Owl Media Reaches Historic Heights with Six National Awards

Owl Media, the student multimedia publication of Harford Community College, made history on the national scale, winning awards in six different categories at the 2023-2024 Pinnacle Awards sponsored by the College Media Association.

Student media publications from across the country entered the competition, and winners were announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in New Orleans from October 30- November 2. For the first time in Owl Media's history, the Journalism Club was in attendance for the event, offering an amazing travel opportunity for six students.

Owl Media won first place recognition for Best Two-Year TV Station of the Year. This is the seventh year that Owl Media won first place in this category, which judges the quality of three videos submitted. The submitted films were “The Effects of Transgender Legislation,” “Inside HCC’s Photo Department,” and “Voices of Strength: More Survivors Speak Out Against Sexual Assault.”

“March on Washington for Gaza" and "Ceasefire Now" by Luke Teigue served as OwlMedia's first ever wins in the photography category, being awarded first place for "Best Photo Package" and second place for "Best Breaking News Photo."

Placing second in the "Best Video Newscast" category, “The Effects of Transgender Legislation” highlights the challenges faced by the transgender community on both the local and national scale. Voice-over narration and video editing was provided by Brendan Flanagan, with reporting by Isabella Toppi and videography by Remi Yeung.

For "Best Multimedia Feature Story," Summer Grace's project on Sexual Assault Awareness received an honorable mention. The multimedia package included one article, "Sexual Assault Awareness on Campus: An Interview with Duane Williams," with two videos titled "Voices of Strength: Survivors Speak Out Against Sexual Assault" and "Voices of Strength: More Survivors Speak Out Against Sexual Assault." Reporting, videography, and writing was provided by Summer Grace, with photography, videography, and video editing by Luke Teigue.

Only two years after transitioning from the printed Owl Magazine to an online website, Owl Media won its first award in the category, placing third for "Website of the Year (Standalone)."

The fall 2023 student staff was led by Chief Advisor Brianna Skrivanek; Technical Advisor and Editor-in-Chief Brendan Flanagan; and Content Advisor Steph Perkins. The spring 2024 student staff was led by Chief Advisor Brianna Skrivanek; Technical and Chief Advisor Brendan Flanagan; Editor-in-Chief Luke Teigue; and Content Advisor Steph Perkins. Professor Claudia Brown also acted as an advisor for the summer 2023 and winter 2024 semesters, but was on sabbatical for most of the academic year.

"This was the first time Owl Media was led entirely by alumni and student staff members," Brown explains. "These awards are a testament to the commitment and dedication of these current and former students, and I am so proud of their accomplishments."

Owl Media released print magazines from 2011-2020 as Owl Magazine. They have published videos on YouTube and Facebook since 2014, and launched a website in late 2022. The publication has won 49 national awards since 2012.

Readers can follow the nationally award-winning publication on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as their website, owlmedia.org.

Students interested in joining the staff may email harfowl@harford.edu or reach out via social media.