Lamar University's student media earned 27 honors at the 2026 Press Club of Southeast Texas Excellence in Media awards at the organization's annual Newsmaker of the Year banquet, June 12.
The University Press staff earned 18 awards, including six first-place awards for work published in 2025. LUTV earned nine awards, including two first places.
"The Press Club awards are a great way for students to compare themselves against media professionals on an equal footing," Andy Coughlan, LU director of student publications, said. "There are no students categories so the students get validation from their peers."
The University Press staff won first place in the Magazine Overall Excellence category for the Summer 2025 and Winter 2025 editions.
Editor Rayna Christy won first place for Magazine News Story, as well as sharing first place with managing editor Regina Ruiz for Page Design. Photo editor Carlos Viloria won first place in News Photo. Outgoing news editor Maria Rodriguez won the Magazine Photography category and staff writer Heather Harmon won first place for Magazine Personal Profile.
LUTV's Felipe Borjas placed first in the Digital Sports Story category, and Landin Doucet and Travis Reed shared first place for Fine Arts Reviews/Critiques.
The University Press placed second in the Newspaper Overall Excellence category.
UP staffers earning second places included former UP editor Maddie Sims for Newspaper Feature, Christy for Sports News, and Ruiz for Op/Ed. Outgoing managing editor Kami Greene earned second place for Magazine Feature Story, while Christy and Ruiz also shared second place for Page Design. Sims and former social media manager Sydney Vo earned second place for Magazine Layout.
LUTV's Cam Sanderson placed second in the TV Sports Story category.
UP third-place winners include Greene for Business Story, sports editor Aaron Saenz for Travel Writing, and Christy and Ruiz for Photo Story.
LUTV earned third place for TV Best Newscast. Evan Wolford placed third in the Op/Ed category and Sanderson earned third for TV Best Anchor.
Honorable mentions went to the UP's Christy for Headline and Saenz for Page Design.
LUTV earned honorable mentions awards in News Organization Internet Video for Greene, Column for Ruiz, and Fine Arts Reviews/Critiques for Wolford.
More than 555 entries were received for this year's contest which featured 79 individual categories across all media, including newspapers, television, public relations, online, magazine and others.
The Press Club awards raise money for scholarships for students in the communication and media fields at Lamar University. Ruiz was awarded the primary scholarship, and communication-public relations senior Brynn Courts was also awarded.
"I am honored to receive this scholarship from the Press Club of Southeast Texas," Ruiz said. "Thank you (to the Press Club) for believing in students like me and for supporting the next generation of journalists. Your generosity will help me continue my education at Lamar University and work toward my goal of making a meaningful impact through journalism."
A High School scholarship was awarded to Port Neches-Groves High School's Callie Wright, and a Two Year Scholarship was presented to Lamar Institute of Technology student Ameona Carey.
The Newsmaker of the Year was awarded to "Big Rich" Courville for his work with 409 Cares, an organization that helped with relief work following the flooding disaster in the Hill Country last summer.
Long-time TV journalist Angel San Juan earned the Press Club's Jack Pieper award.
The Press Club draws its membership from Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Liberty, Chambers, Jasper, Tyler, Polk and Newton counties. Press Club members are professionals in media, public relations, academia, public affairs, and corporate communication and public information.
For a full list of winners, visit pressclubofsoutheasttexas.org.
