The Daily Northwestern earned 18 Society of Professional Journalists 2025 Mark of Excellence Awards spanning multiple categories on Thursday.
The Daily is in SPJ’s Region 5, which is made up of students in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
Established in 2000, the Mark of Excellence Awards recognize the best student journalism each year. The Daily took home more awards for content published in 2025 than any other publication in Region 5.
“It’s an honor to have so many Daily staffers and so much work honored by SPJ this year,” Medill and SESP junior and Editor in Chief Anavi Prakash said. “Everyone on our team puts in so much hard work into every story that we report, so being recognized like this is really exciting.”
SPJ will consider regional first-place winners for its national Mark of Excellence Awards, which will be announced in late spring.
See below for a full list of awards.
First Place:
Best Affiliated Website: The Daily Northwestern Staff.
Editorial/Opinion Writing: Former Opinion Editor Aidan Klineman for columns.
General News Reporting: Data Visualizations Editor Yong-Yu Huang for ‘A shift going on’: Fulbright scholars at NU and abroad discuss impact, program’s future amid political uncertainty.
Personality Profile Writing: Social Media Editor Edward Simon Cruz for Stephen Colbert’s college classmates reflect on political comedy career after ‘Late Show’ cancellation.
Data Visualization: Web Developer Femi Horrall for Live: A map of ICE activity in Evanston.
Photo Essay/Slideshow: Multimedia Features Editor Christina Lin for Gallery: Back of house at Cookology’s 2025 pop-up restaurant.
Campus Reporting: In Focus Editor Nineth Kanieski Koso for Northwestern’s controversial bias training.
Finalists:
Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Large, 10k+ students): The Daily Northwestern Staff.
General Column Writing: Former Opinion Columnist Talia Winiarsky for Talia’s Take.
General Column Writing: Former Opinion Editor Aidan Klineman for Off-Campus: White House.
General News Reporting: Senior Staffer Cecilia Luce for Northwestern project scores DOE grant for environmentally friendly wastewater treatment research.
Personality Profile Writing: Campus Editor Desiree Luo for NU alum Britt Lower juggles talents en route to ‘Severance’.
Data Visualization: Senior Staffer Naomi Taxay for By the numbers: Northwestern’s U.S. News & World Report ranking, by category.
Sports Photography: Sports Editor Jonah McClure for Sunset Pitch.
Arts/Fashion Journalism: Former Arts & Entertainment Editor Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez, for From Evanston to NYC: Medill alum Carly Witteman reflects on her fashion career.
Campus Reporting: In Focus Editor Nineth Kanieski Koso and Print Managing Editor Isaiah Steinberg for One Year Later: NU reflects on pro-Palestinian encampment that changed student activism.
Retail/Small Business Journalism: Campus Editor Desiree Luo for Business owners see city leaders’ responsiveness as paramount in election.
Science/Environmental Reporting: Reporter William Fisher for Northwestern students and staff contribute to verification of Stephen Hawking’s black hole area theorem.
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