Students from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University have earned 16 nominations in the Upper Midwest Emmy® Foundation Student Production Awards, recognizing outstanding student achievement in video storytelling, sports programming, documentary filmmaking and narrative film production.
The nominations reflect work produced across several of the Greenlee School’s hands-on video storytelling initiatives, including Prep Sports Central, the student-produced high school sports highlight and recap program; Touchdown in Dublin, a multimedia study abroad reporting project covering the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland; the school’s Sports Media and Communication major documentary capstone project; The Shorts Department, the school’s narrative short film program; and Studio 308, a student-run newsmagazine broadcast.
Faculty say the recognition highlights both the professional-level expectations placed on students and the collaborative environment that drives the school’s production courses.
“It’s wonderful that so many of our students from across the Greenlee School have been recognized by the Upper Midwest Emmy® Foundation for their hard work and excellence,” said James McNab, assistant teaching professor and advisor for Prep Sports Central, Studio 308 and The Shorts Department, and co-instructor for the Touchdown in Dublin project. “I’m continually amazed by their ongoing dedication to creating superior storytelling.”
The work that Benji (Genise) and Matthew (Nielsen) put into their film is a great example of teamwork,” said Tony Moton, assistant teaching professor and advisor for the Sports Media and Communication documentary “Hometown Hero of the Hardwood.” “From start to finish, they kept each other on track with the goal of celebrating Tamin Lipsey’s career and his place in Iowa State’s basketball history.”
Prep Sports Central
The student-produced sports show Prep Sports Central received multiple nominations recognizing work across producing, directing and on-air talent categories.
Nominated programs include the Nov. 17, 2025, episode, produced by Isaac Christensen and directed by Caleb Sheldon, and the Nov. 3, 2025, episode, produced by Taten Eighmy and directed by Matthew Nielsen. A third nomination recognized Nicholas Harmon for directing the Oct. 20, 2025, episode.
Two students also received Talent – News or Sports nominations for their on-air work connected to the program. Abby Altman was nominated for her reporting portfolio, while Nathan Porter was nominated for his work as a host. Christensen, a senior in sports media and communication from Ainsworth, Nebraska, said the recognition reflects the program’s collaborative nature.
“This nomination really reflects the collaboration behind Prep Sports Central,” Christensen said. “Everyone involved put in so much effort to bring the show to life.”
Harmon, a senior in journalism and mass communication from Pleasant Hill, Iowa, noted that the nominations highlight the collective effort behind the production.
“I am happy to see the hard work that the entire class put in being paid off with multiple nominations, and I am excited to see us hopefully bringing home multiple awards,” Harmon said.
Touchdown in Dublin
The Touchdown in Dublin multimedia project earned several nominations connected to the Greenlee School’s study abroad trip to Ireland to cover the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Kayde Sheaffer, a junior in journalism and mass communication from Verona, Wisconsin, was nominated in the Solo Storyteller category for “Living in a Postcard.”
“This project was completed with the intent of having fun and being creative,” Sheaffer said. “I am immensely grateful to have something that brought me so much joy to create to be nominated for an award.”
The travel series “Nate & Tate in Dublin” also received nominations in the Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category for Episode 2 and Episode 3, produced by Porter and Eighmy.
Additional recognition came through the Feature News Report category for the two-part story “Two Bands,” reported by Altman and photographed by Nielsen.
“Shoutout to all of my professors who set up the trip to Ireland and encouraged me to take the opportunity to go,” said Eighmy, a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from New Market, Iowa, and co-host of the Nate & Tate series. “The opportunities they have helped me find thus far in my college career have been incredible.”
Documentary Storytelling
Students also earned recognition for documentary storytelling through the sports media and communication major capstone project. The documentary “Hometown Hero of the Hardwood,” which explores Iowa State basketball star Tamin Lipsey’s impact on the program, received nominations for director (Benji Genise and Nielsen) and Editor (Nielsen).
The Shorts Department
Narrative filmmaking produced through The Shorts Department earned nominations in the Fiction – Short Form Content category. “The Good Stalker,” produced by Bella Brandi, Nayeli Gonzalez and Irina Sacuiu, and “The Library Mystery,” produced by Calleigh Klein, Michael Martinez, Faith Millsap and Jenna Whalen, were both nominated.
“Sometimes the most unsettling stories come from good intentions, and I’m deeply honored that ‘The Good Stalker’ has been recognized with a nomination,” said Brandi, a first-year student in journalism and mass communication from Ankeny, Iowa.
Studio 308
Work produced through Studio 308, the Greenlee School’s student-run newsmagazine program, also received recognition. The feature story “Country Band Thrives Despite Distance,” produced by Altman and Duinink, earned a nomination in the Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category.
Awards Ceremony
The 15th Annual Upper Midwest Emmy® Foundation Student Production Awards Ceremony will take place Friday, April 10, 2026, at the InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. All of the nominated projects can be viewed on Greenlee School Television, the school’s online home for student-produced video content, at youtube.com/@greenleeschooltv.
The Iowa State Daily covered the nominations in a March 12 story.