Every year, The John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism — better known as the Johnnies or the JHMs — are presented as a part of NASH. These prestigious awards recognize the very best in student journalism across the country.
Winners will be announced at the virtual JHM Gala taking place at the NASH84 conference on February 27, 2022.
Please direct any inquiries to president@cup.ca.
Here are the categories to submit to and their descriptions:
WRITTEN
Arts & Culture Writing Award
- (Re)writing punk: A gendered, oral history of Winnipeg’s early punk scene, Cierra Bettens, The Uniter
- Life Beyond Fandom: when childhood obsessions turn into future careers, Jack Wannan and Abeer Khan, The Eyeopener
- Maybe it isn’t just Western University — maybe it’s campus party culture, Sky Kapoor, The Varsity
Humour Award
- Once and for all: Is it embarrassing to run for the bus?, Thomas McLeod, The Ubyssey
- Ryerson’s Statue Toppling Is the Worst Thing To Ever Happen in Canada Ever, Rochelle Raveendran, The Eyeopener
- Local Lesbian Friends Realize They Have Been Dating for Three Years, Nate Trellis, The McGill Daily
Diversity Reporting Award
- Where are the trees for Black communities in Toronto?, Hannah Nie, The Varsity
- Speaking up is not what they want’: Students, graduates speak out about racist patterns at FHS, Rachel Smith, The Aquinian
- Tell me you’re queer without telling me you’re queer, Eduard Tatomir, The Eyeopener
Feature Writing Award
Under 75,000
- Tweeting today, blocked tomorrow, Hannah Rudderham, The Aquinian
- ‘Sometimes it feels surreal’: a look at N.B.’s chief medical health officer, Aaron Sousa, The Aquinian
Over 75,000
- “We’ve all got tired of fighting the system”: Charges dropped, no UVic investigations for students’ sexual assault cases, Kate Korte, The Martlet
- How the Kwikwetlem First Nation are returning salmon to the river that sustained their people for thousands of years, Josh Kozelj, The Ubyssey
- ‘I COULDN’T MOVE’ How Western’s OWeek ended in violence and trauma, Lucas Arender, Western Gazette
Investigative Reporting Award
Under 75,000
- ‘Pure chaos’: Campus bomb threat evacuates students, residence lockdown, Hannah Rudderham Jessica Saulnier, The Aquinian
- The legacy of discrimination in David Gilmour’s classroom, Zoe Lazaris and Sam Rosati Martin, The Strand
- Unravelled: Canadian astronomy conference rebuked by Mi’kmaw professor for handling of Indigeneity panel, Adam Lam, The Strand
Over 75,000
- Nursing Students Are Being Treated As Healthcare Professionals, McGill ISN Students Say, Emily Black, The McGill Daily
- ‘I COULDN’T MOVE’ How Western’s OWeek ended in violence and trauma, Lucas Arender, Western Gazette
- “We’ve all got tired of fighting the system”: Charges dropped, no UVic investigations for students’ sexual assault cases, Kate Korte, The Martlet
The CWA Award for Labour Reporting
- High work loads, unclear accommodations: COVID-19 leaves U of T instructors isolated and exhausted, Jadine Ngan, The Varsity
- CEC files for conciliation and unlawful labour practice complaint against faculty negotiators, escalating tensions, Khadija Jagani, The Dialog
- Students rally behind distinguished Black RTA professor after Ryerson fails to renew contract, Manuela Vega, The Eyeopener
News Reporting Award
- The difficulty of speaking French while non-binary, Talia Kliot, The Link
- Egerton Ryerson statue toppled, beheaded by protestors, Jes Mason, Heidi Lee, Thea Gribilas and Sarah Tomlinson, The Eyeopener
- Newly elected executive member alleges discrimination from USSU general manager, Ana Cristina Camacho, The Sheaf
Op-Ed Award
- The pandemic didn’t incite anti-Asian racism, it exacerbated it, Minh Truong, The Charlatan
- Legault is still responsible for creating a humanitarian crisis, Olivier Laurin, The McGill Daily
- University is a luxury that many poor students can’t afford, Diane Yeung, The Link
Sports Reporting Award
- ‘Like Poetry’: How Basketball and Hip-hop are intertwined, Will Baldwin, The Eyeopener
- Cricket and the anti-colonial effort, Mohammad Khan, The Link
- Heartbreak, nostalgia and hope: An oral history of men’s soccer nationals at Carleton, Mark Colley, The Charlatan
Indigenous Reporting Award
- Reconciliation in health care is essential for Indigenous communities, U of A professor says, Areeha Mahal, The Gateway
- Decolonizing starts with education. X̱wi7x̱wa Librarians are here to help, Tova Gaster, The Ubyssey
- How the Kwikwetlem First Nation are returning salmon to the river that sustained their people for thousands of years, Josh Kozelj, The Ubyssey
Multimedia
- Mei Eimotieg – We Are Still Here, Hannah Rudderham, The Aquinian
- Adapting to serve the community: a look into the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, Hadassah Alencar, The Concordian
- Egerton Ryerson statue toppled, beheaded by protestors, Jes Mason, The Eyeopener
Data Journalism Award
- What makes an A? Grading patterns vary widely across campus, Mary Heeg, The Martlet
- The untold histories of UBC building names, Sydney Cristall and Andrew Ha, The Ubyssey
- Using data to plan your trip to Weldon, Rebekah Rodrigues and Nabeel Siddiqui, Western Gazette
Climate Reporting Award
- COVID-19 can’t stop the climate justice movement, Abeer Khan, The Eyeopener
- UBC says it’s divesting its endowment from fossil fuels by 2030. Will it be enough?, Matthew Asuncion, The Ubyssey
- Summer heat dome scorched unhoused population in Victoria, Mary Heeg, The Martlet
Science Reporting Award
- How you may be trapped in a filter bubble of music due to AI, Jasmine Ryu Won Kang and Adam Lam, The Strand
- The dazzling world of animal colour, Tahmeed Shafiq, The Varsity
- Increased space debris and light pollution from satellites worry Canadian professors, Evert Lindquist, The Charlatan
Public Health Reporting Award
- Who’s caring for our nursing students’: Ryerson undergrads feel unsupported, Charlize Alcaraz and Dhriti Gupta, The Eyeopener
- Canada’s COVID border measures pose challenges for international students, Bogdan Lytvynenko, The Concordian
- Parties rage on amid inconsistent COVID-19 protocols, enforcement among U of T residences, Joshua Chong, The Varsity
MULTIMEDIA
Cover/Layout of the Year (paper award)
- Purity Test (Work From Home Edition), Emma Hole, The Gateway
- Nude modeling helped me reclaim my body, Layout by Liam Afonso, Art by Ava Benbow, Eleanor Milner and Victoria Annett, Western Gazette
- When academics define you, Design by Khadija Alam and Mahathi Gandhamaneni, Illustration by Natalie Song, The Strand
Graphic/Illustration of the Year
- Tanya White, The McGill Daily
- Sie Douglas-Fish, The Martlet
- Clanny Mugabe, The Queen’s Journal
Photo of the Year
- Spencer Colby, The Charlatan
- Jes Mason, The Eyeopener
- Jes Mason, The Eyeopener
Best Online Media
Prize for Digital Storytelling
Over 75,000
- Western walks out, Rebecca Bartkiw, The Western Gazette
- There Goes the Neighbourhood, Jessica Bouchard & Paula Sant’Anna, The Link
- Proctortrack: How Western quietly started watching students, Liam Afonso, Lucas Arender and Emily Tayler, The Western Gazette
RECOGNITION
Student Journalist of the Year
- Kate Korte, The Martlet
- Hope Mahood, Western Gazette
- Nick Taylor, Arthur Newspaper
Student Photojournalist of the Year
- Isabella Falsetti, The Ubyssey
- Catherine Reynolds, The Concordian
- Spencer Colby, The Charlatan
Student Publication of the Year
This award, voted on by CUP’s membership (digitally) during the NASH conference, is designed to help foster solidarity among the student media landscape and to recognize any outstanding accomplishments, progress and community service that a student publication has brought to their community at large over the past year.