THE VARSITARIAN made history as the first Philippine and Asian student publication to win on both the national and regional levels at the prestigious Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Awards.
The 98-year-old official student publication of UST joined the roster of winners from top American educational institutions, including Harvard University, Northwestern University, Columbia University, and Yale University.
The publication’s UAAP Season 88 Term 1 Primer, “Welcome to My House,” bagged the national award for Best Sports Videography. It also won the Region 2 in the same category.
The video primer was produced by sports editor Rob Andrew Dongiapon and managing editor Karis Tsang, edited by photo editor James Magboo, and animated by assistant art editor Regina Louise Sanota and artist Aisha Fortes.
In the SPJ’s Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards, the Sept. 29 “Thomasian walkout against corruption” coverage led by the V’s News, Special Reports, and Photography sections, topped the breaking news reporting category for schools with more than 10,000 students.
The UAAP Season 87 2025 Term 2 Primer “Superstar” also won the regional award for Feature Videography category.
Also in the SPJ Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards, The Flame, the student publication of Faculty of Arts and Letters, won under campus reporting category with tuition hike stories.
The Flame got finalist citations for its story titled “More than a year after TomasinoWeb ruckus, six UST media entities claim to have faced various restrictions,” photo essay on Nazareno 2025, and feature story titled “Just another break: How Thomasian atheists spent the Holy Week.”
The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in collegiate journalism annually, recognizing entries first at the regional level before first-place winners advance to the national competition.
SPJ’s Region 2, to which the Philippines was assigned this year, covers campus media in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
This year, The “V” stood out among collegiate works published or broadcast in 2025, which saw students and staff from 45 newsrooms across the United States receive national honors.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, the SPJ is the most broad-based journalism organization in the U.S., focused on protecting press freedom, promoting media ethics, and recognizing outstanding professional and student achievements.
In October 2025, the Varsitarian won in several categories in the Pinnacle Awards of the U.S. College Media Association (CMA).
The V won anew in the Apple Awards given during the CMA’s spring conference in New York in March 2026, including Best Newspaper, Best News Website, and Best News Photography.
