“The Hearst competition is the most challenging writing contest in the country,” said Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism. “We are proud to be named the best intercollegiate writers in the nation by the panel of judges. To win this is a tribute to our students and their professors."

Often called "The Pulitzers of College Journalism," the Hearst program holds an annual, year-long competition in writing. The journalism school that accumulates the most points earned by its students in each category of the six writing competitions, titled the Intercollegiate Writing Competition, is designated the winner.

The University of Missouri placed second in the writing competition, followed by Arizona State University in third place, Pennsylvania State in fourth, the University of Kentucky in fifth and Northwestern University in sixth.

"Once again KU journalism students have shown that this University traditionally excels at the highest levels in areas other than basketball,” said Ted Frederickson, journalism professor. “Since the Hearst Awards are highly competitive and recognize only exceptional reporting and writing, finishing first is a major accomplishment."

KU journalism students have won a total of $5,200 in the six writing contests, and the School of Journalism received matching funds of $5,200, plus $10,000 for finishing first in the Intercollegiate Writing Competition. The winners in each category will receive cash prizes and medallions during the National Championships in San Francisco on Friday, June 8, 2007.

The latest winners in the final contest of the writing competition, the spot news writing contest, were Curtis Jeffery “C.J.” Moore of Shawnee, who won $600 for fifth place, and Fred A. Davis III of Topeka, who placed seventeenth.

KU Journalism seniors Francis D. “Frank” Tankard of Overland Park and C.J. Moore will compete in the National Writing Championships in June. Tankard automatically qualified for the championships as one of six winners of the six writing contests, while Moore is one of two wild card entrants who qualified by earning the most points among students who did not place first. 

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program, conducted under the auspices of accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, is fully funded and administered by the W. R. Hearst Foundation. The program consists of monthly writing contests, photojournalism and broadcast news competitions, with championship finals in all three divisions. Presently, 107 accredited schools of undergraduate journalism in the United States are eligible to participate in the program, which awards more than $450,000 in scholarships and grants annually.

Publisher William Randolph Hearst established the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and The Hearst Foundation, Inc. in the 1940s, before his death in 1951. Since then, the foundations have awarded more than $500 million in grants and programs.

For more information, contact Jennifer Kinnard, Communications Coordinator, KU School of Journalism, at 785-760-4117 or jkinnard@ku.edu, or visit www.journalism.ku.edu. For more information about the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, contact Jan Watten, program director, at jwatten@hearstfdn.org, or visit www.hearstawards.org.

KU students winning individual writing contests within the six categories of the Intercollegiate Writing Competition (feature writing, editorials/columns of opinion writing, in-depth writing, sports writing, personality/profile writing and spot news writing) are listed here by their hometown, their level in school, major, parent names, high school and the place they earned previously this year.

FORD COUNTY
From Dodge City 67801
Mark Anton Vierthaler, senior majoring in journalism (news and information), son of Carl and Nancy Vierthaler; Dodge City Senior High School; won $600 for fifth place in personality/profile writing.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Shawnee 66216
Curtis Jeffery “C.J.” Moore, senior majoring in journalism (news and information), son of Jayne Moore; Shawnee Mission Northwest High School; won $1,500 for second place in sports writing and won $600 for fifth place in spot news writing.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Overland Park 66207
Francis D. “Frank” Tankard, senior majoring in journalism (news and information), son of Timothy and Valerie Tankard; Shawnee Mission South High School; won $2,000 for first place in in-depth writing.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67205
Michael J. Phillips, senior majoring in journalism (news and information), son of Donna and David Phillips; Maize High School; 12th place in sports writing.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66606 and Cheyenne, Wyo.
Fred A. Davis III, senior majoring in journalism (news and information), son of Marla Kentch of Topeka and Fred A. Davis of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Hayden High School, Topeka; won $500 for ninth place in personality/profile writing and also placed 17th in spot news writing.

NEBRASKA
From Lincoln
Katherine Loeck, senior majoring in journalism (news and information) and in French, daughter of Craig and Anita Loeck; Lincoln East Jr.-Sr. High School; placed 12th in editorials/columns of opinion writing

WYOMING
From Cheyenne and Topeka, Kan.
Fred A. Davis III. SEE SHAWNEE COUNTY