April 21, 2026

College journalists honored for work at annual SINBA awards

17 hours ago

EIU students, from left, Olivia Bennett, Andrew Spaid and Matt Williamson took home several awards for their student media outlet, including Best TV Newscast. Photo by Adam Feiner.

Illinois State University and Eastern Illinois University took home the majority of the INBA’s student journalism awards — called the SINBAs — during April 18’s Best of Broadcast Awards event in Champaign.

ISU’s radio and TV stations won a total of nine awards, while EIU students claimed seven. Included in those seven were three individual awards for Olivia Bennett, who won for best news reporting, sports reporting and TV photography. She also won one of the INBA’s five college scholarships that were handed out April 18.

Here is the complete list of winners:

RADIO COMPETITION

Outstanding Hard Radio Program

FIRST PLACE

  • The Big Beautiful Bill
    • Ally Cooper, Colleen Holden, Bella Marello, Illinois State University

Outstanding Soft Radio Program

FIRST PLACE

  • The RedZone: ISU Football National Championship Interview with Aondover Tarhule
    • Liam Lyons, Connor Allyn, Jaden Cohn, ISU 

Outstanding Radio Newscast

FIRST PLACE

  • Ally Cooper, ISU

Outstanding Radio News Reporting

FIRST PLACE

  • Jonathan Dumois, NIU

SECOND PLACE

  • Linder Sports Complex Renovations
    • Andrew Spaid, Eastern Illinois University

Outstanding Radio Sports Reporting

FIRST PLACE

  • Jaden Cohn, ISU

Outstanding Use of Sound

FIRST PLACE

  • History Has Its Eyes On Them: ISU Students March for a Safer Future and Justice for the Past
    • Colleen Holden, ISU  

TELEVISION COMPETITION

Outstanding Hard Television Program

FIRST PLACE

  • Illinois In Session: Look ahead at 2026 Senate Race
    • Nathan Gonzalez, Mary Piacente and Piper Pascarella, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

SECOND PLACE

  • Groovin Jaguar
    • GovState News Staff, Governors State University

Outstanding Soft Television Program

FIRST PLACE

  • The Quad: Lights, Camera, Action – The Quad Takes the Stage
    • Aaron Anastos, Mary Piacente, Adrien Reetz, UIUC

SECOND PLACE

  • Good Afternoon BloNo – Feb. 25, 2026
    • Aliah Mendoza, Aie Allen and Zakk Clark, ISU

Outstanding Sports Television Program

FIRST PLACE

  • SportsZone – March 30, 2026
    • Nicholas Thompson, Zach Zanardo, Victor Todorov, ISU

SECOND PLACE

  • Saluki Sportsview, Fall 2025, Ep. 2
    • Students of JRNL 445, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Outstanding Television Newscast

FIRST PLACE

  • WEIU-TV News Watch
    • News Watch Staff, EIU

SECOND PLACE

  • TV-10 News at Noon, March 23, 2026
    • Vivienne Hughes, Aliah Mendoza, ISU

Outstanding Television News Reporting

FIRST PLACE

  • Olivia Bennett, EIU

SECOND PLACE

  • Matt Williamson, EIU

Outstanding Television Sports Reporting

FIRST PLACE

  • Olivia Bennett, EIU

SECOND PLACE

  • Madalyne Korzeniewski, ISU

Outstanding Television News Photography

FIRST PLACE

  • Olivia Bennett, EIU

SECOND PLACE

  • Matt Williamson, EIU

View more SINBA Award winner photos on the INBA Facebook page soon.

Michelle Eccles McLaughlin
Public Relations Account Manager, Horace Mann Insurance

INBA is an organization that really caters to continuing education for professionals. It offers a relatively inexpensive way to learn new things, reinforce best practices and network.

Andrew Tanielian
Freelance Video Journalist

INBA taught me how to network in a meaningful way. The scholarship process taught me how to endure a hard job interview and thrive.

Ryan Denham
Digital Content Director, WGLT (Normal)

I recently attended my first INBA conference—and it won’t be my last. The combination of professional and student journalists learning together is electric. Everyone learns from each other and walks away with new friends (and LinkedIn connections). I know I did.

Jennifer Fuller
Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs, John A. Logan College

INBA is not only a great networking tool, it also provides advocacy and support for journalists in an ever-changing world.

Jeff Bossert
Morning Edition Host, WVTF, Roanoke, Virginia

When I was working in radio for the first time, I had no idea whether I could truly handle the demands. But INBA made me curious and want to improve. Even now, when I’ve maybe worked a lot of hours or planned some stories that didn’t come together for one reason or another, what I learn from an INBA conference gets me re-invigorated about the business.

Mike Miletich
Capitol Bureau Reporter, WAND-TV, Decatur

Joining the INBA was one of my best life decisions. I met some of the best broadcast journalists while I was still a college student. Plus, I ended up getting a job through the connections I made!

Aaron Eades
Former Morning Anchor at WCIA-TV, Champaign

As a student, it's often difficult to picture what working in the real world will be like. For me, the INBA bridged that gap by giving me the chance to talk to professionals who used to be in the same shoes I'm in now.

Molly Jirasek
News Director, ABC57, South Bend, IN

One of my top goals in my career was to get to Chicago. Thanks to INBA I met Margaret Larkin. She remembered our great conversations about Chicago and first alerted me to a job opening in the city I might be interested in. Lo and behold, I got that job! INBA helped me reach my dream.

Bob Roberts
Retired, WBBM-AM, Chicago

INBA is as much about friendship and as it is about achieving common goals. It provides two things individual newsrooms cannot: in-service training, and the ability to speak out on issues affecting the profession. But most of all, it brings newspeople together.

Alexis McAdams
Fox News National Correspondent

INBA played a huge part in preparing me for my broadcasting career. The INBA conventions connect students with on-air talent and news directors who give feedback on now to improve your work. Through relationships I made at those conventions, I was able to obtain my first on air reporting job.

Nora Baldner
Professor, Quincy University

The support INBA gives to student journalists is vitally important as we all discover how technology is changing news dissemination, INBA monitors and actively encourages truth, transparency and accountability from students and their universities.

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