UFCJC Student Journalists and Alumni Honored in 2025 FABJ News Awards Competition
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) student journalists were honored in the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (FABJ) college competition for content produced in 2025. The awards honor outstanding work from college-level broadcast journalists in the Sunshine State.
In the competition, 19 of the 25 awards UF students received were for first place.
College Television winners and finalists include:
- Breaking News: Winner, “Billy Napier Fired” by WUFT Staff
- Environmental Reporting: Winner, “Oystering in Florida: A Dying Tradition Meets a Modern Fix” by Nicole Beltran
- Education Reporting: Winner, “Carving Students’ Futures: How One Artist is Making an Impact Beyond His Studio Walls” by Victoria Perez
- Feature | Cultural/Historical: Winner, “Gainesville Muralist Arianna Uberti Painted Her Way to Achieving Her Dream” by Oriana Torre and Andrea Fonseca
- Feature | Light News: Finalist, “The New Florida Follies: The Dance Stage Has No Age Limits” by Alex Land
- Health Reporting: Winner, “Fresh Fades and Healthy Hearts: How Gainesville Barbers are Fighting Against High Blood Pressure” by Nicole Borman
- Investigative: Winner, “Bradley’s Law” by Bernardo Montas
- News Anchor or Anchor Team or Host: Winner, Juan Carlos Chaoui
- Producer: Winner, “11/03/25 WUFT First at Five | A Block” by Emily Drelick
- Reporter: Winner, Juan Carlos Chaoui
- Sports Reporting: Winner, “The Rodeo Kid: An Unlikely Teen Roper” by Juan Carlos Chaoui
- Sports Reporting: Finalist, “More than a Coach: How a Bowling Duo Became Family” by Alex Land
- TV Magazine (Public Affairs/Documentary): Finalist, “Viviendo con la Tierra” by Noticias Staff
- Weather Reporting: Winner, “Rebuilding Paradise: How a Florida Coastal Town is Bouncing Back After Three Consecutive Hurricanes” by Nicole Borman
- Weathercaster: Winner, Matthew Clark
College Radio winners and finalists include:
- Education Reporting: Winner, “Children ‘Share’ at Their Own Pace” by Sofia Zarran, B.S. Journalism 2025
- Education Reporting: Finalist “Who to Call for a School Superintendent?” by Sofia Zarran
- Feature | Hard News: Winner, “Food Pantries Say Effects of Government Shutdown Will Linger” by Gabriel Velasquez
- Feature | Hard News: Finalist, “Food Pantry Visits Surge as Government Shutdown Suspends SNAP Food Payments,” by Gabe Vargas
- Feature | Light News: Winner, “Public Transportation’s Importance, During a Race!” by Ailee Shanes and Sofia Dinka
- General Assignment: Winner, “Charlie Kirk Visits UF as Part of American Comeback Tour” by Sofia Dinka
- General Assignment: Finalist, “As FSU Mourns, Survivors Recall Terro, Togetherness, Hope at Campus Vigil” by Sara James Ranta
- Politics/Government/Elections Reporting: Winner, “What is 287(g) Program? Understanding the Local Role in Federal Immigration Enforcement” by Sara James Ranta
- Newscast: Winner, “WUFT-FM Morning Newscast” by Victoria Perez
- Sports Reporting: Winner, “Students Watch as Gators Win NCAA National Championship” by Ailee Shanes
This is the seventh annual competition for FABJ, formerly known as Florida Associated Press Broadcasters. The awards were presented at the FABJ Gala on April 11 at the Rosen Centre Resort in Orlando.
Category: Alumni News, College News, Student Awards, Student News
Tagged: FABJ Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists College Competition 2025
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