Three student projects from UBC Journalism have been named finalists in the 2026 West Region RTDNA Canada Awards.
They are recognized alongside entries from major professional newsrooms including CBC British Columbia, CTV News Vancouver, Global BC and CityNews Vancouver.
The finalists were announced this week by RTDNA Canada, which honours excellence in digital, audio, video and multiplatform journalism across Western Canada. Regional winners will be announced in September 2026.
The latest recognition builds on last year’s success, when UBC Journalism earned two RTDNA Canada regional wins, including a West Region award for Pyar is Pyar, a visual journalism project by graduate Chaimae Chouiekh that later went on to win at the national level.
Visual journalism projects
The projects by Master of Journalism students were nominated in three categories.
Tobi Akinkunmi: Surging Forward by Ashrit Vaidya and Ian French was named a finalist in Digital Excellence in Sports Reporting.
Beyond Kung Fu by Cornelia Qian earned a nomination in Digital Feature News (Large Market).
She Speaks in Power by Katrianna Skulsky was recognized for Multiplatform Excellence in Innovation and is the only finalist in that category this year.
All three projects were produced in the Master of Journalism program’s visual journalism courses, which emphasize documentary storytelling, multimedia reporting and innovative digital formats. The courses were taught by Professor Alfred Hermida and filmmaker Uytae Lee.
The UBC students are finalists alongside journalists from some of Canada’s largest news organizations. Finalists across the West Region awards include teams from CBC, CTV, Global, CityNews, CHEK News and Rogers TV, making UBC Journalism the only school represented
This year’s finalists demonstrate the range of work being produced at the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media and the MJ’s program’s continued presence in national journalism awards.
The RTDNA Canada Awards are among the most prestigious in the country, honouring outstanding achievements in radio, television, and digital news.
