The Arbiter takes home Idaho Press Club awards

Boise State's student newspaper, The Arbiter, won several awards from the Idaho Press Club. The recognition included top honors for graphic design and three first place awards for reporting.

"One of the greatest joys of my time at Boise State has been working with this talented and passionate team," said Emily Carmela Nelson, editor-in-chief of The Arbiter. "Student Media gives us the unique opportunity to serve our community while learning by doing, and the recognition we received Saturday night reflects only a fraction of the heart each and every staff member pours into producing The Arbiter."

Sports Reporter Aidan Mattingly won first place in the student categories for Sports News and Light Feature reporting.

"I'm so blown away by last night, and feel on top of the world right now," Mattingly said. "It really builds my confidence through my work and drives me to continue developing my newsroom experience at The Arbiter. And a shout out to Emily and Olivia, they have gone above and beyond during their time here, lifting up everyone in the newsroom, and I really couldn't have done it without their guidance."

Nelson led the 2025-26 Arbiter staff as editor-in-chief alongside graduating senior Olivia Brandon, who served as managing editor.

Brandon finished her third year at The Arbiter with a second-place award in Column Writing. Her recurring multimedia column took readers "Behind the Curtain" of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

"[The column] was a blast to write, and I'm glad the actors seemed to enjoy it as much as I did," she said.

"The Arbiter staff serves the community of Boise State by covering news and campus life with smarts and intelligence. What they do is simply amazing," said Lecturer Carissa Wolf, who serves as faculty advisor of The Arbiter. "These students bring their hard work and talent to the newspaper and provide a valuable service to students and our larger community. We need these kinds of journalists."

Julianna Kelsey, Jake Zamora and Zaccary Kimes served as section editors, and Digital Content Manager Omar Saucedo and Graphic Design Manager Naomi Brown led the creative team. The Student Media Publication Board recently re-appointed Nelson to lead the 2026-2027 staff as editor-in-chief, with Zaccary Kimes taking on the role of Managing Editor.

"The Arbiter and Creative Hive staff have worked tirelessly all year to bring the stories that matter to the Boise State community and do so with eye-catching photography and beautiful design. I am incredibly proud of each staff member and am pleased the Idaho Press Club also recognizes their talent, hard work and dedication," said Julia Sharkey, Student Media Coordinator.

The Arbiter is the editorially independent student newspaper of Boise State University. As a student-run organization, the newspaper provides accurate, relevant and trustworthy information to the Boise State community and beyond. Students contribute to The Arbiter through paid staff positions, internship opportunities and coursework.

The following Student Media staffers and their work won honors from the Idaho Press Club's Best of 2025 Annual Award Contest:

• 2nd in General Excellence, Student - Emily Carmela Nelson, Olivia Brandon, Naomi Brown, Omar Saucedo - The Arbiter - Boise State University
• 1st in Page Design, Student - Naomi Brown, Amber Jansson - The Arbiter, Boise State University - 2025 Design Collection
• 2nd in Column Writing, Student - Olivia Brandon - The Arbiter, Boise State University - Behind the Curtain
• 1st in Light Feature, Student - Aidan Mattingly - The Arbiter, Boise State University - Get to know Blitz, Boise State's beloved tee dog
• 1st in Election, Student - Valentin Termite - The Arbiter, Boise State University - Boise voters to decide on Clean Water and Open Space Levy
• 2nd in Editorial, Student - Zaccary Kimes - The Arbiter, Boise State University - A cheaper house payment for oceans of debt
• 1st in Sports News Report, Student - Aidan Mattingly - The Arbiter, Boise State University - Boise State men's hockey honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Pink in the Rink
• 3rd in Photography, Student - Carter Nash - The Arbiter, Boise State University - 2025 Photo Collection
• 2nd in Graphics, Student - Naomi Brown, Amber Jansson, Mia Strand - The Arbiter, Boise State University - 2025 Graphics Collection

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