Article by Brendan Flanagan | Owl Staff
Fall 2025 Owl Media Staff from left to right: Nneka Iweanya, Javier Benjamin, Brendan Flanagan, Brooklynn Brown, Tacy Brown, Colin Lowry, Abbie Krass, Claudia Brown, Ann Mervin, Mackenzie Cooney.
Owl Media, the student multimedia publication of Harford Community College, has been recognized as national finalists for a record-breaking eighteen categories in the 2025-2026 Pinnacle Awards sponsored by the College Media Association.
Student media publications from across the country entered the competition. Winners will be announced at the Fall National College Media Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. from November 4-7, 2026.
Owl Media made it to the final round for the following categories:
Best Ad Campaign (Two-Year) – by Colin Lowry, Josh Brethauer, Kalise Huber, Tacy Brown, and Eleni Fotis. (https://owlmedia.org/2026/06/16/insight-from-an-intern/) (https://youtu.be/w2x_43CaIig?si=ZbrjEhH8j7Lgx1oa) (https://youtube.com/shorts/gxPLrt22XKw?si=THoy3quoCAOQzqCH) (https://owlmedia.org/2026/01/31/welcome-back/)
Best Breaking News Multimedia Coverage (Two-Year) – for “The Chesapeake Welcome Center Grand Opening” by Tacy Brown, Eleni Fotis. (https://youtube.com/shorts/0Uq7-UsHGzE?si=a_enxPO-YXT0rhXH)
Best Breaking News Package (audio/video) (Two-Year) for “BWI Airport Delay” by Tacy Brown. (https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1cQRuBkmF8/)
Best Campus Media Engagement (Two-Year)
Best Creative Film (Two-Year) for “Intrusive” by Sterling Froberg, Jacob Raiber, and Liam Zelina.
Best Feature Package (audio/video) (Two-Year) for “Travel on a Budget” by Tacy Brown and Eleni Fotis. (https://youtu.be/dYiH-W_zgis?si=hE8f7mxBYz4HpWtC)
Best Feature Story (print/web) (Two-Year) for “A Childhood Lost: Breaking the Cycle of Family Addiction” by Ann Mervin. (https://owlmedia.org/2026/04/07/a-childhood-lost-breaking-the-cycle-of-family-addiction/)
2025-2026 Owl Media Advisory Staff from left to right: Brendan Flanagan, Claudia Brown, Faras Aamir.
Best General News Package (audio/video) (Two-Year) for “Harford Mall ICE Protest” by Eleni Fotis and Tacy Brown. (https://youtu.be/Xr2mDKktgBM?si=tIn2pP3e0okvTxEf)
Best General News Story (audio/video) (Two-Year) for “The No Kings Protests” by Brooklynn Brown, Mackenzie Cooney, Ann Mervin, Peter Dennis, Tacy Brown and Eleni Fotis. (https://youtu.be/un97AiSbSuI?si=OAHtHyIo6K1vDlE6)
Best Headline (Two-Year) for “Drawing the Line: Students React to Extremist Group on Campus.” (https://owlmedia.org/2025/12/16/drawing-the-line-students-react-to-extremist-group-on-campus/)
Best Investigative Story (Two-Year) for “Drawing the Line: Students React to Extremist Group on Campus” by Nneka Iweanya. (https://owlmedia.org/2025/12/16/drawing-the-line-students-react-to-extremist-group-on-campus/)
“Winners will be announced at the Fall National College Media Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. from November 4-7, 2026.”
Best Multimedia Sports Story (Two-Year) for “Ice Chronicles: A Student’s Figure Skating Journey” by Eleni Fotis and Tacy Brown. (https://youtu.be/RSA5-Yv1Tg8?si=ITLd5vx3qBtm6-n4)
Best News Multimedia Package (Two-Year) for “Drawing the Line: Students React to Extremist Group on Campus” by Nneka Iweanya and Eleni Fotis. (https://owlmedia.org/2025/12/16/drawing-the-line-students-react-to-extremist-group-on-campus/)
Best Short Documentary (Two-Year) for “Remembering Rachel Morin: A Tribute from Her Children” by Eleni Fotis. (https://youtu.be/1Sa6hJleBXU?si=izTFI9-feBAjoylB)
Best Special Event Coverage (audio/video) (Two-Year) for “2026 CMA Apple Awards” by Eleni Fotis. (https://youtu.be/MyKpFLQKYqI?si=9w_hBcaJzJTRHm9I)
Best Vertical Short Video (Two-Year) for “Harford Highlights: Owlfest 2025” by Nneka Iweanya, Javier Benjamin, Roger Newcomb and Alanna Hutton. (https://youtube.com/shorts/gWrFBWFvSI8?si=z2WXg6T8IdcJ_dcO)
Best Video Advertisement (Two-Year) for “Join Owl Media Staff!” by Josh Brethauer. (https://youtu.be/w2x_43CaIig?si=7NQbnWMDp5ahmMFI)
Best Video Entertainment Program (Two-Year) for “Ice Chronicles: A Student’s Figure Skating Journey” by Eleni Fotis. (https://youtu.be/RSA5-Yv1Tg8?si=D8tfNrVZ4Ax2vc0G)
2025-2026 Owl Media Staff from left to right: Brendan Flanagan, Faras Aamir, Tacy Brown, Eleni Fotis, Peter Dennis, Asia Nino, Colin Lowry, Hannah Henson, Alanna Hutton, Ann Mervin, Brooklynn Brown, Javier Benjamin, Claudia Brown.
The 2025-2026 student staff was led by Editor-in-Chief Eleni Fotis, and advised by Claudia Brown, Faras Aamir, and Brendan Flanagan.
Owl Media released print magazines from 2011-2020, has been publishing videos on YouTube and Facebook since 2014, and launched a website in late 2022. The publication has won 73 national awards since 2012.
Readers can follow the nationally award-winning publication on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as their website, owlmedia.org.
Students interested in joining the staff may email harfowl@harford.edu or reach out via social media.
Check back soon for results!