Published on April 16, 2024 by Diamond Nunnally  
CAM AMP Awards 2024
Communication and Media Students at the AMP Communication Contest awards ceremony.

The Department of Communication and Media has had an outstanding spring award season, winning over 50 awards across student achievements and publications. Their winning streak continued on Thursday, April 11, as they garnered more accolades at the Alabama Media Professionals (AMP) Communication Contest award ceremony.

According to AMP's website, its "Communications Contest rewards excellence in communications in print, broadcast, web, PR, marketing, book authors, podcasting categories and more. Entries are judged by leaders in their fields of expertise outside the state of Alabama."

The winners are as follows:

  • First Place, Collegiate Feature Writing: Rebekah Crozier for “'Nobody wants to leave their home’: Seeking asylum in Birmingham,” which appeared in the fall 2023 issue of The Local.
  • First Place, Collegiate News Writing: Harper Harwell for “Second silent protest held during convo hour,” which appeared in the Sept. 27, 2023, issue of The Samford Crimson.
  • First Place, Collegiate In-Depth Reporting: Staffs of The Samford Crimson and Samford News Network, for reporting on accessibility on Samford’s campus.
  • First Place, Collegiate Graphics/Illustrations: Ashleigh Jones and Faith Holley for “Mechanics of Melody,” which appeared in the fall 2023 issue of The Local.
  • First Place, Collegiate Prepared Report for Television: Caroline Spikes, for coverage of the silent protest on Samford’s campus, which appeared on the Oct. 5, 2023, episode of Samford News Network.
  • First Place, Collegiate Design: Grace Watters for “Tiny House Living,” which appeared in the fall 2023 issue of The Local.
  • First Place, Collegiate Sports Writing: Andrew White for “Mary Raymond: The heart of a champion,” which appeared in the Oct. 17, 2023, issue of The Samford Crimson.
  • Second Place, Collegiate Prepared Report for Radio: Claire Trammell for “Meet the tiny fish that only call Jefferson County home,” which aired Dec. 13, 2023, on WBHM.
  • Third Place, Podcast Created and Produced by Students: Sam Allen and Mitchell Drennen for their podcast, Club Sammitch.
  • Honorable Mention, Collegiate Opinion/Editorial/Review: Rebekah Crozier for “Responding to Don Lemon’s recent remarks,” which appeared in the March 14, 2023, issue of The Samford Crimson.

Communication and Media professor Clay Carey also received the Alabama Media Professionals 2024 Communicator of Achievement (COA) award at the event. State-level COA winners move on for a chance to win the National Federation of Press Women’s (NFPW) Communicator of Achievement award. Carey is one of five finalists. The national winner will be announced at NFPW’s conference this summer.

 “I am very delighted about these awards," Communication and Media chair Ignatius Fosu said. "They reflect the hard work of our students and the high-quality instruction by our faculty.”

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.