Student from WKU Wins Prestigious National Multimedia Championship

Rhiannon Johnston – A Rising Star in Multimedia and Journalism

Rhiannon Johnston, a senior student from Western Kentucky University (WKU), achieved a significant feat as she emerged as the winner of the 2024 National Multimedia Championship. The championship, conducted as part of the widely recognized Hearst Journalism Awards Program, concluded on Friday, June 7 in San Francisco.

Johnston became the third multimedia champion from WKU since 2015 and the 17th solo national champion since the university’s first victory back in 1985. Johnston received an impressive prize of $10,000 for her first-place finish.

Award-Winning Story: Hair Matters

Hair Matters, Johnston’s championship story, focuses on a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that collects hair, fur, and wool fibers. These fibers are then used to craft mats that effectively absorb oil spills, filter storm drains, and aid in restoring the soil.

Johnston’s exceptional storytelling and investigative skills earned her an additional $1,000 for Best Multimedia Story of the Year from the Hearst Awards.

Other WKU Student Achievements

Accompanying Johnston’s remarkable achievement, another WKU student, Brett Phelps, secured the third position in the National Photojournalism Championship. Phelps, a junior from Bardstown, Kentucky, won a $5,000 award and a coveted Hearst Medallion for his captivating final photos.

Phelps’ submission documented the lives of two social justice activists based in East Oakland. These photographs vividly portrayed the struggles and triumphs experienced by these individuals, making Phelps’s work standout.

28 Juniors and Seniors Compete in Multi-Categories

The championship saw 28 skilled college journalism students competing across various categories that included writing, photojournalism, audio, television, and multimedia. Both Johnston and Phelps, representing WKU, traveled to San Francisco from June 1-7 to partake in the thrilling championship.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program, established in 1960, is dedicated to encouraging university students to deliver exceptional performance in journalism. It allocates scholarships to deserving students in five writing, two photojournalism, one audio, two television, and four multimedia competitions.

WKU’s Legacy

In 2024, WKU secured the sixth position nationally in the Hearst’s overall intercollegiate competition. This competition gauges the performance of universities across all categories of Hearst’s program. WKU consistently showed exceptional performances, staying within the top eight overall winners for the last 31 years and winning the championship four times in 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2018.