Junior journalism major Tommy Hamzik was recognized for his story chronicling the death of an Elon football player and subsequent reaction from the campus and community.
Junior journalism major Tommy Hamzik finished fifth in the 2015-16 Hearst Journalism Awards Breaking News competition.
His story, “Stadium becomes shelter as community celebrates Elon junior,” covered the campus remembrance of an Elon football player who died in November. Hamzik, the primary author of the story, received contributing reporting from seniors Lauren Cook and Meredith Stutz, and juniors Caroline Fernandez and Alex Simon.
There were 90 enterprise reporting entries received in this year’s Hearst competition submitted from 55 schools. Hamzik, The Pendulum’s editor-in-chief, finished in the top five with entries from Oklahoma State University, Indiana University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He will receive a $1,000 scholarship as part of his finish.
The Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program, known as the Pulitzer Prizes of collegiate journalism, gives journalism majors an opportunity to compete for personal scholarships, school grants and stipends by writing stories on current events.