by Dennis Dalman
Madison Evans, a 12-year-old freelance reporter for the Newsleaders, has been honored with an award from Youth Journalism International.
Evans won a second-place “Award for Excellence” in the “Sports News” category for a story she wrote about the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif. last summer. The feature story, published online, was headlined with “Women’s Golf is Changing History, and Young Fans are Noticing the Fun.”
Madison said she was “very surprised” to learn she’d won an award because she’d almost forgotten she’d entered the story.
Madison is the daughter of Jen and James Evans and has a brother, Xander. Almost two years ago, she applied as a board member on the national youth magazine entitled “The Week Jr.” She was accepted and had the chance to write for it. That led to her opportunity to cover the Pebble Beach golf tournament. So she and her mother spent five days in Pebble Beach. There, she interviewed champion golfers like Annika Sorenstam, Rose Zhang and Brooke Henderson and wrote two stories about the tournament, one of which won her the Youth Journalism International Award.
The following comments about Madison’s winning golf story were written by one of the contest judges.
“Madison did a really nice job of setting the Pebble Beach scene, bringing the place to life for the reader. Good work integrating quotes from a couple pros, plus one junior parent – that all added to the story.”
Earlier this year, Madison learned of an online beginning reporter’s course sponsored by Bethel University. She and her mother decided to take the course. Shortly thereafter, she began working as a freelance writer for the Newsleaders.
“I love to interview people and write stories,” Madison said.
Her future dream job would be to become a news broadcaster or to write for a magazine like “National Geographic.”
Madison also plays clarinet and enjoys cross-country archery. Next school year she will be a seventh-grader at Sartell Middle School.
Madison Evans of Sartell shows the Youth Journalism International award she won for the sports story she wrote.
