UST’s The Varsitarian bags historic wins at SPJ Awards
Philippine and Asian campus journalism achieved a major milestone after the University of Santo Tomas’ The Varsitarian swept key categories at the 2025 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards.
The 98-year-old official student publication won at both the national and regional levels, joining the ranks of 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,” produced by sports editor Rob Andrew Dongiapon and managing editor Karis Tsang, bagged the national award for Best Sports Videography. The Term 2 Primer “Superstar” also won the regional award for Feature Videography category.
Their Sept. 29 “Thomasian walkout against corruption” coverage, meanwhile, topped the breaking news reporting category for schools with more than 10,000 students.
The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards annually honors the best in collegiate journalism, recognizing regional level entries before winners advance to the national competition.
The Philippines is included in SPJ’s Region 2, which also covers campus media in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
For the latest iteration, SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards scoured through collegiate works published or broadcast in 2025.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, The Society of Professional Journalists, as described in its website, is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and upholding high ethical standards.
