The Echo Wins Big at 2026 NCCMA Conference
Sophie Aguilar | March 3, 2026
Echo Crew members at the NCCMA conference at Elon University, on Feb 28, 2026 in Elon, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
The Echo Crew attended the North Carolina College Media Association (NCCMA) conference on Saturday, Feb. 28, taking home four awards. Colleges and universities from around N.C. gathered to attend panel discussions, guest lectures and an award ceremony.
The conference was held at Elon University, a three-hour drive from Warren Wilson College (WWC). It is a one-day conference that focuses on the education and recognition of college students and staff who work on newspapers, yearbooks and magazines. Participants are allowed to submit work for judging.
The conference started with a panel about government threats to journalists’ autonomy. The speakers contained three journalists from different news organizations, including the Charlotte Observer, the Raleigh News & Observer and the Down from DC newsletter. From there, participants could pick from several lectures to attend. Topics included a variety of areas of media, from the history of sports media, to AI and creativity, to media law for student journalists.
Echo Crew members Richmond Joyce and Emily Cobb at the NCCMA conference at Elon University, on Feb. 28, 2026 in Elon, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
Following that set of lectures, participants were served lunch, then attended a keynote talk and an award ceremony. David Hodges, who attended Elon University and is now an investigative reporter for WBTV, was the keynote speaker. His work there focuses on investigating government failures, corruption and accountability. Hodge’s speech focused on making your own luck.
The Echo Crew received recognition in multiple categories. Vivian Bryan received an honorable mention for her photography skills and Ryleigh Johnson received an honorable mention for newswriting. The awards were broken down into two sections, one for smaller schools, under 8,500 students, and one for larger schools. The Echo was also awarded two best in show awards, one for the best small newspaper and one for the best online small newspaper.
Echo Crew members Clara Shirley and Neko Heinrich look at an encyclopedia during the NCCMA conference at Elon University, on Feb. 28, 2026 in Elon, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
After the award ceremony, attendees had two more lecture sessions. Some topics options were drones in media, coverage of the 2026 midterm elections in media and storytelling through photography.
The NCCMA selects a different college or university to host the conference each year, announcing at the end of the conference who the next year’s host will be. This year, they shared the conference will be held at University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
The NCCMA conference was an educational event that allowed students and staff of college newspapers and media outlets to connect, showcasing the hard work of newswriting at colleges across the state.
Emily Cobb accepts an award on behalf of The Echo Newspaper at the NCCMA conference at Elon University, on Feb. 28, 2026 in Elon, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)