IU sophomore Matt Cohen, a sports writer for the Indiana Daily Student, received first place in the 2019-20 Hearst Personality/Profile Writing Competition. Junior and IDS managing editor Caroline Anders placed fourth.
Cohen won the competition with his story “The General comes home,” about former IU men’s basketball coach Bob Knight’s return to Bloomington. Anders placed with her story on Indianapolis communities facing gun violence, “Live and Learn.”
More than 100 entries were submitted for the competition, according to the Hearst Journalism Awards Program website.
In addition to placing in the competition, Cohen received a $3,000 scholarship and Anders received $1,000. By winning first, Cohen is eligible to compete in the 2020 Hearst National Writing Championship.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person National Championships in Houston, Texas, were canceled. However, the Hearst Program is working to plan an alternative experience for the winning finalists.
“I’m so thankful for the mentorship I got at the IDS,” Cohen said. “If I’d told myself at the beginning of the school year I wouldn’t have believed it, I barely believe it now, but I would never have gotten here without the IDS.”
