COLLEGE PARK — Capital News Service, the student-powered news outlet operated by the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, won 27 awards with 20 individual students and multiple bureaus recognized in this year’s Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Press Association contest.
CNS, staffed by Merrill College students and led by faculty members, competed against professional news organizations in the annual contest. All work was entered in Division F, with categories organized by total audience.
CNS placed first in 17 categories and second in 10. Two first-place finishes also won Best of Show — which honors the category’s best work across all size divisions. It was CNS’ most MDDC awards in a single year since 2018.
The Capital News Service audience engagement bureau won three awards — finishing first in two categories (General Social Media Reporting and Breaking News - Social Media), and second in one. It was recognized as Best of Show in Breaking News - Social Media for a post covering a “USAID Protest.”
Five students each earned two MDDC awards — Eddy Calkins ’26, Sophia da Silva ’26, Molecule Jongwilai (M.J. ’26), Andrew McBride ’26 and Cat Murphy (M.J. ’26). All placed first in at least one category with da Silva and Jongwilai each finishing first in two categories. Murphy was recognized as Best of Show in Best Use of Interactive Media for “Here's who Donald Trump has granted clemency to this year.”
The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism took first Investigative Reporting for its “Off the Rails” investigation into the North American rail industry that was published by CNS.
CNS as a whole placed first in Business Reporting for coverage of the Key Bridge collapse’s impact on Baltimore, finished first in Special Event Video for its coverage of the end of the government shutdown and placed second in General Web Site Excellence.
Here is the complete list of the MDDC Awards won by CNS:
News-driven Informational Graphics
Second place - Cat Murphy, “Congressional Democrats and Republicans have never been further apart on fiscal policy”
General Social Media Reporting
First place - Capital News Service Staff, “Immigration Crackdown”
Breaking News - Social Media
First place & Best of Show - Capital News Service Staff, “USAID Protest”
Second place - Capital News Service Staff, “Government Shutdown”
Best Use of Interactive Media
First place & Best of Show - Cat Murphy, “Here's who Donald Trump has granted clemency to this year.”
Breaking News
Second place - Tolu Talabi, Jade Tran, “Sudden firings by Trump administration rock key climate and weather agency”
General News Story
First place - Peter Riccio, Sophia da Silva, “Less than a week since FAA flight cuts, Washington area airports are feeling the impact”
Second place - Haley Parsley, “School board chair fights ‘vulgarness,’ profanity and many local parents”
Continuing Coverage
First place - Lillian Glaros, Ruby Siefken, “Understanding Maryland’s role in immigration enforcement”
Investigative Reporting
First place - Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, “Off the Rails”
State Government
First place - Emma Tufo, Jack Bowman, “How families might fare under Maryland’s new state budget”
News-driven Multimedia Storytelling
First place - Ela Jalil, Adam Hudacek, “DOGE is cutting GSA leases across Maryland and D.C. Here’s why the market’s optimistic.”
Business Reporting
First place - Capital News Service Staff, “Baltimore Key Bridge Impact”
Education Reporting
First place - Sophia da Silva, Molecule Jongwilai, “Crackdown on international students continues with threats on F-1 visas”
Environmental Reporting
Second place - Rachel McCrea, “State lawmakers are pushing for new power generation in Maryland”
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
First place - Capital News Service Staff, “‘Not fit for a dog’: Maryland reformatory boys died through years of disease, neglect”
Feature Story: Non-Profile
First place - Mary Burke, “Nickeled and dimed: how the lowly penny’s retirement impacts Marylanders”
Second place - Xavier Board, “Ravens drone incidents underscore congressional concerns over security, safety threats”
Features-driven Multimedia Storytelling
First place - Molecule Jongwilai, “Spooky season isn’t just in October: Examining the data around horror movies”
General News Video
First place - Eddy Calkins, “NTSB says loose cable is probable cause of Key Bridge collapse”
Second place - Eddy Calkins, “Maryland sues Trump administration over FBI HQ relocation”
Features Video
First place - Ben Wolf, “Color-changing mouthguard helps coaches spot dangerous heat levels before it’s too late”
Second place - Andrew McBride, “Cat cafe offers federal workers 20% off during shutdown”
Sports Video
First place - Andrew McBride, “A lifelong friendship fuels a dynamic Navy backfield partnership”
Second place - Zion Williams, “Open Goal Project expands free youth soccer access in D.C.”
Special Event Video
First place - CNS TV Staff, “Government Reopens”
General Web Site Excellence
Second place - Capital News Service
For more information, contact:
Josh Land
joshland@umd.edu
301-405-1321