Kimberly Nelson | Co-Editor-in-Chief

Buena Vista University (BVU) media organizations KBVU, UCN, and The Tack received multiple awards from the Iowa College Media Associations (ICMAs) awards ceremony held on Feb. 7 in Des Moines, IA. Twenty-two awards were received total, including the 2012 Multi-Media Organization of the Year given to The Tack.

Professor of Digital Media Bruce Ellingson was one of the three digital media faculty members to attend the conference last week. Ellingson believes that the awards given to the BVU media organizations are reflective of what is being taught at the university.

“We have certainly moved into the 21st century, and we’re doing digital media in a big and new way,” Ellingson said.

Awards that showed of the organizations’ move into digital media include Best Show Entertainment, Best News Programming, Best Variety, Music and Comedy Program, Best Online Edition, and Best Multimedia Slideshow.

While KBVU, the UCN, and The Tack progress into the future of reporting and storytelling, Ellingson hopes the rest of the ICMAs will catch up to do so as well. Ellingson states that categories in television and radio are still connected to the traditional side of media, which leaves little opportunity for the work done at BVU to be given a chance to win in their own categories.

“I’m hoping that we’ll continue to do very well in our digital storytelling, and I am hoping that judges will listen to what we’re doing,” Ellingson said. “The whole multimedia movement has really just begun. The stuff that we’re going to be showing them in a year or two will be amazing.”

Check out all of the awards won by students below.

2012 Multimedia Awards

Best Breaking Story:
First, The Tack Online, “Syndergaard trial coverage” (Ron Forsell, Class of 2012)

Best Original Content:
First, The Tack Online, “Plus/minus grading system receives mixed reviews” (Holly Frerk)
Second, The Tack Online, “Teaching children in Ghana to be future leaders” (Kevin Coriolan)
Third, The Tack Online, “Homecoming shirt controversy causes rumors to arise”
(Miranda Klingenberg)
Honorable mention, The Tack Online, “Vondrak helps family members with rare disease”
(Shauna McKnight)

Best Multimedia Slide Show:
First, The Tack Online, “Amber waves of grain: An Iowa farmer’s reflection” (Grace Bodey, David Ekstrom, Kelsey Fredricks, Monica Figueroa)
Second, The Tack Online, “Harlem Ambassadors at Buena Vista University” (Tyler McDanel)

Best Blog:
Second, The Tack Online, “Grady’s Game Center” (weekly sports blog by Grady Gallagher)
Third, The Tack Online, “Political Blogger” (Meghan Harmening)
Honorable mention, The Tack Online, “Political Blogger” (Tyler Reed)

Best Online Edition:
Second, The Tack Online (Kim Nelson, Grace Bodey, co-editors)

2012 Newspaper Awards

General Excellence:
Honorable mention, The Tack

Best Infographic:
Honorable mention, The Tack, Admissions graphic (Brandy Zumbach)

2012 Radio Awards

Best Commercial:
First, KBVU, BVU Admissions (Grace Bodey)
Honorable mention, KBVU, BVU Admissions (Mark Haugen, Class of 2012; Justin Klein, Class of 2012)

Best News Programming:
First, KBVU, “Harvest news special” (Grace Bodey)
Second, KBVU, “Buenafication Day 100 trees news special” (Annie Rieva)

Best Show Entertainment:
First, KBVU, “From The Beaver Den” (Demetrius Heard)

2012 Television Awards

Best Variety, Music and Comedy Program:
First, UCN Studios, “Mix in Imagination with The POPits” (David Ekstrom; Mark Haugen, Class of 2012–Advanced Video 2011)

Photo courtesy Andrea Frantz