HUAZ Takes Home Most Faculty BEA Awards, Plus Student Awards
Results from the 2023 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts are in, and Huntington University once again made a strong showing. With a total of 19 faculty and student awards, HU took home more animation and narrative film awards than any other school in the nation. Additionally, HU had more faculty awards than any other school in the nation.
"In a time where more videos and media are created daily than ever before, the one factor that has proved to help creators stand out is the quality of their visuals and storytelling,” said Christian Washington, assistant professor for Huntington University Arizona’s animation program. “With HU Arizona's record four animation wins at BEA this year, it serves as a great sign that people resonate with the stories being told here and that the work our students are making remains of excellent quality."
Huntington University’s award-winning Department of Digital Media Arts (DMA) opened its doors in Huntington, Indiana, in 2005. The department’s inaugural year drew 10 eager students. Today DMA is one of the University’s largest departments, boasting over 120 students across two locations. Since its inception in 2016, the Huntington University Center for Digital Media Arts has grown each year and has produced incredible talent in the Peoria, Arizona, region and beyond.
“While HU is a well-known and well-established brand in Indiana, we are still ‘the new kid on the block’ in the Phoenix Metro. I have always viewed national judging entities like BEA as a means to not just measure the quality of our work but to help us establish solid a reputation as a program in state of Arizona. To have four BEA Faculty Awards this year, and 14 in six years, continues the tradition of excellence that I want HU DMA to be known for in Arizona and beyond,” said Phil Wilson, Arizona digital media arts program director.
The list of winners includes the following:
Student Film & Video Competition
Animation/Experimental/Mixed Category
2nd Place: The White Rosebush; Laurel Zeiler, Huntington University
Awards of Excellence:
Heart Broke; Shanon Mcneil, Huntington University
Motel 7; Cameron Elliott, Huntington University
Chester & Lucille; Malia Dahlquist, Huntington University
Music Video Category
2nd Place: Goodby Forever; Shay Reyes & Elliot Martin, Huntington University
Narrative Category
2nd Place: Clown West; Corey Dunivan & Jonathan Willson, Huntington University
Awards of Excellence:
Pizza Pizza; Catherine Croteau, Huntington University
Thank You Five; Jaycee Walden & Callie McKeown, Huntington University
Blagodarnyy; Alex Kennedy, Huntington University
Milo; Micah McFadden & McKenna Parks, Huntington University
Spots Category
3rd Place: Storytime at the Zoo; Seth Lecheler, Taylor Stickan & Kathryn Wray, Huntington University
Live-to-Tape Multi-Camera Studio or Remote Production
Rescue Concert: A Night with Sanctus Real; Dylan Herring & Sam Delagrange, Huntington University
Student Scriptwriting Competition
Short Narrative Film Category
Milo; Micah McFadden & Jonathan Willson, Huntington University
Narrative Feature Category
Award of Excellence:
Night Owls; Onalivia Smith, Huntington University
Student Sports Competition
Audio/Video Sports Event: Play by Play Talent
Huntington University vs. Georgetown College Men's Basketball; Ryan Walker, Huntington University
Faculty Audio Competition
Sound Engineering and Design Category
Best of Competition:
Show Trailer: A Christmas Carol; Phil Wilson, Huntington University
Faculty Documentary Competition
Short-Form Documentary Category
Award of Excellence:
Down the Rabbit Hole: the Arts, the Pandemic, & the Curiouser Immersive Project; Phil Wilson, Huntington University
Faculty Film & Video Competition
Commercial or PSA Category
Best of Competition (Tie):
Show Trailer: A Christmas Carol; Phil Wilson, Huntington University
Best of Competition (Tie):
Show Trailer: Matilda, the Musical; Phil Wilson, Huntington University
The Broadcast Education Association is the premier international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students and professionals. Over 2,500 professors, students and media professionals are currently individual members, and approximately 275 college and university departments and schools are institutional members. Each year, there are over 1,300 submissions from schools around the world, with only around 22% of entries receiving awards.
Huntington University Arizona opened its doors in 2016, welcoming students seeking a degree in digital media arts. Since that time, students have created regionally and nationally awarded work, including ADDY awards, BEA Best of Fest awards, and Emmy Student Production Awards. The 30,000-square-foot building houses bachelor’s degree programs in animation, film production, broadcast media, and graphic design. The facility features film and TV studios, high-end computer classroom/labs, private editing suites, a state-of-the-art TV control room, a Foley pit, a host of EFP and cinema cameras, and lighting gear for student production work.
Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest, and Forbes.com has listed the university as one of America’s Best Colleges. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The nonprofit university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
