As the school year draws to a close, all of us pause to reflect on how we’ve grown and look to the future. Vanderbilt Business Review is no different. We are always striving to improve our reporting and content. As Editor-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of my Executive Team and our writing staff. We set goals at the beginning of this semester to develop future VBR leaders, cultivate new sources on-and-off campus, and focus on first-hand reporting. We’ve succeeded. As our loyal readers know we’ve brought you the direct scoop from professors and academic deans, Vandy entrepreneurs, and business leaders in different sectors (banking, real estate, healthcare, insurance). Moreover, I’m confident our next Editor-in-Chief, rising sophomore, Sasha Eckler, is going to continue VBR’s track record of excellence. Thank you, our loyal readers, for providing us with the opportunity to inform and engage you.

To celebrate the success of our team, I am proud to present the first-ever end-of-semester VBR awards. If you have not yet read these fantastic stories, here is your chance:

Spring 2026 VBR Awards:

Best Overall:

Madison Newman, The Cost of Commodore Prestige: The Economics Behind Vanderbilt’s Growth – Vanderbilt Business Review (Morgan Sweeney, Editor)

Best Entrepreneurship:

PJ Fitzsimonds, A Deep Dive into Walker Brothers with Co-Founder and Vanderbilt Alum, Caroline Howard – Vanderbilt Business Review (Sasha Eckler, Editor)

Best Healthcare:

Gigi McMahon, Understanding Mergers and Acquisitions in Today’s Healthcare Landscape – Vanderbilt Business Review (Manuel Beck, Editor)

Best Real Estate:

Marvin Yu, Pathway Housing Fund: A Market-Driven Shield for Tennessee’s Renters – Vanderbilt Business Review (Morgan Sweeney, Editor)

Best Series:

Sasha Eckler, Spotlight on IP (Mark Ciampa, Editor)