NSPA honors innovation

Six scholastic media programs named Pacemaker finalists

March 4, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS — Student media programs from five high schools have been honored by the National Scholastic Press Association as finalists in its Innovation Pacemaker competition.

Pacemaker finalists will be honored and Pacemakers announced for the first time during the awards ceremony on Saturday, April 18, at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis. 

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.

“Student media is rapidly changing and top programs are finding innovative ways to deliver content to their readers while building unified and converged teams,” 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 and yearbook.”

“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. 

Please join us at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention April 16-18, 2026, in Minneapolis.

The convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of NSPA Pacemaker winners. NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media work.

El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
Student Leadership: Sophia D’Sa, Jillian Ju, Isabelle Kok, Liz Liu, Stella Petzova, Benjamin Zhang
Advisers: Vennessa Nava, Julia Satterthwaite

Oviedo Now
Oviedo High School
Oviedo, Florida
Student Leadership: Gabriela Decesare
Adviser: Ben Langevin

The Communicator
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Student Leadership: Della Bank, Kennedy McDonald, Sadie Palay, Izzy Santiago, Andrea Skerlos
Adviser: Tracy Anderson

LHS Publications
Liberty High School
Lake Saint Lewis, Missouri
Student Leadership: Emily Nguyen, Will Nolan
Adviser: Jonathan Hall

KCBY Español
Coppell High School
Coppell, Texas
Student Leadership: Aaron Montes, Hemi Riojas
Advisers: Irma Lazos-Kennedy, Stephen Jones

The Standard
The American School in London
London, England
Student Leadership: Rina Kobayashi, Ruby Rogers
Adviser: Louisa Avery