Mississippi College student earns Southeast EMMY Award for ‘Eudora’ long-form photography

Flanked by her parents, Anthony and Amy Thaxton, Sydney Thaxton displays the 2025 Southeast EMMY Award she received for her work on the documentary film, "Eudora."

Sydney Thaxton, an Honors College student at Mississippi College, received a 2025 EMMY Award for Outstanding Photography (Long Form) from the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her work on the documentary “Eudora,” produced by the Institute for Southern Storytelling at MC.

Thaxton was among the television industry’s brightest stars from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Ashville, North Carolina, to be honored during NAFTA’s annual awards ceremony June 14 in the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Georgia. The event recognized integrity, innovation and impact in broadcast journalism and media arts.

The rising sophomore English major is the third member of her family to earn a Southeast EMMY. In 2022, her father, Anthony Thaxton, received a Southeast EMMY for Outstanding Documentary (Historical), and her brother, Bryant Thaxton, received a Southeast EMMY for Outstanding Music Composition/Arrangement for their work on the documentary, “Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander.”

During her acceptance speech, Thaxton thanked the Lord, her family and the two ±«Óãtvstudents who worked with her on the footage: Elizabeth Kessel and Kate Gammill.

“Thank you to the Institute for Southern Storytelling at Mississippi College for such amazing opportunities,” she said. “And thank you to Eudora (Welty) for leaving such a beautiful legacy and so many stories for us to enjoy.”

“Eudora” explores the life of renowned author Eudora Welty, a short-story writer, novelist and photographer from Jackson who wrote about the South. Her novel, “The Optimist’s Daughter,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.

“We are delighted for Sydney’s amazing b-roll footage to be recognized,” Anthony Thaxton said. “She has a great eye for lighting and composition; she is a natural storyteller, and it comes across whether she is writing a novel, acting in a play or filming behind the camera.

“We are proud of the validation it gives to the work of our Institute for Southern Storytelling at MC. To have a 19-year-old achieve this while working through the Institute should make every ±«Óãtvalumnus proud.”

Sydney and Anthony were also honored to be presenters of five awards at the ceremony. “What a fun, lasting memory!” Sydney exclaimed.

Stephanie Busbea, professor of art and dean of the School of Christian Studies, Humanities and the Arts at MC, was in Atlanta for the ceremony.

“We are incredibly proud of ‘Eudora’ and the outstanding work by the Thaxtons, along with other students, who made meaningful contributions to this important film,” Busbea said. “It was a delight to see Sydney recognized for her photographic work, but what made me even prouder was the way she carried herself on stage, co-presenting other EMMYs with her father and delivering a heartfelt acceptance speech.”

Sydney Thaxton described receiving a Southeast EMMY at such a young age as “a very odd experience.

“When they called my name, I could feel my heart swell,” she said. “It was a validation of my dreams – not the end goal by any means, but a nice assurance that I am on the right path and that my dreams are not too lofty or unrealistic.

“I think God brought me to this point as a way to say, ‘Keep going, keep working hard, you’ll be all right.’”