Editors from The State Hornet traveled to San Francisco from March 5-7 to attend the Spring National College Media Conference hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press. The conference brought together student journalists from many colleges across the country to learn about reporting, editing and multimedia journalism.
During the weekend, conference guests attended workshops and panel discussions led by professional journalists and student journalists. These sessions focused on improving storytelling, learning new reporting skills and understanding how newsrooms are changing. The conference also gave students the chance to meet and connect with other college journalists.
For the State Hornet editors who attended, the experience was both educational and inspiring. They gained new ideas, learned from peers and saw how other student newsrooms tackle reporting and multimedia projects.
The conference ended with an award ceremony that recognized outstanding work in college journalism on the national stage. The State Hornet received several awards for its reporting, photography and multimedia work.
One of the biggest honors received was the 2026 Online Pacemaker Award. This award is described by ACP as the most prestigious award in collegiate journalism. The award recognizes the strong work produced by The State Hornet throughout the past year, highlighting the hard work and dedication of the student staff who have contributed to the publication.
Along with this prestigious award, The State Hornet also received several Best of Show awards.
Digital/Newsletter Editor Vivian Gonzalez and Spanish staffer Jacqueline Ruvalcaba placed fourth in Broadcast: News Story for their video, “Students protest new first-year housing requirement at Sacramento State.”
Editor-in-Chief Delaney Joyce earned eighth place in Photojournalism: News/Feature Photo for her lead photo in the article, “‘It’s up to these kids to make a difference’: Sacramento high school students rally against ICE.”
News Editor Andrea Rivera received second place in Reporting and Writing: Feature Story for her article, “Undercover to onstage: Suzi Perri returns to finish her Sac State story.”
The “In Summary” newsletter placed seventh in Digital Newsletter.
Hivemind, The State Hornet’s brand new arts and culture alumni magazine, earned eighth place in Feature Magazine for its first ever issue.
Video series “Sac State Says” placed seventh place in Broadcast: News Program for its segment, “ICE Out of Sacramento.”
Lastly, The State Hornet website earned second place in the Website category.
The editors and staff are truly grateful for all of the awards and recognition they received. These honors reflect the teamwork, creativity and dedication of everyone who contributes to The State Hornet, and they inspire the newsroom to continue producing high-quality journalism for the Sacramento State community.