BG Falcon Media will receive three awards in late August as part of the 2026 Ohio’s Best Journalism, the only Ohio competition that honors journalists who fulfill the SPJ mission: Defense of the First Amendment, support of literacy, resistance to censorship, advocacy for openness of public records and meetings, media self-criticism and community service.
First and second place were given in the five College Journalism categories and BG Falcon Media earned first place for Best College Feature Writing, Best College News Writing and Best Newspaper.
The collection of stories for “Nearly perfect: 1985 MAC champion football team’s 40th reunion” earned the Best College Feature Writing Award. A number of students worked together on the project, including Sean Connelly, Kevin Hutchinson, Steven Schulden, Carter Leonard and Austin Roose.
The judges’ comments: This series of stories is impressive. It’s ambitious and well-executed. You found the people who lived the 1985 season got them to look back and remember. The writing is both crisp and compelling. The photographs and the web design add to the presentation. Keep up the great storytelling!
Grace Rooney’s look at how BGSU navigated Ohio SB1 and federal initiatives won Best College News Writing.
The judges’ comments: This story takes a deep breath, draws a clear line around the impact of a wide number of issues brought by SB1 then breaks down each of the most prominent issues in a clear and methodical way. The writer draws on good sources but remains in control, earning the reader’s trust.
The BG News earned the top award for Best College Newspaper. Alivia Hartpence was the editor for Spring 2025 and Gabrielle Monk was the editor for Fall 2025.
The judges’ comments: The staff of the BG News gives the reader the content and a look to attract their reader. The price of parking tickets, AI in the classroom, pups on campus and taking a different approach to sports. A lively student newspaper.
The awards event takes place August 29 in Columbus.
These awards extend an impressive stretch for BG Falcon Media who also earned awards in these prestigious competitions –
Ohio News Media Association: For the second time in three years, the staff earned the Frank E. Deaner Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Award (they finished second the other year). This was made possible by these individual awards: First place – Best Multimedia Package, Headline Writing, Newspaper Design, Best Website; Second place – In-Depth Reporting; Third place – two entries tied in Best Multimedia Package.
Ohio Press Club’s Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards: BG Falcon Media swept three categories and brought home more awards than any other college outlet. First place – Page Design, Visuals – Graphics, Photography, Sports Writing, Video: Sports, Writing: General News; Second place – Page design, Photography, Sports Writing. Third Place – Page Design, Photography, Sports Writing.
Society of News Design’s international competition – Three Awards of Excellence for single page and multi-page design in the global competition.
Press Club of Toledo’s Touchstone Awards: Student Digital/TV, Student Print/Online and Social Media Campaign (this was not a student category, but chosen above other professional entries).
Best of SNO: SNO Sites is the country’s largest provider of website services for high schools and colleges; less than 10% of submissions are honored as Best of SNO. Over the course of the previous academic year, eight BG Falcon Media stories earned the designation Best of SNO.