Awards

Caplin News has won many national and regional prizes including the prestigious Hearst Award for breaking news and the EPPY, given by Editor and Publisher magazine, for best community/niche website.

2024

Hearst Journalism Awards

Samuel Larreal
Explanatory Reporting – 10th place
Great escape: Venezuelans head north to uncertainty, Part 1

Eppy Awards

Tynisa Senior and Ivan Espinoza
Best feature story on a college/university website
Guilty until proven innocent: The wrongful conviction of Thomas Raynard James, part 1

2023

Hearst Journalism Awards

Steban Rondon
Personality/Profile Competition – 4th Place
A Colombian cocaine mule escapes from jail and cartel killing

Corina Vera
Multimedia Digital News/Enterprise Competition – 7th Place
Anorexia: Through the eyes of…

Florida Society of News Editors

Taylor Gutierrez
Audio story – 1st Place
The Secret Life of Scientists

Johny Agudelo and Kamille Bascus
Multimedia story – 1st Place
Decades after Miami riots, many still die at the hands of police

Adelia Hernandez
Multimedia story – 2nd Place:
A Homestead migrant worker’s journey

Ivan Espinoza and Tynisa Senior
Investigative reporting – 2nd Place
Guilty until proven innocent: The wrongful conviction of Thomas Raynard James, parts 1 and 2

2022

Florida Society of Newspaper Editors Contest

Helen Acevedo, Alejandra Garcia El Coro and Zitlali Solache
Breaking news – 1st place
Relatives of Surfside victims anxiously await news of loved ones at reunification center, Biden offers solace to families of Surfside victims, A vigil is held for Surfside victims as rescue and investigation continue

Valentina Palm
Investigative reporting – 1st place
Miami Beach’s Dirty Little Secret.

Shantel Sanchez
Sports reporting – 1st place
Freedom Park: What do neighbors think?

Adriana Rizik
Audio – 1st place
The world is fighting an invisible war through the Internet: Interview with Khrystyna M.

Lidia Delgado for first place in
Commentary – 1st place
Is FIU’s P3 App Effective?

Luciana Naretti
Multimedia reporting – 2nd place
Does the incoming flood of college students affect COVID-19 cases on campus?

Zitlali Solache and Julio Mendez
Video storytelling – 2nd place
A son grieves the loss of his elderly parents in the Surfside collapse.

Juan Alvarado
Sports (Spanish language) – 3rd place
El Matadero: El Drama de las eliminatorias sudamericanas

Aaliyah Pasols
Feature writing – 3rd place
Roller skating during the pandemic.

The Green Eyeshade Awards

Valentina Palm
Best News Reporter in the South – 1st Place
Miami Beach’s Dirty Little Secret

Liam Rooney
Best Sports Writer in the South – 3rd Place
Collected work

Sunshine State Awards

Valentina Palm
Best student work in Spanish – 1st Place
El Secreto sucio de Miami Beach

Valentina Palm
Best News Story – 3rd Place
Miami Beach’s Dirty Little Secret

Gabriella Genao
Best Profile – 1st Place
El Caballero de Santiago

Aaliyah Pasols
Best Light Feature – 1st Place
She made Miami chongas famous. Now she’s the voice of Selena in the new Netflix series

Ursula Muñoz Schaefer, Dabney Richards & Vanessa Sanchez
Best Coverage of LGBT Issues – 1st Place
Transgender murders plague Puerto Rico (includes video story)

Elizabeth Garcia & Helen Acevedo
Best COVID-19 Coverage – 2nd Place
South Florida immigrants struggle to access COVID-19 vaccine

2021

Hearst Award

Valentina Palm
Investigative Reporting – 3rd place ($1500 scholarship)
Miami Beach’s Dirty Little Secret: The Park View Island Canal

Green Eyeshade Award

Best News Reporter
Bianca Marcof – 1st Place
Alejandra Marquez Janze – 2nd Place
Valeria Venturini – 3rd Place

Gabriel Urrutia
Best Sports Writer – 3rd Place

Yasser Marte
Best Photographer – 1st Place

Sunshine State Awards 

Mejor trabajo estudiantil (todo tipo de medios) 

 

Best Website –  Third Place

 

Caplin News Staff

 

Best News Story – First Place

 

Jordan Coll & Helen Acevedo

 

 

Best News Photo – First Place

Yasser Marte

“Photos of Miami protest are engrossing and frightening”

Best Sports Story 

Gabriel Urrutia

“South Florida produces more top football talent than anywhere else”

Best Video – Third Place

Edmarys Menendez, Betsabe Romero & Jesus Dobbins

“Artists Layon, Rebuil, Wilber Mateu and Leah Dibut create new music despite the pandemic”

Best Multimedia Feature – First Place

Alejandra Marquez Janse & Kaylee Padron


Best Coverage of LGBT Issues – Third Place
 
Ursula Muñoz Schaefer

Palabra – “Targeting Trans”

Best Coverage of Race & Underrepresented Communities
– Second place

Maria Lago, Helen Acevedo, Jordon Coll, & Yasser Marte

“George Floyd protest stories”

Best COVID-19 Coverage – Third place

Valeria Venturini

 

Eppy Award (Editor & Publisher)

Best College Produced Community or Niche Website – Winner
Caplin News Staff

Best Video on a College Website – Finalist
Haley Richards, Paul Martinez and Brianny Viso
Mother and Son Offer Autism Training to First Responders”

2020 Academic Year

Hearst Award

Breaking News – Finalist
Kaylee Padron
Trouble at Miami New Times as staff writers leave, culture editor is laid off and salaries cut

Mark of Excellence (SPJ National)

Caplin News Staff
Best independent online student publication – region 3 finalist

Valeria Venturini
Non-fiction magazine article – region 3 winner
Hundreds of Venezuelans stranded in the United States

Campus Coronavirus Coverage (SPJ National)

Best Coverage – Winner
Caplin News Staff
Pandemic Profiles

Best Design – Winner
Imogen Francis
Florida COVID Stats

Sunshine State Awards

Best Website – First Place
South Florida News Service staff

Best Coverage of LGBT Issues – Third Place
Mariandrea Vergel Prieto
Struggles of transgender women transcend borders

Mejor Trabajo Estudiantil (todo tipo de medios)
1st Place:  Laura Isabel Perez
Jóvenes boricuas buscan en Miami el hogar que el huracán María les quitó

2nd Place:  Juan David Endara
Ante la adversidad, la resiliencia: Historias de vidas colombianas que superan la adversidad

3rd Place: Grethel Delgado
Coconut Grove Playhouse: 13 años de silencio

Florida Society of News Editors

Multimedia – Second Place
Yasser Marte, Kai’Chien Chisholm
Stephen Ross, Tank for Tua, and the current state of the Miami Dolphins

Photography – First Place
Yasser Marte


2019

Florida Society of News Editors

Gabriel Poblete, Maria Gil, Jesse Scheckner
Breaking news reporting – 1st place
FIU bridge near MMC campus collapses, killing and injuring several, just five days after being built

Adrian Nones-Newman
Enterprise Writing – 2nd Place
Millennials buying guns in wake of school shootings

Sebastian Ballestas
Photography – 2nd Place
Miami Broward Carnival

Green Eyeshade Award

Sebastian Ballestas
Best student photographer – 3rd Place

Sunshine State Awards

South Florida News Service staff
Best Website – 2nd Place

Jesse Scheckner, Maria Gil & Gabriel Poblete
Best News Story – 1st Place
FIU bridge near MMC campus collapses, killing and injuring several, just five days after being built

Jesse Scheckner, Maria Gil & Gabriel Poblete
Best Disaster Reporting – 2nd Place
FIU bridge collapse coverage

Mark of Excellence Awards

Kai’Chien Chisholm
Podcast – region 3 finalist
Stephen Ross, Tank for Tua, and the current state of the Miami Dolphins

Jay Valle, Monica Lebro and Andrea Igliozzi
Video Storytelling – 2nd Place
South Florida Access Goes from Hollywood Hard Rock to the Lighthouse of Broward

Kai’Chien Chisholm
Region 3 finalist
Sports column writing

2018

Jesse Scheckner
Hearst Award – 1st place
FIU bridge near MMC campus collapses, killing and injuring several, just five days after being built