PULSE Magazine story earns national Mark of Excellence Award

Central Washington University’s student media organizations are used to performing well on the state and regional levels during the annual Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Awards competition.

But every once in a while, CWU’s aspiring journalists catch lightning in a bottle and extend that success to the national stage. 2026 was one such year as PULSE Magazine reporter Charlotte Zombro’s news feature “Saving Chimps” became a national award-winner in the Science and Environmental Reporting category.

“We usually do pretty well in the regional SPJ contest, but it’s been a long time since we’ve won anything at the national level,” said Zombro, a fourth-year English major specializing in Professional and Creative Writing. “This is definitely the biggest accomplishment of my writing career so far.”

Joining Zombro on the winning entry, published in December 2025, were PULSE photographer and Editor In Chief Tyler Diltz, page designer Vu Huynh, and co-Creative Director Katrina Nolan.

“Saving Chimps” — a feature about Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) in Cle Elum — also won the Region 10 Mark of Excellence Award in April. The regional victory automatically advanced the entry to the national competition, where it was pitted against two other finalists from Franklin College and the University of Kansas.

PULSE also advanced from the SPJ Region 10 competition in the Best Affiliated Website and Best Ongoing Student Magazine categories, while the Observer was a national finalist for Best Affiliated Website.

Zombro admitted she was caught off guard by the news that “Saving Chimps” had emerged with such a prestigious honor.

“I knew we had submitted a bunch of our work, but I didn’t know any of my stories would be in the running,” she said. “I was just happy to be a contributor to PULSE and start getting my name out there as a writer. And now I have a national award. It’s pretty crazy.”

Zombro said she didn’t approach the assignment with any particular interest in chimpanzees, but it seemed like an interesting topic to explore, so she raised her hand. CSNW doesn’t often accept visitors, and when they extended the invitation to PULSE, Zombro felt compelled to take advantage of the opportunity.

“If anything, I have always had a fear of primates,” she said. “But when I heard that I was invited to go somewhere a lot of other students don’t have the opportunity to go, I felt like I needed to do it. And I’m glad I did.”

After working with PULSE for four of the past five quarters, Zombro said she has rediscovered her passion for news writing. She’s not yet sure how she will utilize her writing skills after graduation in 2027, but for now, she’s enjoying the journey.

“I have a renewed interest in journalism, and PULSE has made all of that happen,” she said.

Diltz, who recently earned three National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Awards as a filmmaker, commended Zombro and his other student media colleagues for making PULSE everything it can be year after year.

“PULSE's continued success in the SPJ awards contest is exciting for everyone because it is an opportunity to step back and acknowledge that our work is anything but ordinary,” he said. “Not everyone has a chance to get recognized, and our website and print issue are proof of the entire staff's effort. There's a lot of good work being done, and it makes me very proud to have a team of peers that is capable of achieving great things.”