Four IUPUI Journalism alumni and an adjunct faculty member took home several awards on Monday evening during the 2020 Best of Indiana Journalism Contest virtual awards ceremony. The awards were bestowed by the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Alumna Sarah Bahr (Photo by Liz Kaye, IU Studios)

Sarah Bahr, B.A.J. ’18, received first place for her Indianapolis Monthly story “Ms. Understood: Barbie Turns 60” in the Arts and Entertainment Writing competition (publication circulation above 30,000).

Breanna Cooper, B.A.J. ’19, took third place for the Coverage of Minority, Diversity and Inclusion Issues category (publication circulation below 30,000). Cooper, a staff writer at the Indianapolis Recorder, wrote “History In The Baking: Indianapolis pastry chef defies odds.”

Alumnus Tyler Fenwick

Tyler Fenwick, B.A.J. ’18, also a staff writer at the Indianapolis Recorder, swept the Breaking News Reporting category for publication circulation below 30,000, for his Indianapolis Recorder stories:

First place: “’We’re just trying to get answers’: Fatal IMPD shooting captured on Facebook Live”
Second place: “’They couldn’t fix his face’: Dreasjon Reed’s mother, attorneys give update”
Third place: “The birth of a protest”

Fenwick also placed first in both the Criminal Justice Reporting and Coverage of Children’s Issues categories (publication circulation below 30,000) for “Police have a legitimacy problem to address first” and “’They have nowhere to go’: When young people face homelessness.” He placed second in the Coverage of Social Justice Issues category (publication circulation below 30,000) for “’Police Huggers’ Put Movement In A Tough Spot.’

Cooper and Fenwick, along with Indianapolis Recorder editor Oseye Boyd, also placed third in the Features Writing category (magazines and non-daily newspapers) for “’We’ve been gentrified.’”

Alumna Shakkira Harris

In the online awards division, WRTV received first place for Best Journalism Website. Shakkira Harris, B.A.J. ’18, works on the WRTV website as a real-time digital editor.

Additionally, Adam Wren, an instructor in the Department of Journalism and Public Relations, received third place for his Indianapolis Monthly story “Betting The Farm” in the Election and Campaign Coverage category (publication circulation above 30,000).

View the full list of winners here.