By Austin Fitzgerald and Emily Early
June 15, 2026
Three University of Missouri School of Journalism students recently earned top honors during the 66th Hearst National Journalism Championships in San Francisco.
Recent graduates Annie George and Abigail Klinkerman both took home third place national finishes in the Photojournalism and Television championships, respectively, while master’s student Charlotte Cicero was named a national finalist in Television. Each produced new work under deadline from May 30 to June 5 for evaluation by the judges, competing against a select group of just 28 students representing 16 journalism schools across the U.S.
The School of Journalism also took second place in the Intercollegiate Broadcast Competition and third place in the Intercollegiate Photojournalism Competition, capping a year of Hearst competitions that earned the School of Journalism a fourth place finish overall in the national intercollegiate standings.
George earned her championship berth with first place in Hearst’s Photojournalism Picture Story/Series Competition earlier this year. George’s winning project, “Warrior,” documented the last months of 12-year-old Drew Patchin, who died of brain cancer in January. George grew close with the family, documenting time at home, during holidays and in the hospital.
This summer, George will participate in a photo editing internship at National Geographic Magazine.
Additionally, Klinkerman landed in the championship with two top finishes: second in Television ! – Features and seventh in Television II – News. The latter win came alongside recent graduate Ellie Compton, who finished third. Both worked with Elizabeth Frogge, professor and assistant news director at KOMU-TV, to create their submissions. Frogge also taught the two students in TV News Reporting 2.
Klinkerman put together three stories for her Hearst submission, ranging over a variety of topics. Compton’s winning entry included two packages for KOMU, the School of Journalism’s NBC-affiliate TV station.
Cicero worked with Frogge and KOMU Storytelling Editor Jann Carl on two KOMU stories that won her first place in Television I – Features, earning her an automatic berth in the Television championship.
The Hearst Awards will resurface this fall when the first monthly competitions of the 2026-2027 season begin.
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