2022 Innovation Pacemakers

ACP Pacemaker honors innovation

Two student media operations earn
Pacemakers for forward thinking

Oct. 28, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Honoring the nation’s best, Associated College Press named two student media programs as winners of its prestigious Pacemaker during an awards ceremony at MediaFest22, the Fall National College Media Convention, in Washington, D.C.

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

In September, five collegiate student programs were named Pacemaker finalists.

The prestigious Pacemaker recognizes overall excellence and distinguishes the top student media produced during a particular school year. The award started shortly after the association was founded in 1921 and is often regarded as the most-competitive, most-honored award in collegiate journalism.

The Innovation Pacemaker is designed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and reward student media for the courage to take chances to improve service to their customers, readers and communities.

“Collegiate student media is rapidly changing and those programs that don’t generate new revenue streams and innovative ways to deliver content to their readers will struggle to survive,” associate director Gary Lundgren said. “Print is now just one component — there is far more to a successful student media program than publishing the campus newspaper.”

Leadership, coverage, content delivery, marketing, business, community, press freedom and partnerships are among the areas where innovation is encouraged.