Headlamp reporters win four KPA Awards of Excellence

PITTSBURG—Pittsburg Headlamp reporters Addie Hinterweger and Dylan Waggoner claimed top prizes in the 2025 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence competition, beating out professional publications from across the state of Kansas

Hinterweger received first place in the online photo series category for her photo story “Beneath the jungle.” Waggoner took first in the religion story category for “Catholic students at PSU tell their Lenten plans.”

Waggoner also won third place in the news story category for his story “Pro-Palestine protests come to Pitt State.” Hinterweger, together with reporter Lilli Weir, received third place in the health category for their story “Pitt State women balance birth control benefits, side effects.”

Waggoner and Weir are both graduates of Pittsburg State University’s Department of Communication. As multimedia journalism students, they wrote stories for the Headlamp as a part of their degree.

So too did Hinterweger, who will complete her undergraduate degree in May 2025 and then begin graduate work in the communication department. She said her photo story “Beneath the jungle” was born of natural curiosity about the tunnels beneath her feet as a student on Pittsburg State University’s campus.

“The idea for ‘Beneath The jungle’ sparked when the university announced upcoming construction to the mysterious tunnels under the campus,” Hinterweger said. “I was just as curious as other students about what the tunnels looked like and what their purpose was. The final images and copy told the story that had until then remained unknown to most people.”

She added that her training in PSU’s Department of Communication made her reporting possible.

“The [multimedia journalism] program set me up to produce that story in many ways,” she said. “Because of the reporting, interviewing and photography skills taught in foundation courses, I was able to let myself tell the story instead of worrying about camera settings or if I was using correct AP style. I am proud of the work I produced, and winning the ‘online photo series’ category for the Kansas Press Association awards reflects the incredible journalism program at PSU.

Ken Ward, who teaches many of the journalism courses in the communication department, said he was overjoyed to have such a strong showing in the 2025 contest. It was the first time students staffing the Headlamp had participated.

“We launched the Headlamp specifically to give our students opportunities like this,” Ward said. “Addie, Dylan, and Lilli did great work on their stories, and they’ve done an excellent job representing our department and university. I’m proud of each of them, and I look forward to seeing the communication department’s students represented in the contest in future years.”