Piedmont Roar Named Top Student Media Website in the Nation

The Roar (piedmontroar.com), the student media hub of Piedmont University, was recently awarded Division III “Media Website of the Year” by the College Media Association.

“This recognition is a testament to the work of our students across all media platforms,” said Dr. Joe Dennis, chair of the mass communications department. “The Roar features the outstanding work of our students in writing, photography, design, audio and video. This national award demonstrates that among small colleges, Piedmont has one of the best mass communications programs in the country.”

The award was one of 26 “Pinnacle Awards” received by Piedmont at the College Media Conference in Washington, DC, on Oct. 15-18, by far the most of any college in the Division III category (colleges with fewer than 3,000 students). According to the College Media Association, the Pinnacle Awards “represent the best student work in collegiate journalism, media production and organizational excellence.” Awards are determined by “a panel of experienced media professionals and educators.”

Piedmont students racked up 10 first-place, nine second-place, two third-place and five honorable mention awards. Seventeen different students from Piedmont were recognized in the competition. The awards earned by Piedmont spanned all media, with 10 recognizing outstanding journalistic writing, five spotlighting photography, five acknowledging video production, three highlighting audio entertainment, and three for media design.

Dennis also acknowledged the Piedmont administration, which is committed to supporting an independent student media. “In a time when administrative censorship is common in student media, Piedmont University has continued to provide students with a forum to investigate the issues that matter to students,” he said. “That independence fosters a successful student media and, more importantly, provides real-world lessons for our students.”

Six Piedmont students accompanied their adviser, Laura Hudgens, to the four-day conference in Washington, DC. Attended by more than 3,000 student journalists and media professionals, the national conference provides students with the opportunity to learn from industry professionals and network with peers from other schools. The Pinnacle Awards are presented at the conclusion of the conference.

“I couldn’t be happier about this year’s CMA experience,” said Laura Hudgens, assistant professor of mass communications and advisor for The Roar. “Our students learned so much, had some fun experiences and came away with more awards than an adviser could ever even ask for.”

For a comprehensive list of awards, including links to the award-winning work, please refer to the attached table.

Some highlights:

• Piedmont’s sports communications majors fared well in the competition, with eight sports-related entries earning national recognition.
• Spring 2025 graduate Sophie Haines’ capstone documentary, “Concealed,” earned three awards for best documentary (third place), best video ad (second place) and best print ad (first place).
• The Roar continues to fare well in opinion writing categories, earning first place for its editorial writing, sports column writing and second place in column writing.

The Roar is the student media hub for Piedmont University, housing The Roar student newspaper, 98-7 Roar Radio, Roar Podcast Productions and Roar Student Films. All Piedmont student media is independently produced and run by students, with mass communications professors serving as advisors. Piedmont offers majors in mass communications, sports communications, and film and documentary production.

Piedmont University 2025 College Media Association Pinnacle Awards