---
title: "Awards"
description: "Johannes Becht About Expertise Portfolio Events Blog Menu About Expertise Portfolio Events Blog → Awards & recognition Awards & recognition. A documented record of recognition across journalism, video..."
url: https://johannesbecht.com/about/awards
date: 2026-08-07
modified: 2026-08-07
author: "Johannes Becht"
type: page
lang: en
---

# Awards

[Johannes Becht](https://johannesbecht.com)

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Awards & recognition

# Awards &
recognition.

A documented record of recognition across journalism, video production and university media—connected to the work, the awarding organizations and the sources behind each distinction.

[Explore the record ↓](#recognition-record)

Recognition record**2022—2024**
04
Personal awards and honors

JournalismVideoAcademic

The record

## Work recognized by press and academic institutions

My work has moved between local journalism, university media, documentary formats and digital storytelling. The recognition collected here reflects that path: a press-association award for a weekly newsroom video format, two scholarships awarded through the SWOSU Foundation for work examining journalism and its responsibilities, and a departmental media-production honor.

Each entry includes the relevant context and direct references. Where independent sources are available, institutional documentation is paired with reporting or a contemporary public record.

202401

Journalism · Second place

### Video Journalism or Marketing

Oklahoma Press Association

*The Preamble* was a weekly video format produced for *The Lawton Constitution*. In each episode, we previewed stories from the upcoming weekend edition and brought a little humor and personality to the newsroom’s reporting. I created the series with Scott Rains—a remarkably versatile Lawton journalist and, in my view, a genuine local-news legend. Our collaboration placed second in the Video Journalism or Marketing category of the 2023 Better Newspaper Contest; the results were published and the awards presented in 2024.

Sources
[Official winners list ↗](https://cdn.ymaws.com/okpress.com/resource/resmgr/contest-awards/better_newspaper_contest/2023/judge_s_comments/2023_winners_list_with_judge.pdf)
[OPA contest archive ↗](https://okpress.com/general/custom.asp?page=bnc-winners)

2023–2402

Academic honor · Selected scholar

### Jack B. Shelton & Walter Crouch Scholar

SWOSU Foundation

Selected by the SWOSU Foundation for the pursuit of authentic journalism during the 2023–2024 academic year. My application essay examined structural problems in modern journalism and the difficult choices they can create for reporters and news organizations. After submitting it, I revised and slightly expanded the text, then published it through Amazon Kindle as [*Journalists on Fire: A Different Perspective*](https://www.amazon.com/Journalists-Fire-Perspective-Journalism-Journalist-ebook/dp/B0CLL2C416). The scholarship honors the legacies of journalists Jack B. Shelton and Walter Crouch.

Sources
[KECO local news ↗](https://www.kecofm.com/news/swosu-announces-spring-2024-jack-b-shelton-walter-crouch-scholar/)
[SWOSU Foundation ↗](https://swosufoundation.com/swosu-announces-spring-2024-jack-b-shelton-walter-crouch-scholar/)

2022–2303

Academic honor · Scholarship recipient

### Jack B. Shelton & Walter Crouch Scholarship

SWOSU Foundation

Named the 2022–2023 scholarship recipient for the pursuit of authentic journalism by the SWOSU Foundation. My application essay focused on Mstyslav Chernov, the Ukrainian photographer, filmmaker and Associated Press war correspondent, and on the importance and personal risks of documenting war. Chernov’s reporting later brought the world crucial images and testimony from the Russian siege of Mariupol; the work of his AP team received the [2023 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service](https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/associated-press-work-mstyslav-chernov-evgeniy-maloletka-vasilisa-stepanenko-and-lori) and became the foundation of his documentary *20 Days in Mariupol*.

Sources
[Beckham County Record ↗](https://www.beckhamcountyrecord.net/issues/2022-06-01/pages/11/)
[SWOSU archive ↗](https://dc.swosu.edu/barknews22/137/)

202204

Department recognition

### Green Screen Studio Award

SWOSU Art, Communication & Theatre

A departmental recognition connected with *College Secrets*, a student talk-show project developed in SWOSU’s Green Screen Studio.

Source
[Contemporary Instagram post ↗](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb0hvmrpuKq/)
This entry is documented by a contemporary personal post; no separate public winners list was found.

In context

## Recognition within a broader body of work

These distinctions are individual moments within a longer editorial practice. The press award grew from reporting and multimedia work at [The Lawton Constitution](https://www.swoknews.com/); the scholarships, both awarded through the [SWOSU Foundation](https://swosufoundation.com/), connected academic work with questions that still shape journalism: how reporters bear witness, how media institutions earn trust and what pressures can compromise that work. My reporting for [The Southwestern](https://thesouthwestern.org/staff_name/johannes-becht/) put many of those questions into practice.

That foundation continues to shape my work in [content strategy](https://johannesbecht.com/expertise/content), [search visibility](https://johannesbecht.com/expertise/seo) and [AI-supported information systems](https://johannesbecht.com/expertise/ai): research first, clear structure, careful sourcing and a strong sense of audience.

Explore the work behind the recognition.

[View portfolio ↗](https://johannesbecht.com/portfolio)

[Johannes Becht](https://johannesbecht.com)Exploring how information moves through media, search and emerging AI systems.

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