UFCJC students, faculty and alumni honored in Society of Professional Journalists 2026 Sunshine State Awards
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) students, alumni and faculty from WUFT News, Fresh Take Florida, Grandstand Magazine and The Independent Florida Alligator were honored in the 2026 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Florida Pro Chapter Sunshine State Awards. The awards recognize outstanding journalism produced in 2025.
In the college division, the winners and finalists include:
- Website: First Place, Grandstand Magazine, Liana Handler, Noah White and Staff
- Adviser of the Year: UFCJC Journalism Sports Lecturer Ryan Hunt for Grandstand Magazine
- Investigative Reporting: First Place, Matthew Cupelli, “Top Florida GOP official was convicted in probe into his romantic involvement with inmate during his time as jail employee,” Fresh Take Florida
- Serious Feature: Finalist, Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp for “Chasing rarity: Poachers brave dangerous Florida swamps for imperiled ghost orchid,” Fresh Take Florida
- General News Story: Finalist, Aidan Bush for “Florida begins first prosecutions under controversial ‘Halo Law,’” Fresh Take Florida
- General News Story: Finalist, Sara-James Ranta for “Exclusive: Man at center of landmark Florida open-carry gun ruling calls himself ‘patriot,’” Fresh Take Florida
- Sports Feature: First Place, Jessica Garcette for “Racing’s Virtual Revolution,” Grandstand Magazine
- Sports Feature: Finalist: Liana Handler for “More Than Words: Inside the important, unique — and sometimes random — role of MLB translators,”Grandstand Magazine
- Sports News: First Place, Olivia Evans for “New law aimed at punishing Trump protesters being used against UF fans who ran onto football field,” Fresh Take Florida
- Sports News: Finalist, Noah White for “Last-second field goal shocks No. 13 Florida at home as USF completes upset bid,” Miami Herald
- Human Interest Feature: First Place, Candy Fontana-Verde, “The Latin American and Caribbean Collection preserves history at UF,” The Independent Florida Alligator
- College Journalist of the Year: Finalist, Natasha Holt, WUFT News, American Essence Magazine and The Epoch Times
- Mejor trabajo estudiantil (todo tipo de medios): Finalist, Oriana Torre and Andrea Fonseca for “Artista Venezolana embellece la ciudad de Gainesville con sus murales,” WUFT News
- Mejor trabajo estudiantil (todo tipo de medios): Finalist:Candy Fontana Verde for “Del alcoholismo a la recuperación,” WUFT News
More than 1,000 entries were received for judging. The awards were presented on Aug. 29 at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Category: Alumni News, College News, Student News
Tagged: Fresh Take Florida Grandstand Magazine Innovation News Center Ryan Hunt
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