2024 Literary Arts Magazine Pacemakers
NSPA names ‘best of the best’
Pacemaker competition recognizes eight literary arts magazines for publishing excellence
April 26, 2025
SEATTLE — Honoring the nation’s best, National Scholastic Press Association named eight scholastic literary arts magazines as prestigious Pacemaker winners.
The literary arts magazine winners, plus the 2024 Innovation Pacemaker, 2024 Online Pacemaker and 2024 Yearbook Pacemaker winners, were announced during the closing awards ceremony of the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, on April 26.
“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, one of the oldest awards for scholastic journalism, has a rich tradition. The association started presenting the prestigious award to high school newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Throughout the years, yearbooks, magazines, online sites and broadcast programs were added to the competition.
A team of three judges studied every entry, discussing its strengths. The status of each entry was agreed upon by at least two of the three judges.
“The literary arts magazines selected by the judges reflect both classic and contemporary formats,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition. “The quality of the art, photography, poetry and prose showcased on the pages of these magazines is amazing.”
Award-winning literary arts magazine advisers from three states served on the judging team. Judges did not participate in the evaluation or discussion of magazines from their own schools.
2024 Literary Arts Magazine Pacemakers
BLAM
Brophy College Preparatory
Phoenix, Arizona
Editor-in-Chief: Minh Luu
Adviser: Ashley Doud, Shelby Stringer
Graphite
Hagerty High School
Oviedo, Florida
Editor-in-Chief: Josephine Lim
Adviser: Brit Taylor
Artifex
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, Florida
Editor-in-Chief: Aisha Hashmi
Adviser: Melissa Falkowski
Iliad Literary-Art Magazine
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia
Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Hendershot
Adviser: David Ragsdale
The Fine Print
East Ridge High School
Woodbury, Minnesota
Editors-in-Chief: Nina Krejci, Caroline Zhang
Adviser: Adam Hayes
Roars & Whispers
Providence Senior High School
Charlotte, North Carolina
Editors-in-Chief: Trixie Beck, Dave Hite, Melaina Patterson
Adviser: Pamela Mann
Odyssey
James Bowie High School
Austin, Texas
Editors-in-Chief: Sakari Jackson, Parker Ledford, Rosemarie Nevland, John Walton
Adviser: Jacob Morgan, Lindsey Shirack
Mini-Marque
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Editor-in-Chief: Grant Bowers
Adviser: Danielle Maxfield