Steinbach reporter wins national award

A reporter at The Carillon received a prestigious 2025 Canadian Student Journalism Award from J-Schools Canada.

In an Oct. 16 announcement, Matthew Frank was named the Student Journalist of the Year.

Frank was enrolled in the Creative Communications program at RRC Polytech in Winnipeg until spring of this year.

As a student Frank attracted notice of the judges thanks to what they described as “outstanding reporting and deep storytelling ability”.

They also noted that he had already written several impactful stories for the Winnipeg Free Press while still a student.

Archie McLean of J-Schools Canada said the bar for winning the award is high.

“The Student Journalist of the Year award honours a post secondary student who excels in storytelling across various media formats, making meaningful contributions to campus journalism and elevating important conversations within their community,” he wrote in an email to The Carillon. “We had a number of outstanding candidates in this category. The judges were impressed by the range and depth of Matthew’s stories at the Free Press and CBC, among other places.”

Frank described getting an award like this on the national stage as incredible, saying it’s gratifying to see his hard work recognized.

“I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into my stories,” he said.

Frank said he makes an effort to engage the community he serves.

“I try to pull readers into stories that matter to them by going out of my office, talking with everyday people and leaving no stone unturned in my reporting,” he said. “It’s truly an honour being recognized for this work and I hope to never stop growing from it.”

The awards were open to students in Canadian colleges and universities and were judged by a panel composed of seasoned media professionals from across the country.

Honourees represented a variety of mediums, and the awards represents the best journalism produced by students nationwide, reflecting the breadth and diversity of Canadian journalism education.