Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University students finished first and third in the first photojournalism competition of the 45th Hearst Journalism Awards Program.

Dana Marie Rieber, a Shepherdsville senior, won the feature and portrait/personality category and received a $2,000 scholarship. Erik Jacobs, a Bowling Green senior, was third and received a $1,000 scholarship. Western's School of Journalism and Broadcasting received matching awards.

Rieber and Jacobs will submit additional photos for the semifinal round of judging in May. Six finalists will be chosen to compete for the national championship in San Francisco.

After one of three photojournalism contests, Western is in first followed by Florida, Ball State, Kent State and North Carolina. Western has won the Hearst photo competition 13 times in the past 15 years.

A WKU student also placed in the Hearst program's first broadcasting competition. Mark A. Brown, a Scottsville senior, tied for 12th in the radio feature category.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program, often called the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism, includes writing, photojournalism and broadcasting competitions. In the past six years, Western has placed in the nation's top four overall including two first-place finishes. This year's final winners will be announced in April.

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For information, contact the School of Journalism and Broadcasting at (270) 745-4143.