Kansas University’s journalism school is No. 2 out of 101 schools in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program writing contest.

The monthly competitions honor top-10 winners with awards ranging from $500 to $2,000, with the school receiving matching grants.

There are three more writing categories to go.

The final results will be announced in April.

“Some people call them the college Pulitzers,” KU journalism professor Ted Frederickson said. “The purpose of the Hearst Awards is to encourage college students to do top quality professional work. Even more important than the money is the recognition. We’ve had a lot of careers launched with really terrific stories written by our undergraduates who win the Hearst Awards.”

Winners in three out of six writing categories have been released, with several KU reporters being honored.

Steve Vockrodt took first place in the in-depth reporting category for “The Scarlet List,” a report about the sex offender registry that gives the perspective of some sex offenders.

“The hardest part was getting people to talk to me for a story like that,” Vockrodt said.

He said that when tracking down the registered sex offenders, he initially had many doors slammed in his face. But he continued seeking them out and sent out questionnaires, which ultimately elicited some response.

Louis Mora took ninth place for in-depth reporting for “The Greek Divide” about the racial divide in the campus greek system.

Marissa Stephenson came in 11th place in the feature story category for her reporting of a KU student living with the scars of meningitis.