May 8, 2024 | Sarah Al-Arshani

Journalism Student Wins First Place in Planet Forward Competition

Delan Li ’24 (CLAS) wrote her winning article for Associate Professor Scott Wallace’s Environmental Journalism class

Delan Li stands on stage during awards presentation.

Delan Li ’24 (CLAS) (left) received a first place award at Planet Forward’s annual national Storyfest competition in the category of Best Written Story by a Media Student. Photo courtesy of Planet Forward.

Journalism alumna Delan Li ’24 (CLAS) won first place at Planet Forward’s annual national Storyfest competition in the category of Best Written Story by a Media Student. 

Winners were announced on April 18 at the 2024 Planet Forward Summit at George Washington University in Washington D.C.  

Li took the top prize for her story, “The Climate Necessity Defense: How Activists Are Using Civil Disobedience to Fight Climate Change,” which she originally wrote for Scott Wallace’s Environmental Journalism class (JOUR 3046E) last fall.  

The article explored new legal strategies climate activists are using to defend themselves in court.  

As part of her award, Li will travel with other first place winners aboard a research vessel to either the Galapagos or Iceland for a week this summer. She will attend the Columbia University journalism graduate program in the fall.  

Planet Forward is a George Washington University-based program that publishes outstanding solutions-oriented student journalism on the environment, sustainability, and the future of our planet. UConn has been a member of the 23-member Planet Forward University Consortium  since 2018. More than a dozen UConn students have had their work published with the program.