible
SPJ Green Eyeshade Award, Placed 3rd
Placed third for “Best News Reporter in the South” in the college category in 2024 for a trio of articles:
- DeSantis shakes up public universities, ramps up his war on ‘woke’
- “Why won’t you protect us?” students ask UNF president during heated town hall meeting
- Negotiation of UNF’s post-tenure review implementation nears an end
FABJ College TV Education Reporting Award, Placed 2nd
Runner-up award recipient for an Inside Jacksonville TV package unpacking how new Florida laws are reshaping the classroom for current and future teachers. The package aired in late 2023.
2023
SPJ Sunshine State Award, Placed 2nd
Placed second for “Best Coverage of LGBT Issues” in the college category for my article, Parental Rights in Education bill will “hurt a very vulnerable community,” UNF LGBT Center director says.
Online Pacemaker Award
Spinnaker was one of 18 student-run news organizations at four-year universities across the U.S. and the only student-run news source in Florida to receive the award. Recognized for our online coverage between June 2022 and June 2023, when I was editor-in-chief.
2022
SPJ Green Eyeshade Award, Placed 3rd
Placed third for “Best News Reporter in the South” in the college category in 2022 for a trio of articles:
- UNF scrambling to develop new recycling plan in response to national labor shortage
- Szymanski offers faculty $1,500 bonus, but read the fine print
- Szymanski goes out with an A+ as faculty get slammed
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Carter Mudgett 