The College Media Association and the Associated Collegiate Press recognized The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.’s work by naming its publications as finalists for CMA Pinnacle and ACP awards.
CMA’s contest recognizes excellence in student media, encompassing college newsrooms, websites, magazines, yearbooks, and radio. ACP, the largest national membership organization for college student media in the United States, recognizes the achievements of individual students and teams of journalists with individual awards.
In the CMA Pinnacle Awards contest, The Daily Pennsylvanian was recognized for its work in investigative journalism, with work from News and Sports departments recognized as finalists. The DP competes in the Division I category with schools that have an enrollment of over 10,000 undergraduate students.
The DP was recognized as a finalist in the Series category for its work on “The Encampment Files” — a series of investigative pieces surrounding Penn’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment in spring 2024. This category is open to entries that consist of a minimum of three stories.
College senior and former News Editor Ben Binday and College junior and News Editor Jasmine Ni were recognized for their work on the series, which detailed Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s opposition to addressing the encampment, the breakdown of negotiations between the Penn administration and encampment organizers, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s push for influence in Penn’s campus affairs. The body of reporting underscored the importance of access to open records pertaining to one of the most publicized events in Penn’s recent history.
DP Sports also garnered recognition in the Best Investigative Sports Story category. College seniors and former Sports Editors Walker Carnathan, Vivian Yao, and Sean McKeown were recognized as finalists for a piece detailing allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment within Penn’s track and field program. This story further solidified Sports’ commitment to pursuing investigative journalism, as the DP was recognized in this category for the second straight year. This story was the culmination of conversations with 16 sources, underscoring the depth and diligence of the investigation.
In addition to recognition by the CMA, both the DP and 34th Street Magazine were honored by the ACP. This year, the organization recognized 388 finalists from 39 total contests — with the DP named as a finalist in seven categories.
Entries recognized by the ACP spanned a wide range of stories and formats, showcasing the breadth of storytelling across both the DP and Street. The publications were named finalists in the Sports Game Story, Sports Feature Story, and Multimedia News Story categories, as well as a two-time finalist in the Blog category. Street was named a finalist in Local Climate Change Reporting and Magazine Page/Spread categories.
Wharton and Nursing senior and Sports Editor Valeri Guevarra and 2025 Nursing graduate and former Sports reporter Kristel Rambaud were recognized in Sports Game Story for their coverage of Matt Fallon qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic games in the 200-meter breaststroke event.
Guevarra and McKeown were also recognized in Sports Feature Story for their coverage detailing how three former Penn swimmers filed a lawsuit against Penn, Harvard University, the Ivy League, and the NCAA for allegedly violating Title IX by allowing 2022 College graduate Lia Thomas to compete in the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship.
DP Sports staff were recognized as finalists in the Blog category for its coverage of the second and third days of the 2025 Penn Relays — a testament to the cross-departmental work to cover a nationally renowned event on Penn’s campus.
College and Wharton senior, former Photo Editor, and President Abhiram Juvvadi, 2025 College graduate and former Video Editor Derek Wong, Wharton junior and Street Photo Editor Jackson Ford, and College junior and News Photo Editor Chenyao Liu were recognized as a finalists in the Multimedia News Story category for their photo essay on the 2024 Presidential Debate held in Philadelphia. An effort of twelve photographers, the project captured how the debate unfolded across Penn’s campus and the city at large, and the recognition underscored the collaborative strength of the DP’s news coverage.
For Street, 2025 College graduate, former Sports Editor, and former Street staff writer Caleb Crain was recognized in Local Climate Change Reporting for work covering Penn researchers’ efforts to build a more sustainable future. College senior and Street Design Editor Insia Haque and College sophomore and Design associate Melody Zhang were also recognized in Magazine Page/Spread for their design work on Street’s “DOGE’s Wake of Destruction” piece, which was featured in Street’s April issue, “The Greens.”
CMA Pinnacle and ACP individual award winners will be announced during MediaFest25, held from Oct. 15-18 in Washington.
President (2025), Photo Editor (2024), News Photo Editor (2023)
