Pacemaker competition names 29 publications
as the ‘best of the best’
Nov. 13, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS — Honoring the nation’s best, National Scholastic Press Association has named 29 scholastic student newspapers, newsmagazines and specialty magazines as prestigious Pacemaker winners.
The 2021 winners, plus the 2021 Broadcast Pacemaker Award winners, were announced virtually during the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, presented virtually Nov. 13, 2021.
In October, 66 newspapers, newsmagazines and specialty magazines were named Pacemaker finalists. The finalists represented 18 states and the District of Columbia as well as the United Kingdom. California and Texas set the pace with 12 finalists, followed by Missouri with eight.
“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Executive Director Laura Widmer said. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”
The NSPA Pacemaker award has a rich tradition and the association started presenting the award to high school newspapers a few years after the organization was founded in 1921. Throughout the years, yearbooks, magazines, online sites and broadcast programs were added to the competition.
In all, 150 student news and specialty publications from 31 states, the District of Columbia, South Korea and the United Kingdom entered the Pacemaker competition, representing a slight drop from the previous year.
Two teams of three judges worked remotely judging and studying every entry discussing its strengths and weaknesses.
The publications competed against those of similar types — tabloid newspaper, broadsheet newspaper, newsmagazine, specialty magazine and junior high/middle school.
Insights and observations from the judges about the Pacemaker winning publications will be posted after the Pacemaker winners are announced along with the names and professional bios of the judges.
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.
“With the pandemic impacting schools across the country, many of the papers and magazines submitted for the competition were produced with student journalists working under very challenging situations,” Lundgren said. “The high-quality journalism these publications provided, against all odds, is remarkable.”
In this competition, only the print news product was judged. A separate NSPA 2021 Online Pacemaker competition recognized 43 online news sites in April. Several schools earned Pacemaker honors for both their print and online products.
Fall 2021
Pacemaker Awards
Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Specialty Magazine
Fall 2021
Pacemaker Award finalists
Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Specialty Magazine
Spring 2021
Pacemaker Awards
Literary magazine •
Online • Yearbook
Fall 2021
Best of Show
JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention