Bane Named a Top 20 Winner in Hearst Journalism Awards in Photojournalism Competition
School of Journalism and Media junior Avery Bane took this photo while covering the Paralympic Games for USA TODAY and submitted it for consideration for the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Photojournalism News and Features Competition.
School of Journalism and Media junior Avery Bane finished in the top-20 of competitors in the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Photojournalism News and Features Competition.
The Hearst Journalism Awards is a nationally recognized program that honors colleges and students that produce exceptional work in the field of journalism and media. The program offers 14 competitions annually awarding up to $700,000 in scholarships, matching grants, and stipends. Winners for the first photo competition of the year were selected from 124 entries from 72 schools; Bane earned 14th place in the competition.
“I was honestly stunned,” Bane said. “I was very honored that Dr. Whiteside and Dr. Heller wanted to nominate me, and I am so grateful for their support.”
Bane submitted five different photographs for the competition. Among her favorites was one of a Paralympic swimmer biting into his medal. She took that photo on her second day covering swimming at the Paralympics for USA TODAY as part of a partnership with the School of Journalism and Media. By then, she was familiarized with the events and environment at the Paris La Défense Arena, the venue for Paralympic swimming competitions.
“I wanted to try and get something different from the previous day, and one of my favorite details of the events were the medals, which had been customized for the Paralympics. I was sitting at eye level with the swimmers, and as they posed for a shot with their medals, the Australian swimmer went to bite his.”
Bane decided to pursue photography because she loves the creativity it allows for telling a story. She chose to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to pursue this passion because she wanted to attend an SEC school and was drawn to the various opportunities the journalism and media program offered.
As a college student, Bane works with the university’s athletic department photographing various athletic events. She also completed an internship with Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami CF last summer covering a variety of events, such as Inter Miami academy matches, and community events. In addition, she helped sort photos for the team’s archival website. She hopes to work as a team photographer.
“The journalism school at Tennessee has helped me so much by giving me opportunities that I never thought I would have,” Bane said. “I never thought I would be able to cover the Paralympics, and I am so grateful to the journalism school for helping me achieve a dream.”
Bane Named a Top 20 Winner in Hearst Journalism Awards in Photojournalism Competition written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.