Continuing a tradition of success, students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications garnered 10 awards at the AEJMC Festival of Visual & Interactive Media or “VIM Fest” awards on March 12, 2026.
From interactive design and animation to photojournalism projects documented in still photography and video, visual communications students showcased the breadth of their storytelling and design work.
Lauren Hansborough and Isabella Chabrier-Diaz took home a gold for their video animation What is the Tiger Burn?
Judges commended the piece for its original asset creation and energetic story-telling style. "Great way to answer this question visually. This could easily turn into a content series on social," they said. The students were mentored by visual communications senior instructor Jason Porter.
“Seeing our students recognized at VIM Fest is a reminder of what makes our program strong," Porter said. "Our students work across a wide range of visual and interactive media, and that diversity of work reflects the breadth of skills they develop here. It’s rewarding to see them bring those ideas to a national stage and have their creativity and craft recognized by the broader visual communication community."
Visual communications students Chiara Jentry, Julia Spies and Jack Bradshaw each earned two awards for their outstanding work.
Silver Awards
Video Animation
Julia Spies and Asia Spigner, Mountain Boojam
Faculty Mentor: Jason Porter
Judges Comments: Clever use of texture and depth of field. A great use of animation
and way to tell an interesting story. Great character work and asset creation; effectively
captures a folk-legend atmosphere through a cohesive visual style.
General Design
Chiara Jeanty, Cuppa Brand Kit
Faculty Mentor: Jason Porter
Judges Comments: A cohesive and well-executed brand kit showing strong conceptual
development and clean, modern design. Well done! Enjoyed the color palette and overall
design. Also a great name for tea.
Video/Film
Rachael Barkoff, Saturdays in South Carolina
Faculty Mentor: Jason Porter
Judges Comments: The editing and emotion were strong points for this thematic piece,
keeping the energy high without being too chaotic for the most part. Very impressive!
Technically, it’s flawless.
Advertising
Chiara Jeanty, Coach: Work of Art
Faculty Mentor: Jason Porter
Judges Comments: A sophisticated AI-assisted workflow that shows a high level of technical
control and creative vision. Love the concept of the bags being featured in a museum.
Good use of practical creativity and AI elements.
Bronze Awards
Interactive/Motion
Lake Killman, UpAhead App Prototype
Faculty Mentor: Jason Porter
Judges Comments: Enjoyed the colorful design. Love the jewel-toned color pallette
Video/Film
Zoe Orechwa, Rooted in Nature
Faculty Mentor: Renée Ittner-McManus
Judges Comments: This piece was one of the few entries that featured someone in an
intimate setting. It had some strong isolated visuals. Nice job with the use of cinema
verité as b-roll in many moments.
Honorable Mention Awards
Video/Film
Julia Spies, Talmadge Moore LeGrand Photojournalism Workshop video
Faculty Mentor: Renée Ittner-McManus
Judges Comments: Excellent! The narrative is very well-structured. This is one of
the most well-produced entries from a technical stand point with clean visual, audio
and edits. Aesthetically the video quality is as good as the edit. Well done!
Photojournalism Photo Essay
Jack Bradshaw, Darby Bianco, Katie Cannon, Madelyn Farley, Augusta Lewis, Destini
Simon - Carolina Cup
Faculty Mentor: Renée Ittner-McManus
Judges Comments: Many remarkably nice pictures from a day long event made by multiple
photographers.
Photojournalism Single Image
Jack Bradshaw, King Day
Faculty Mentor: Renée Ittner-McManus
Judges Comments: “King’s Day” captures a strong and telling personal moment at a
public event.
About VIM Fest
The AEJMC Festival of Visual & Interactive Media was created by the Visual Communication division, in partnership with a number of other AEJMC divisions, as an opportunity to have creative student work vetted in a blind-juried, peer-reviewed international competition.