July 13, 2021

MINNEAPOLIS — The nation’s top collegiate yearbooks were recognized today by Associated Collegiate Press, which announced five finalists in its annual Pacemaker Awards competition.

All five yearbooks will be honored and the Pacemaker winners announced during the ACP awards ceremony at the Fall National College Media Convention, Oct. 14-17, 2021, in New Orleans. 

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Laura Widmer, executive director, said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best with Pacemaker honors.”

The ACP Pacemaker Award, one of the oldest awards for collegiate journalism, has a rich tradition. The association began presenting the prestigious award to collegiate newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Through the years, yearbooks, magazines and online sites were added to the competition.

“These yearbooks deliver engaging verbal and visual stories, showcasing superior photojournalism, writing and design,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competitions. “These yearbooks cover universities with 4,800 to 40,000 students, and the spirit and diversity of those collegiate communities come alive on their pages.”

Yearbooks produced during the 2019-20 school year competed directly against each other. A team of three nationally recognized judges selected the five finalists. Three of the finalist yearbooks will earn Pacemaker honors, and the three winners represent the top 13 percent of the approximately 24 yearbooks submitted.

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2020 Yearbook Pacemaker Award finalists

Petit Jean
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas
Editor: Emma Aly
Adviser: April Fatula

The Tower
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California
Editor: Christian Santander
Adviser: Tom Nelson

Royal Purple
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
Editor: Ashley Read
Adviser: John Walter

Rotunda
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
Editor: Ariauna Johnson
Adviser: Jessie King

La Ventana
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas
Editor: Davian-Lynn Hopkins
Advisers: Sheri Lewis, Andrea Watson