Amanda Womac, director of communications for the College of Arts and Sciences, and Mark Harmon, professor of journalism, won awards in the 2017 Golden Press Card awards contest, hosted by the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists.
Womac won first and second place in the Freelance Writing category. She won first place for her article “Hellbenders Revealed,” published in Smokies Life magazine in 2017. The second place award went to an article about research in the Smokies she wrote for the 2017 fall edition of the college’s annual report, Higher Ground, titled “Fire Sparks Life and Research Opportunities.” Womac has a master’s degree in science journalism from UT and became director of communications for the College of Arts and Sciences in August 2016. She is also president of the UT Science Forum.
Harmon won third place in the Personal Columns, Review, and Criticism category for his editorial “When things get scary, remember Mr. Rogers,” published online at knoxnews.com on June 21, 2017. Harmon is a regular contributor to the Knoxville News Sentinel. He is a professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media in the College of Communication and Information.
Womac and Harmon are members of the East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.