Epic News Network Wins Multiple Oklahoma Scholastic Media Awards
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Hatfield
405-817-2384
Epic News Network Wins Multiple Oklahoma Scholastic Media Awards
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 28, 2026) – Students with the Epic News Network (ENN) recently attended the annual Oklahoma Scholastic Media Spring Media Day and brought home 11awards for reporting, video production and graphic design. The awards recognize the work of students in Epic journalism classes, taught by Jeff Raymond, Elizabeth Stidham, Phil Cross and Mary Beth Jamison.
“The ENN program works with nearly 400 students over the course of a year, and these awards are well-deserved recognition of the hard work our students and teachers put into these courses,” said ENN Journalism and Creative Media Director Phil Cross.
Epic competes in the Division 1 category, which pits Epic students against the largest districts in Oklahoma and often against well-established journalism programs with many more active students.
Hooriyah Kamran, grade 8, won first place in the feature writing - culture category for her in-depth article about Ramadan and how it connects Muslims across many cultures. ENN Advanced Video Production student Corbin Carpenter, grade 11, won first place in the video news category for his first-semester documentary project about the new “Bell-to-Bell No Cell” policy.
The ENN website was reviewed by judges for the Critical Service awards. This award is a holistic review of publications that covers the quality of reporting and the services they provide to their school and state. The ENN website was awarded the "Highest Honors" distinction, which enabled ENN to compete and win the "All Oklahoma" designation for the Epic News Network.
Below is a full list of all our award winners and their articles:
Blog Entry
Second Place: Kaylee Steer, The Internet Rebrands Bullying and Teens Pay the Price
Feature Writing - Culture
First Place: Hooriyah Kamran, Ramadan Traditions Connect Muslims Across Culture
Second Place: Harrison Favero, Metro Youth Theatre Brings Magic of Live Theatre to Families
Graphic Design Element
Honorable Mention: Bradley Denton, Photo Illustration: Roblocked? Child Safety Concerns Prompt Oklahoma to Take Action
News Reporting - General
Second Place: Trezli Cramer, Epic Audit Finds Causes for Past Financial Problems
News Reporting - Student Life
Honorable Mention: Maleigha Ude for Devin Fogle’s Time Travel Romp
News Reporting - Technology
Third Place: Hooriyah Kamran, RoBlocked? Child Safety Concerns Prompt Oklahoma to Take Action
Video News Story
Corbin Carpenter, Bell-to-Bell No Cell Documentary Project
News Reporting - Community
Third Place: Joshlyn McKey, Blown Whistles, Broken Culture. Why Youth Sports Officials Are Walking Away
On Deadline - Online Critique Column
Honorable Mention: Joshlyn McKey, REVIEW: Missed Nominations
On-Deadline - Opinion Column
Honorable Mention: Bella Buckner, I Didn’t Use AI to Write This
On-Deadline - Promotional Video
Second Place: Hazel Scott, Motionless Car
For more information on Epic News Network, visit www.epicnewsnetwork.org.