ACP names top student collegiate magazines

Prestigious competition recognizes 8 Pacemakers as the “best of the best”

Oct. 18, 2025

WASHINGTON — Honoring the nation’s best, the Associated College Press named 8 student magazine as winners of its prestigious Pacemaker during an awards ceremony at the Fall National College Media Convention in Washington.

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

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.

In August, 31 magazines were named Pacemaker finalists. The finalists represented 17 states. California set the pace with six finalists followed by Florida with three.

Magazines competed in feature/general audience and literary arts divisions. Magazines produced at four-year and two year institutions competed in separate categories.

Three judges, with extensive magazine-editing and advising experience, studied each entry discussing and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.

Gary Lundgren, ACP associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition, noted the quality of the winning student magazines rivals those produced by professionals.

“The verbal and visual storytelling in the winning magazines is incredible and robust long-form stories combined with shorter quick-reads to pace the reader through the pages of the feature magazines,” Lundgren said.

“And the creativity displayed in the literary arts magazines is incredible — the unique formats and creative designs make the magazines themselves a work of art,” he said.

MediaFest25 awards

Fall 2025 Pacemakers

Broadcast
Innovation
Magazine
Multiplatform
Newspaper/Newsmagazine

2025 Individual Awards

Story of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Multimedia Story of the Year
Design of the Year
Photo of the Year
Cartoon of the Year
Broadcast Story of the Year

Best of Show

Individual Recognition
Staff Recognition

The Auburn Circle
Auburn University (AL)
Editor-in-chief: Cole Anderson
Adviser: Brit Bowen

El Sol
Southwestern College (CA)
Editors-in-chief: Valeryah Lara-Urea, Alexa Lima
Advisers: Max Branscomb, Kenneth Pagano

Phoenix
Valencia College (FL)
Editor-in-chief: Staff
Advisers: Meg Curtiss, Jackie Zuromski

Talisman
Western Kentucky University
Editors-in-chief: Cecilia Alali, Ragan Harrington
Adviser: Sam Oldenburg

Parnassus
Northern Essex Community College (MA)
Editor-in-chief: Staff
Adviser: Patrick Lochelt

Scribendi
University of New Mexico
Editors-in-chief: Truchell Calabaza, Kadra Guillermo, Ana Olivas
Adviser: Amaris Ketcham

Flux
University of Oregon
Editor-in-chief: Mayla Fass
Advisers: Steven Asbury, Charlie Deitz, Chris Pietsch

Ponder
Black Hills State University (SD)
Editors-in-chief: Alec Butterfield, Noah Westergaard
Advisers: Justin Bergh, Skott Chandler, Allen Morris