On March 26, the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association announced the 2026 J-Day and MIJA awards for Missouri publications, Summit walking away with 40 awards across all three publications.
The Talon Newspaper
All-Missouri
The 2025 – 2026 Talon staff – Overall Newsmagazine
Suham Alhamad – Student Life Photo – “Homecoming Pep Rally”
Maddie Hill – Sports Action Photo – “Turning the Tides”
Superior
Julia Worley – Sports Action Photo – “Defending the Army”
Vivian Akers – Sports Feature/Reaction Photo – “And the Crowd Goes to the Beach”
Excellent
Audrey Venneman – Newsmagazine Cover Design – “Freddie Falcon Through the Decades”
Maddie Hill – Student Life Photo – “Veteran’s Day Celebration”
Skylar Holtgrewe and Julia Worley – Online Story Package: News – “Youth and Government thrives at state conference”
Honorable Mention
Julia Worley and The Talon staff – Online Overall – rstalon.com
Skylar Holtgrewe and Emery Gregston – In-Depth News Story – “Proposition S proposes higher taxes and higher wages”
Suham Alhamad – Student Life Photo – “Victorious Tug of War”
The Pinnacle Yearbook
All-Missouri
Avery Martin – Traditional Yearbook Student Life Spread – “Back to School”
Avery Martin – Sports Writing – “Maroon Will Always Be Home”
Tracy Vu and Aubrey Warren – Yearbook Mod Design – “Every step of the way”
Superior
Mariana Julius – Sports Feature/Reaction Photo – “The 026 Army Turns Up the Volume”
Avery Martin – Sports Spread Design – “Tackling the Season”
Mariana Julius – Sports Spread Design – “Kicking Into Gear”
Aubrey Warren – Student Life Spread Design – “On Route to Back to Back Victory”
Excellent
Mariana Julius – Student Life Photo – “Under Pressure”
Olivia Zysk – Yearbook Mod Design – “Doughy Delights”
Hannah Goellner – Academic Photo – “Submerged Smiles”
Honorable Mention
Mariana Julius – Sports Action Photo – “Painting the Night”
Trevi Guest – Academic Photo – “Donut forget to Save”
Sydney Brown – Sports Action Photo – “On the Run”
Elena Grasso – Acadmic Spread Design – “Bon Appetite”
KFTN 92.7 Radio
All-Missouri
Clara Cottle – Radio News Package – “Winter Dance”
Amanda Mehrtens, Bobbi Mormino, Clara Cottle, Audrey Struckhoff, Megan Lockey, Jake Jansen, Natalie Russo, and Skylar Holtgrewe – Radio Sports Package – “Fall Sports Recap”
Superior
Mia Sutton – Radio Promotional Announcement – “Your Favorite Genres”
Honorable Mention
Amanda Mehrtens and Natalie Russo – Radio Sports Play-by-Play – “Volleyball Play-by-Play”
Megan Lockey – Radio Promotional Announcement – “Don’t Change the Channel!”
Natalie Russo – Radio Promotional Announcement – “Say Goodbye to the Rest”
J-Day On-Site Contests
Superior
Mariana Julius – Photojournalism – “Gannett’s Growing Greenery”
3rd Place
Hannah Goellner and Natalie Russo – Social Media – “JDay Coverage”
Julia Worley – Newswriting – “Grace Through Failure”
2026 MIJA Honor Roll (seniors)
The Talon Newspaper
Audrey Venneman
The Pinnacle Yearbook
Trevi Guest
Avery Martin
Abby Peterson
Tracy Vu
KFTN 92.7 Radio
Natalie Russo
Mia Sutton
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“Homecoming Pep Rally”
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“Turning the Tides”
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“Veteran’s Day Celebration”
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“Defending the Army”
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“And the Crowd Goes to the Beach”
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“Victorious Tug of War”
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“Under Pressure” – Mariana Julius of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
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“Submerged Smiles” – Hannah Goellner of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
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“The 026 Army Turns Up the Volume” – Mariana Julius of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
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“Painting the Night” – Mariana Julius of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
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“Donut Forget to Save” – Trevi Guest of The Pinnacle Yearbook Staff
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“On the Run” – Sydney Brown of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
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“Gannett’s Growing Greenery” – Mariana Julius of The Pinnacle Yearbook staff
