Staff of the UW-Whitewater Royal Purple (RP) attended the 2026 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention (WNA) March 5-6 in Madison, where they were recognized both individually and collectively, bringing home 15 Division B/C awards. Of those 15 awards, five were first-place honors.

Newspaper Editor Chase Keller was named the 2026 WNA Collegiate Journalist of the Year. Keller also secured two other podium finishes, taking second place in “Breaking News Reporting” and third in “Sports Story.” Keller’s breaking news story covered the off-campus gunman that was spotted near the Wells Hall complex in September 2025. Conversely, his sports story was a retrospective on the 2013-14 athletics season, where UW-Whitewater’s football, men’s basketball and baseball teams all won the Division III national championship. To round out his awards, Keller earned an honorable mention in “Sports Photography” for his Warhawks wrestling photos. The judges noted the raw emotion as well as the different aspects of wrestling that were on display.

RP’s photography editor Charlie Clark took first place in “Sports Photography” with her photo of UW-Whitewater softball infielder Dani Pesha celebrating a two-run home run. The judges emphasized the emotion that Clark was able to capture and how she was able to establish the significance of this moment. Clark also earned an honorable mention in “News Photography” for her photos of Chancellor King at the Chancellor’s Opening Celebration in August 2025.

Arts & Recreation editor Natalie Illikainen earned second place for “Club/Intramural Sports Story.” Illikainen covered two of the club golf tournaments over the course of two weekends in October 2025. The team had the opportunity to compete at courses in southern Wisconsin, going against not only other Division III opponents, but some Division I opponents as well.

RP earned two all-staff awards, claiming second place in “Page Design” due to the variety and balance of stories, and earned an honorable mention for “Website.”

Several former members of RP were also awarded for their contributions while on staff. Kaitlyn Broderick secured first place in “Arts and Entertainment” for her feature about UW-Whitewater’s dance minor, as well as second place in “Business Coverage” for the feature on Dunkin’ Donuts coming to the city of Whitewater. Fleuretta Phipps and Calise Howard took first place for “News Photography” for their colorful photos of Whitewater’s 2025 pride rally. Mikey Rottier claimed first place in “Health Coverage” for his feature on student-athlete’s health, relating to their hearts. Aliza Kaiser placed second in “Environmental Coverage” for her feature on the beekeeping club. Rounding out the awards, Riley Crowe earned honorable mentions in “Environmental Coverage” for highlighting the impacts of salt pollution and what is being done to combat it.

On top of the student awards, former RP advisor Sam Martino was posthumously inducted into the WNA Hall of Fame. Martino spent 12 years at UW-Whitewater and with RP, earning the College Media Advisors National Advisors award in 2010 for introducing multimedia content.

“Sam was as dedicated to the craft of journalism as you can get. As a practitioner, educator and adviser, he brought so much passion and knowledge to everything he did,” said Keith Zukas, current advisor to RP. “His induction into the Hall of Fame is a testament to his lasting impact on the field of journalism.”

Throughout his years at UW-Whitewater, Martino often used a common phrase: “Show me the news!” He emphasized stories readers could understand and relate to, focusing on facts and emotions. Through his commitment to the flow of information in a free democracy, Martino was able to positively impact students, educators and the public.

WNA may not be the only recognition coming paper’s way this semester. The Royal Purple is currently awaiting results of the Milwaukee Press Club Awards for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism to be presented at the Gridiron Awards Dinner Friday, May 8 at The Pfister in Milwaukee.