In the 2025-26 academic year, The Battalion was awarded 77 honors across eight competitions — seven at the national and one at the state level.
“I’m incredibly proud of The Battalion’s staff,” managing editor Mathias Cubillan ‘26 said. “Everybody sees the final product, but they aren’t privy to the hours each editor and writer spent behind the scenes making their best work. Seeing them receive recognition while knowing how much they cared was very exciting.”
At the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association’s annual convention, The Battalion received 29 total awards. Among the standouts were two Battalion editors from the fall: former Editor-in-Chief and journalism junior Ian Curtis and former Photo Chief Adriano Espinosa ‘26. Curtis was named Reporter of the Year, and Espinosa was named Photojournalist of the Year.
Curtis joined The Battalion in Fall 2023 and has served in a multitude of roles. From beginning as a sports writer to becoming a features editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief before deciding to take a step back in Spring 2026 to focus on his writing as the staff’s senior enterprise reporter, Curtis has covered a variety of stories from Texas A&M volleyball’s road to a national championship to a feature on A&M’s Ukrainian students three years after Russia’s invasion.
Curtis’ award marks the second year in a row that The Battalion has had a staffer named Reporter of the Year, following former Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Gutteridge’s ‘26 honor in Spring 2025.
“I was initially really surprised I won,” Curtis said. “In the past, that award has been given to people with a very news-heavy background, so I was really happy to see my effort rewarded. When I look back on it, I think it’s really validating to have my work as a reporter honored as a whole, even more than just having a specific story or piece of work win something.”
Espinosa served as photo chief in the Fall 2025 semester. During his time as editor he photographed multiple events a week, ranging from music festivals to taking the sideline at Kyle Field. Espinosa is the first known Battalion staffer to receive this award.
“Winning Photojournalist of the Year affirmed a lot of the choices I made pertaining to my time at The Batt, with my time as photo chief being what the award happens to commemorate,” Espinosa said. “I wanted to lead with quality content and self-driven storytelling, and given time, I did both alongside literally leading the desk. I got everything I wanted, became so much more than I was before, a pretty sick award and a victory-lap semester to realize just how much it all meant to me before it was too late.”
According to Cubillan, Curtis and Espinosa served the publication as dedicated leaders, leaving a lasting impact for others to follow.
“Not only is Ian a dogged reporter, he is a creative storyteller who continues to find the beauty in humanity,” Cubillan said. “Adriano is a gifted photographer who set the photo desk up well for the future. Both of their contributions will leave a legacy that extends far beyond their time with the publication.”
In addition to these honors, the publication received 27 additional awards, including five members of the editorial staff who placed at live contests in their respective divisions at the convention.
“Student Media and The Battalion are successful because of the students,” Associate Director of Student Media Sara Gonzales said. “Each student in the program has had their own journey in how they became involved in Student Media, but that journey has led them to being a part of one of the longest standing traditions on campus. With each group of students that enters into our offices, the story is the same, to put out quality journalism.”
In addition to these honors, The Battalion received 37 national awards through the Associated Collegiate Press. In both the Spring and Fall ACP Clips & Clicks competition, The Battalion secured sweepstakes wins. The fall sweepstakes marks the seventh semester in a row that The Battalion has taken first place in the national competition.
“I think that The Battalion and Student Media as a whole has a vested interest in being an integral part of the Texas A&M storied history,” Gonzales said. “Part of that is telling the story of its students, community and former students. Through those stories, students over the past 133 years have turned to The Battalion for their source of reliable news. That means something. Winning awards and winning sweepstakes for the seventh time in a row, tells me that the work of The Battalion is being noticed far and wide, not just for awards but for the stellar work they’re doing on a daily basis.”
Across all eight entries, The Battalion received awards for 34 stories, 15 designs, 13 photos, six multimedia projects, five publication honors and three students who received four individual overall recognition awards.
“Our students adapt to the changes and are resilient,” Gonzales said. “I think we have just started to reach for all that can be accomplished with The Battalion and within Student Media. I see more success and trail blazing to what Student Media can do. I truly believe we will lead the nation in cultivating a sustainable Student Media program in a time that programs are shuttering their doors across the country. That is done through phenomenal story telling and quality journalism.”
A full list of award winners can be found below:
Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker (3)
Finalist
2026 Online Pacemaker: The Battalion
2025 Newspaper Pacemaker: The Battalion
2025 Multiplatform Pacemaker: The Battalion
Associated Collegiate Press Spring 2026 Conference Best of Show (6)
Second place
News/Feature Photo: Adriano Espinosa
Sports Story: Ian Curtis
Third place
Website: The Battalion
Fifth place
News Story: Ian Curtis
Feature Story: Kynlee Joyner
Ninth place
Newspaper Design: Kynlee Joyner, Zoe Rich, Adriano Espinosa
Associated Collegiate Press Individual Awards (8)
First place
Newspaper Front Page: Mathias Cubillan, Pranay Dhoopar, Noah Ruiz, Nikhil Vadi
Honorable mention
Sports Game Story: Ian Curtis, Chris Swann
Editorial: The Battalion Editorial Board
Column: Joshua Abraham
Ernie Pyle Human Interest Story: Ian Curtis
Four-Year School Reporter of the Year: Nicholas Gutteridge
Social Media Reporting: The Battalion Staff
Informational Graphic: Zoe Rich
Associated Collegiate Press Spring 2025 Clips & Clicks (9)
First place
Newspaper Front Page: Pranay Dhoopar, Zoe Rich
Sports Story: Mathias Cubillan
Second place
Informational Graphic: Zoe Rich
Third place
Newspaper Page/Spread: Zoe Rich
Sports Photo: Chris Swann
News Story: Nicholas Gutteridge
Sports Story: Ian Curtis
Fourth place
News Photo: Samuel Falade
Sports Photo: Rocio Salgado
Associated Collegiate Press Fall 2025 Clips & Clicks (11)
First place
Sports Photo: Anna Haley
Second place
Feature Story: Claire Frazier
Third place
Newspaper Page/Spread: Mathias Cubillan, Olivia Sims
Sports Photo: Adriano Espinosa
News Story: Julia Kazda
Fourth place
News Photo: Steve Carrasco IV
Fifth place
Newspaper Page/Spread: Mathias Cubillan, Braxton Dore
Feature Photo: Anna Haley
Honorable mention
Feature Photo: Ashley Bautista
Feature Story: Kaitlyn Cates
Opinion: Sidney Uy
College Media Association Pinnacle Awards (10)
First place
Weekly Newspaper of the Year: The Battalion
Profile Story: Nicholas Gutteridge
Special Section Cover: Pranay Dhoopar, Mathias Cubillan, Noah Ruiz
Second place
News Photo Package: The Battalion Photo Staff
Game Story: Ian Curtis
Third place
Web Story: Fallon Ferguson
Honorable mention
Breaking News Multimedia Story: Dafne Martinez, Sophie Villarreal, Battalion Photo Staff
News Multimedia Package: Nicholas Gutteridge, Adriano Espinosa, J.M. Wise
Editorial: The Battalion Editorial Board
Rate Card/Media Kit: Hayden Arevalo, Hamsini Mahadevan
U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association 2024-25 Best Writing Contest (1)
Fifth Place
Student: Ian Curtis
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention (29)
Individual awards
Reporter of the Year: Ian Curtis
Photojournalist of the Year: Adriano Espinosa
First place
Live Contest Critical Review: Julia Kazda
General Column: Wyatt Pickering
Sports Column: Joshua Abraham
Editorial Cartoon: Allison Fernandes
Photo Illustration: Zoe Rich
Second place
Live Contest PR Press Release: Matthew Seaver
Live Contest News Writing: David Swope
Social Media Breaking News: Theresa Lozano
General News: Nicholas Gutteride
Static Information Graphic: Zoe Rich
Overall Design Newspaper: Kynlee Joyner, Mathias Cubillan, Zoe Rich
Spanish News Story: Sophie Villarreal
Third place
In-depth Reporting: Nicholas Gutteridge
Headline Writing: The Battalion Editorial Staff
General News Photo: Samuel Falade
Sports Action Photo: Adriano Espinosa
Photo Illustration: Zoe Rich
Spanish Multimedia News: Sophie Villarreal, Sydnei Miles
Honorable mention
Live Contest Editorial Writing: Mathias Cubillan
Live Contest Copy Editing and Headline Writing: Kynlee Joyner
Multimedia Sports Story: Mathias Cubillan
Podcast: Noah Ruiz
Breaking News: Nicholas Gutteridge
Editorial: The Battalion Editorial Staff
Sports News Story: Ian Curtis
Photo Story: Adriano Espinosa
Overall Design Website: Kynlee Joyner, Ian Curtis, Nicholas Gutteridge
