Augusta Nafziger selected as finalist in Keating Competition

Augusta Nafziger, a junior music and writing major, is among the 10 finalists who will participate in the 35th annual Keating Writing Challenge in which the students have five hours to report and write a story.

The contest, which draws top journalism students from across the state, will take place in Indianapolis Nov. 12-13.

This is the second time in three years that Goshen College is represented among the finalists. Abigail King and Gabe Miller were finalists in 2019.

Nafziger, who is from Weyers Cave, Virginia, submitted two published articles as part of her contest application.

The contest, sponsored by the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation, invites the 10 students to write a feature article on deadline about a topic provided to them that day.

“Gussie has distinguished herself as an exceptionally talented reporter and writer,” said Duane Stoltzfus, chair of the communication department and adviser to The Goshen College Record. “This semester she is serving as the feature editor, so her skills are especially fine tuned for this contest.”

The finalists will arrive in Indianapolis on Friday, when they will have one-on-one mentoring sessions with seasoned journalists. On Saturday, they’ll report and write thire feature article. Judges will review the articles in the afternoon. In the evening, the finalists will gather for an awards banquet at which the top three articles will be announced, with $7,000 in prize money on the line.

The other finalists this year are from Ball State University, Franklin College and Indiana University.