UST’s The Flame first Asian campus pub to win SPJ in-depth award

MANILA, Philippines — The Flame, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, made history as the first Asia-based campus publication to claim first prize in the in-depth reporting category for large universities at the regional level of the 2024 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Awards.

The award-winning article, titled "From streets to sheets: Motorcycle drivers ride on sex work as they traverse hard times," was penned by The Flame’s editor-in-chief Zoe Airabelle Aguinaldo, associate editor Joss Gabriel Oliveros, Jianzen Deananeas and Ma. Alyanna Selda.

It explores the stories of motorcycle taxi drivers who turn to offering sexual services amid financial hardship.

Since the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards’ inception in 2000, The Flame is the first campus publication in Asia to be named regional winner in the large university in-depth reporting category, an honor typically dominated by institutions from California and Arizona.

The Flame also stands as the only non-US-based student publication to secure the top accolade in the category this year.

Earlier this year, the same story received the best in-depth report award at the 10th UST National Campus Journalism Awards.

The other finalists in the category were Stanford University’s entries, including “They ask for more every year with less and less people: Fighter pilots face burnout…” by Erin Edwards of Peninsula Press, and “Inside UG2 at Stanford: Surveillance, favoritism, intimidation” by Itzel Luna and Jacqueline Munis of The Stanford Daily.

Region 11, where The Flame won, covers Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and the Mariana Islands, which include the Philippines. The category is open to universities with at least 10,000 students.

As regional winner, The Flame advanced to the national level, competing with other top entries from 11 global regions.

“This award will inspire us to continue doing independent journalism and to pursue endeavors that will help us improve our journalistic skills. We are grateful for this recognition and happy to bring honor to UST on the global stage,” said Aguinaldo, who leads The Flame as editor-in-chief this year.

“This unprecedented feat was made possible by our experiences and training as Thomasian campus journalists,” she added.

Entries were judged by journalism practitioners with at least three years of experience, evaluating accuracy, enterprise, adherence to journalistic standards, significance, clarity, creativity, ethical practice and available resources.

The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards honors outstanding student journalism across 12 regions worldwide, recognizing collegiate works worthy of international acclaim.