Students from the UI7 Newsroom were recently recognized for their outstanding work by both the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-America Chapter, winning two Crystal Pillar awards, and the Student Illinois News Broadcasters Association.

“Both awards are contested greatly by surrounding schools and programs. Their accomplishments with wins, even nominations, are truly resume builders,” said Kenneth Erdey, journalism instructor and technical coordinator for Richmond Studio, where UI7 broadcasts take place.

NATAS Awards

Best Non-Fiction Longform – A.I. Uncovered: Produced by Piper Pascarella and journalism students from JOUR 445: Advanced Television Reporting last fall—including Hannah Lonergan, Kaitlyn Devitt, Maggie Knutte, Layli Nazarova, Daniel Branand, Ashley Gilbert, Rylee Jones, Jessie Cleverly, and Anna Koh—this UI7 special report looked at how artificial intelligence is reshaping our world.

Watch the segment:

Best Sports Program – Power Play: Produced by journalism students John Shay and Andrew Burkey, this pre-game sports show delivered insightful and engaging coverage of Illinois Hockey. Mazie Gierat (journalism), Peter Hanson (English major, journalism minor), and Caleb Noble (BS ’24, journalism) also played key roles in the show’s production.

Watch the segment:

Honorable Mention, Photography – Illini Boxing Club: Nathan Gonzalez (journalism) earned well-deserved recognition in the photography category for his work covering the Illini Boxing Club for Good Morning Illini.

SINBA Awards

The Illinois News Broadcasters Association announced finalists in the 2025 Student Awards, including several students from the UI7 Newsroom.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, April 26, during the INBA Spring Convention in Bloomington.

The journalism student nominees and their programs include:

Outstanding Sports Television Program – Illini Sports Night: Emily Richie and John Shay

Outstanding Soft Television Program – Good Morning Illini: Hannah Lonergan and Mallory Miller

Outstanding Hard Television Program – UI7 Presents Decision 2024: Piper Pascarella, Maggie Knutte, and Hannah Lonergan