MSU earns top 10 national finish in Hearst Journalism Awards broadcast competition
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State students earned a top 10 national finish in one of collegiate journalism’s most prestigious competitions, placing eighth overall in the 2026 Hearst Intercollegiate Broadcast Competition.
The finish places the university among elite journalism programs nationwide.
“Earning a top 10 national finish in our first year of competition is an extraordinary accomplishment and speaks to the quality of work being produced by our students,” said Terry Likes, professor and head of the MSU Department of Communication, Media and Theatre. “This recognition reflects the talent and dedication of our students, as well as the commitment of our faculty and staff, whose work in and out of the classroom continues to elevate Mississippi State’s journalism and broadcast programs on a national level.”
In its first year competing in the national Hearst Journalism Awards Program, MSU earned top 15 finishes in the Audio News/Features, Audio Journalism Podcast and Television Features broadcast categories, securing the university’s eighth-place national ranking and $3,500 in awards for the department.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program recognizes outstanding student work in writing, photojournalism, audio, podcast, television and multimedia journalism. MSU became eligible to compete following the department’s 2025 accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Aubrey Carter Andrews of Alabaster, Alabama, who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from MSU in 2025 and 2026, respectively, placed ninth nationally in the Hearst TV Feature Competition.
Kate Myers, a senior broadcast and digital journalism major from Ruston, Louisiana, earned a top 15 spot in the Hearst Audio Competition and seventh place in Audio/Journalism Podcast.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to support and encourage journalism education at the college and university level. The annual program provides scholarships and awards to undergraduate students for exceptional journalism and matching grants to their universities. The 67th annual competition offered up to $1 million in competition awards.
Participation is open to students at ACEJMC-accredited universities who are actively involved in campus media and have produced eligible work.
For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.comm.msstate.edu.
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