MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 The Associated College Press named 23 collegiate student newspapers as Pacemaker winners on Oct. 28 at ACP\/CMA National High School Media Convention in Dallas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pacemaker is the association\u2019s preeminent award,\u201d said Laura Widmer, executive director. \u201cACP is honored to recognize the best of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
In all, 150 student newspapers entered the Pacemaker competition. When the process was finished, the 43 Pacemaker finalists were named. From that group, 23 earned the Pacemaker honors, placing those newspapers in the top 15 percent. The 43 finalists newspapers represent 21 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Canada.<\/p>\n
Two teams of three judges devoted two days to the judging and studied every entry, discussing its strengths and weaknesses. At least two of the three judges agreed on the Pacemaker winners and finalists. The national award-winning judges were:<\/p>\n
Paul Bittick,<\/strong> Cal Poly San Luis Obispo The teams were organized so judges did not see or hear the discussions about the newspapers from their own universities. In fact, the two judging teams worked in different locations, several floors apart.<\/p>\n In addition to demonstrating excellence in key areas including coverage, writing, editing, design and photography, the winning newspapers took risks and served as a strong voice for its student audience.<\/p>\n An instructional<\/strong> video <\/strong><\/a>shares observations about the newspapers and insights about the selection process from three of the six judges. A downloadable PDF<\/strong><\/a> profiling the Pacemaker winners is provided for educational purposes.<\/p>\n
\nChris Evans, <\/strong>University of Vermont
\nBeth Francesco, <\/strong>University of Texas at Arlington
\nJoe Gisondi, <\/strong>Eastern Illinois University
\nRon Johnson, <\/strong>Indiana University
\nJudy Riedl, <\/strong>formerly University of Minnesota<\/p>\n