Nachman Awards

The Writing Program celebrates the best student writing each year through three contests: the CO 201 Writing Contest and The Comment Feature Writing and Creative Nonfiction Contests. The winning pieces receive Jerome A. Nachman Writing Awards.

The Jerome A. Nachman Writing Awards were established at the College of Communication in 2004 through the generosity of family and friends. The Awards honor the legacy of Jerry Nachman, a distinguished journalist whose career spanned television, radio and print.

Mr. Nachman’s career included stints at NBC, CBS and the New York Post, among others. At CBS he rose from radio and TV reporter for the owned New York stations to news director, WCBS-TV. At NBC he variously held positions as Vice President News for the owned television stations and Vice President General Manager for both WRC-TV and WRC-A.M., in Washington D.C. Jerry also was a columnist and then editor for the New York Post. He finished his remarkable career at MSNBC where he was editor in chief and the host of a daily news show, NACHMAN. Respected for his talent and versatility as a writer, editor, and broadcaster, Jerry Nachman also received prestigious industry awards including a Peabody Award, an Emmy Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

In the words of fellow media executive Bob Sherman, a close friend and founder of the Jerome A. Nachman Writing Awards, “Jerry’s energy and passion for news was evident to all who watched, knew and admired him. His drive and success as a journalist, editor and media executive was in many ways a testament to his communication skills. His special way with words was extraordinary and inspirational and never more so when expressed through his writings.”

As a journalist friend of Jerry’s wrote after his passing, “Jerry Nachman taught me that journalism cannot exist without humanity. First, do no harm – and then, write well.”