NATCHITOCHES – Students in from Northwestern State University’s Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts earned a Bronze Telly Award in the 2026 Telly Awards competition for their production, “Colombian Food Truck.”
The award was earned in the professional category of General – Food & Drink, a distinction that places the student-produced project alongside entries from some of the most recognized names in multimedia production and broadcasting.
The Telly Awards are an annual peer-reviewed competition honoring excellence in video and television content created during the previous 12 months. Judged exclusively by accomplished multimedia professionals, the awards recognize the highest-quality submissions across television, digital media, social media content creation and advertising production.
While the New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts (NMJCA) program at Northwestern State has earned recognition in previous Telly competitions, this award is especially significant because it was earned in a professional—not student—division.
Professional categories in the Telly Awards routinely feature submissions from organizations and production companies such as Disney, Ken Burns Productions and Food Network, along with other nationally recognized and well-financed content creators.
Dr. Nick Taylor, assistant professor in NMJCA, praised the student production crew for producing the content with minimal faculty direction.
“The crew came to me with the ideas, list of questions and production ideas,” Taylor added. “This was all them. From the equipment needs, camera angles to questions asked. They did it with minimum guidance.”
The award-winning production explored the cultural and culinary impact of Colombian cuisine in Natchitoches through the story of a local Colombian food truck and the people behind it.
Production Credits
- Producer: Dana Barreto of Cartagena, Colombia
- Host/Editor: Mayte Sierra of Glenmora
- Lead Camera: Camila Lopez of Cartagena, Colombia
- B-roll and Gimbal: Leonardo Donado of Cartagena, Colombia
A link to the award can be found here, https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2026/immersive-interactive-mixed/general-food-drink/colombian-food-truck-of-natchitoches/364605/.
The production can be viewed through https://purplemedianetwork.com/22774/video/flavors-that-transcend-borders-the-gastronomic-and-cultural-impact-of-colombian-kitchen-in-natchitoches/