Miami University journalism students picked up six “first-place wins” and seven “finalist” awards in the annual Mark of Excellence collegiate journalism competition in Pittsburgh.

A total of 108 students were recognized in this year’s competition, hosted by Region 4 of the Society of Professional Journalists. Miamians submitted 54 of the total 398 entries in the competition.

Students selected as first-place winners and their entries included:

• Audrey Davis, features, for "FSB Prof Wants to Be Everything," published in The Miami Student.
• Devon Shuman, general columns, for "Speaking Up About Mental Health is Key," published in The Miami Student.
• Emma Kinghorn, non-fiction magazine story, for "A Hitch in Jim's Step," published in The Miami Student Magazine.
• The Miami Student Magazine, Megan Zahneis, editor, best student magazine.
• Oxford Weekly News, best all-around TV newscast, produced by Skylar Dubelko, Hannah Jolly, Katie McDonnell, Sara Meurer, Greta Morris, Althea Perley and Angela Riffle for a class taught by Joe Sampson.
• Laura Fitzgerald, online news reporting, for "A Story of Addiction and Recovery," published on Patch.com and produced for a class taught by Rosemary Pennington.

Students named as “finalists” included:

• Kirby Davis, features, for "TMS Reporter Rides Along with MUPD on 'Blackout' Thursday," published in The Miami Student.
• Ceili Doyle and A.J. Newberry, best use of multimedia, for "High Risk" documentary, produced for The Miami Student.
• Mitchell Hausfeld, sports columns, for "The Bengals, The Browns and English Poetry," published in The Miami Student.
• Jugal Jain, breaking news photography, for "Oxford March Against White Supremacy," published in The Miami Student.
• Mackenzie Rossero, features, for "What They Left Behind, Life After Loss," published in The Miami Student.
• James Steinbauer, Jake Gold, Ceili Doyle and Devon Shuman, in-depth reporting, for "Community in Crisis: Miami's Drinking Problem,” published in The Miami Student.
• Megan Zahneis, non-fiction magazine, "Doing the Most," published in The Miami Student Magazine.

Eleven students traveled to Pittsburgh for the March 9-10 Region 4 conference of the Society of Professional Journalists. They were joined by Patricia Gallagher Newberry, area director of journalism in Miami’s Department of Media, Journalism & Film and secretary-treasurer of SPJ.