AEJMC Southeast Colloquium 2021
Thank you for joining us!
Elon University and the School of Communications proudly hosted the 46th annual AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, the oldest and most successful regional journalism and mass communication meeting. The three-day virtual event, held March 18-20, 2021, had a theme focused on mentorship.
Photo credit: James Estrin, The New York Times
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Magazine reporter, served as the colloquium’s featured speaker, offering an encouraging address for attendees and participants. In a discussion moderated by Communications Dean Rochelle Ford, iMedia graduate student Dion Cummings G’21 and undergraduate journalism student Maeve Ashbrook ’21, Hannah-Jones spoke about the importance of mentorship and her journalistic career covering race through a variety of topics.
A domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, Hannah-Jones focuses extensively on civil rights and racial injustice. In 2020, she won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her essay in The 1619 Project, which traces the central role black Americans have played in the nation, including its vast material success and democracy itself.
The virtual event also featured numerous Elon faculty and students who participated in roundtable discussions and research panels, and submitted authored and co-authored papers and presentations.
And the Creative Contest winners are …
To showcase faculty and student creative works, the 2021 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium hosted The Southeast Colloquium Creative Contest, a creative competition for all members of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and Broadcast Education Association (BEA). The following is a list of winners and their respective finishes.
Faculty Submissions and Winners
Student Submissions and Winners
Winners List
Faculty: Advertising Design
Gold – Leslie Haines, Middle Tennessee State
Silver – Adrienne Hooker, James Madison University
Bronze – David Wang, James Madison University
Faculty: Photography
Gold – Charles “Stretch” Ledford, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Silver – Thomas E. Franklin, Montclair State University
Bronze – Ross Taylor, University of Colorado Boulder
Bronze – Van Kornegay, University of South Carolina
Faculty: Publication & Editorial Design
Gold – Ben Hannam & Bizhan Khodabandeh, Elon University
Faculty: Visual Identity & Branding
Gold – Leslie Haines, Middle Tennessee State
Silver – Ben Hannam & Bizhan Khodabandeh, Elon University
Bronze – Ben Hannam & Bizhan Khodabandeh, Elon University
Student: Advertising Design
1st – Karsyn Laufenberg, University of Memphis
2nd – Steph Brendel, Elon University
3rd – Kaitlyn Merritt, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Direct – Steph Brendel, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Direct – Andrew Felts, Bella Utley, Sydney Clendening, & Caitlin Davis, Middle Tennessee State University
Honorable Mention: Interactive – Claire Brodsky, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Out-of-Home – Sarah Bellinger, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Poster – Catherine Nester, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Print – Catherine Nester, Elon University
Honorable Mention: PSA – Sophia Calderon, Mississippi State University
Student: Photography
1st – Emily Kenny & Dan Lyon, Syracuse University
2nd – Gavin Liddell, Syracuse University
3rd – Christopher T. Assaf, The University of Texas at Austin
Honorable Mention: Photo Essay – Lilly Marcadis, Qhira Bonds, Haley Salvador, Devin Bradley, & others, University of South Carolina
Honorable Mention: Journalism Still – Chelsea Nicholson, Creighton University
Honorable Mention: Journalism Still – Brianna Fierro, West Virginia University
Student: Publication & Editorial Design
1st – Shannon Kirkpatrick, Syracuse University
2nd – Rachel Cifarelli, Elon University
3rd – Ali Harford & the 61% Project Staff, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Website/App (non-interactive) – Kevin Camelo & the High Stakes Staff, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Printed Annual Report, Brochure, & Catalog – Courtney Carver, Sarah Hayden, Anastasia Rentouli, Kristopher Scott, & Mariah Stevens, Mississippi State University
Honorable Mention: Magazine & Periodical Cover – The Femme Noire Staff, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Infographic – Sophia Chryssovergis, Indiana University
Honorable Mention: Editorial Spread or Feature Design – Kelsey Worthington, University of South Carolina
Honorable Mention: Album/CD Cover – Taylor Truitt, Elon University
Student: Visual Identity & Branding
1st – Laura Angle, Syracuse University
2nd – Catherine Nester, Elon University
3rd – Sophia Chryssovergis, Indiana University
Honorable Mention: Stationary Packaging – Shannon Kirkpatrick, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Special Event – Catherine Harris, University of South Carolina
Honorable Mention: Packaging – Sarah Schwab, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Motion Graphics – Katie Mulligan, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Logo – Sarah Sharpe, University of South Carolina
Honorable Mention: Illustration – Shannon Kirkpatrick, Syracuse University
Honorable Mention: Illustration – Catherine Nester, Elon University
Honorable Mention: Environmental – Jessann Thompson & Hannah Williams, West Virginia University
Winners were announced and their work recognized at the awards sessions on March 20, 2021. The contest was made possible by support provided by AEJMC’s Visual Communication and Newspaper and Online News divisions and BEA.
2021 Panel of Judges
Lauren Vied Allen
Photographer, Motion Director & Stylist based in Durham, NC
Susannah Brinkley
Freelance Graphic Designer based in Charlotte, NC
Justin Cook
Commercial & Editorial Photographer based in Durham, NC
Brian Yohn
Graphic Design, Art Director, and Illustrator at Brian Yohn Design
Suzanne Eismann
Creative Director of Raleigh, NC based Eismann & Associates
Caleb Holloway
Senior Product Design for Pendo.io and based in Raleigh, NC
Marius Valdes
Artist & Associate Professor in design and illustration at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC
Mark Congiusta
Senior User Experience Manager at Amazon based in NC
Bonnie Campbell
Graphic Designer, potter, and owner of Blue Egg Studio based in Durham, NC
Erik Perel
Owner of Erik Perel Photography & Department Head of the ACC Advertising & Graphic Design Program
Special thanks to Kenn Gaither, Heather Birks, Vic Costello, Tommy Kopetskie, Ben Hannam, Juanita Wrenn, Genevieve Barnes, Matthew J. Haught, Gabriel Tait, and Shannon Zenner for their support and leadership.
Elon Distinctives
- Publishes one of the nation’s only undergraduate research journals in mass communications
- Operates nation’s first media analytics major
- Houses the Sunshine Center, educational arm of the NC Open Government Coalition
- Home to the Imagining the Internet Center, documenting the evolution of digital communication
- Established the NC Local News Workshop, a statewide initiative supporting local news and media outlets