Two University of Tennessee at Chattanooga communication students have earned national recognition in the 2025 Hearst Awards, placing among the top student communicators in the country in competitive national contests.
Clara Paulson, a junior Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College, placed 12th nationally in the Hearst Photo One Competition. Emily Mitchell, a fall 2025 graduate with a degree in communication and a minor in rhetoric and professional writing, placed 13th nationally in the Hearst Multimedia Visual Storytelling Competition.
The Hearst Awards Program, often referred to as the “Pulitzers of college journalism,” draws submissions from students across the United States, including those at designated journalism schools. The annual competitions recognize excellence in reporting, photography and multimedia storytelling and are among the most competitive student journalism contests in the nation.
Paulson currently serves as photo editor of The UTC Echo and works as a photographer in the university’s Division of Communications and Marketing. Her Hearst submission consisted of a six-photograph portfolio created during her time at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Mitchell’s nationally recognized project, titled “Carriage Chronicles,” featured a video storytelling component exploring Chattanooga’s iconic horse-drawn carriages. The project was published on Rising Rock, a student-run multimedia outlet overseen by UTC Associate Lecturer Billy Weeks.
Weeks said the students’ success reflects both individual talent and the strength of UTC’s communication program.
“Emily Mitchell may be as gifted a videographer as I’ve ever had in class,” Weeks says. “She has a real skill for making her videos simple and easy to understand while still being beautiful.”
Weeks says Paulson is one of the most gifted student photographers on campus at UTC.
“She’s worked hard to take her still photography to the next level – and it shows.”
Paulson says her interest in photography began years before college while learning to photograph birds with her grandfather. She said her time at UTC helped refine those early skills through coursework and hands-on experience with student media and professional assignments.
Mitchell says she discovered her passion for videography through opportunities provided by UTC’s communication faculty, which allowed her to explore both storytelling and technical production.
“I’m grateful to the professors who gave me the knowledge and freedom to explore videography and video editing. I don’t think I would have discovered that path without that support.”
University officials said the national placements highlight the role of experiential learning and faculty mentorship in preparing students for professional careers in communication and media.
Source: UTC