Six students and former students from NorthWest Arkansas Community College received awards in a state communications contest Saturday, June 22. The students recognized were members of the NWACC Eagle View staff in 2024.

Arkansas Press Women announced the winners of its annual Professional Communications Contest at an awards luncheon at Central Baptist College in Conway. Work produced in a variety of communications fields during 2024 was eligible to compete. Dwain Hebda of Little Rock, president of Ya!Mule Wordsmiths, Inc., won the Sweepstakes Award in the state contest. The Sweepstakes Award is based on a point system that factors in entry ranking and the degree of competition in a category.

First-place winners in the state competition are eligible to advance their entries to a national competition of the National Federation of Press Women. National winners will be recognized during NFPW’s annual conference Sept. 11-13 in Golden, Colorado. The conference concludes with an awards banquet on Sept. 13.

State winners from NWACC and their awards were:

Dayanti Arechiga, News Editor, NWACC Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Chappell Roan’s Gift to Arkansas.

Third Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for The Christmas Crisis.

Chelsea Castillo, Managing Editor, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Third Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for NWACC Students Running a Local Food Truck in Benton County.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Overdose Kits Now Accessible on Campus.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Cultures, Food Mix in Award-winning Mural.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Sports for NWACC Athletic Luncheon Celebrating esports and Cross-country.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Did Gen Z Voters Impact the Election?

Genesis Guerra, News Editor, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for NWACC Theater Prepares for Holiday Cheer.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Arkansas Voters Approve Plan to Expand Lottery Scholarship.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Cyber Event Delays Start of Semester.

Kay King, Editor-In-Chief, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Biden, Trump, Womack Win on Tuesday.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Brightwater Venturing into New Territories.

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Features for Catching Up on CAST (co-entrant with Stephanie Roat).

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Trails and Trades Takes Off.

Third Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — News for Flying Forward to the Future.

Second Place in Collegiate/Education: Writing — Opinion/Editorial/Reviews for Coca-Cola is King.

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Art and Design — Design (print or electronic) for Creepy Creatures at Crystal Bridges.

Stephanie Roat, (co-entrant with Kay King) NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

Honorable Mention in Collegiate/Education: Writing—Features for Catching Up on CAST.

Fernanda Sanchez, Reporter, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Eagle View:

First Place in Collegiate/Education: Public Relations, Social Media or Recruitment/Involvement Campaign for SGA Voter Registration campaign.

A total of 321 entries were submitted in the contest and evaluated by independent judges.

Arkansas Press Women (APW) is an association of professional communicators in journalism, public information, business, education and government. To learn more about APW, visit https://arkansaspresswomen.org/.