Peoria photojournalist wins 1st place in National Guard Bureau Media Contest

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer
  • 182nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

A photojournalist with the 182nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs won first place in the commentary category of the 2019 National Guard Bureau Media Contest April 1, 2020.

Airman 1st Class Wynndermere Shaw’s April 24, 2019 article, “I’m not running for myself,” described her first-hand experience in participating in a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program awareness run and why the event was important to her as an Airman.

“I feel like the biggest thing that made it memorable for me was having my friends from Student Flight, who have seen my career from the beginning, share the moment with me,” she said. “For me to be able to share my emotions [in the article] and have it impact the audience that it did, that’s why this is really special to me.”

Shaw received an award certificate from the National Guard Bureau and letter of endorsement from 182nd Airlift Wing commander Col. Daniel McDonough during drill weekend Sept. 13, 2020. It was the first visual information award for the photojournalist apprentice, who has two years of service with the U.S. Air Force.

“The awareness run is something that the SAPR office has only done for a few years, and it’s great to see exactly how the event impacts participants,” said 1st Lt. Sam Norville, the 182nd Airlift Wing executive officer and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. “Airman Shaw’s article gives me hope that we are beginning to see a change in cultural and social norms in relation to prevention and awareness among our younger generation of Airmen. I am very proud of her courage to write about such a sensitive topic and to do so in such a manner that positively influenced the audience.”

The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) serves as the single point of authority for program accountability and oversight, in order to enable military readiness and reduce — with a goal to eliminate — sexual assault from the military.