Breeze journalists and ad staffers win 26 Virginia Press Assoc. awards

The Breeze journalists and advertising staffers took home more than two dozen awards — including first place in 12 categories — in the Virginia Press Association’s annual statewide contest. 

The groups, which competed against mid-size, non-daily newspapers from across Virginia, received honors in writing, design, photo, advertising and video categories at the VPA annual conference in Richmond on Saturday, April 12.

All the entries were from the 2024 calendar year. Of the awards, a dozen were first place, six were second and eight were third. 

Sam Rhinard, a senior in SMAD's Digital Video and Cinema concentration, captured the top award in five advertising categories. Rhinard also won five more second- and third-place awards for video and print ads.

Eleanor Shaw, a junior in the Journalism concentration who serves as The Breeze's editor-in-chief, won for her breaking news coverage of the JMU Student Government Association going into a closed-door session to meet with university administrators without following Virginia open meetings law requirements.

And The Breeze's sports coverage won several first-place awards — one multimedia award for the team's video and digital coverage of the JMU men's basketball team's appearance in the 2024 NCAA tournament and another for a feature profile piece by Kaiden Bridges, a junior in the Journalism concentration. Zoe Mowery and Madeline Gallagher, SMAD Journalism concentration students who graduated in May 2024, also won first-place for a video profile story on JMU sports play-by-play announcer, Curt Dudley.

Other first place winners included Evan Moody, a senior Journalism student, for reviews he wrote for The Breeze's "Culture" section; Tristan Gaona, a senior SMAD Creative Advertising student, won the automotive advertising category; and Landon Shackelford, a sophomore Journalism student and The Breeze's photo editor, won for best pictorial photo. Shackelford also took home second- and third-place awards for his photography. 

Here is a breakdown of the winning entries:

First Place

• Food and Drug Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for a Chanello’s Pizza ad

• Home and Garden Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for an ad for Adventures in Travel

• Breaking News Writing: Eleanor Shaw for “SGA skirts Va. law, calls 30-minute closed session to begin meeting”

• Pictorial Photo: Landon Shackelford for a photo from DayGlow

• Video: Zoe Mowery and Madeline Gallagher for “Behind the voice of JMU sports,” a story about Curt Dudley

• Critical Writing: Evan Moody for reviews for the Culture Section

• Education, Churches and Organizations Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for an ad for Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership

• Professional Services Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for an ad for Dukes Ride

• Fashion and Personal Care Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for The Fashion Gallery ad

• Feature Profile Writing: Kaiden Bridges for “Noah Freidel leans on his family's support during March Madness run”

• Multimedia Report: Jackson Hephner, Samantha Game, Kayla Brown and Kaiden Bridges, for team coverage of JMU men’s basketball in March Madness 2024

• Automotive Advertising Design, Tristan Gaona, for a Consumer Auto Warehouse ad

Second Place

• Sports Writing Portfolio: Hayden Hundley

• Education Writing: Kat Mauser

• Professional Services Advertising Design (Medical and Healthcare): Sam Rhinard for an ad for the University Health Center

• Digital Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for Brothers Pizza ad design

• Fashion and Personal Care Advertising Design: Jacob Perez for an ad for Madison Nails

• Slideshow or Gallery: Landon Shackelford for a photo slideshow on Election Day in Harrisonburg and at JMU

Third Place

• Editorial Writing: The Breeze Editorial Board

• Food and Drug Ad Design: Sam Rhinard for an ad for Bojangles

• Personality or Portrait Photo: Kailey Garner for a photo of Swae Lee

• Professional Services (Medical and Healthcare) Advertising Design: Sam Rhinard for an ad for Cyanwood

• Digital Advertising: Jacob Perez and Sam Rhinard for a Fear Forest video ad

• General Make-Up: The Breeze staff for overall print design

• Slideshow or Gallery: Landon Shackelford for a photo gallery of Sept. 11 memorials on JMU's campus

• Illustrations: Abby Paredes for an illustration of former JMU president Jonathan Alger