The Pacemaker 100 & Top 10

FIRST • 23 Pacemakers / 3 Pacemaker finalists

Lair

Yearbook
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee, Kansas

SECOND • 20 Pacemakers / 7 Pacemaker finalists

Decamhian

Yearbook
Del Campo High School
Fair Oaks, California

THIRD22 Pacemakers / 2 Pacemaker finalists

Wings

Yearbook
Arrowhead Christian Academy
Redlands, California

FOURTH • 18 Pacemakers / 4 Pacemaker finalists

Indian

Yearbook
Shawnee Mission North High School
Overland Park, Kansas

FIFTH (tie) • 16 Pacemakers / 7 Pacemaker finalists

Rampages

Yearbook
Casa Roble High School
Orangevale, California

FIFTH (tie) • 16 Pacemakers / 7 Pacemaker finalists

Pioneer

Yearbook
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

SEVENTH • 15 Pacemakers / 8 Pacemaker finalists

Paragon

Yearbook
Munster High School
Munster, Indiana

EIGHTH • 15 Pacemakers / 6 Pacemaker finalists

The Little Hawk

Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Iowa City High School
Iowa City, Iowa

NINTH (tie) • 15 Pacemakers / 5 Pacemaker finalists

Hauberk

Yearbook
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

NINTH (tie) • 15 Pacemakers / 5 Pacemaker finalists

HTV Magazine

Broadcast
Hillcrest High School
Springfield, Missouri

NINTH (tie) • 15 Pacemakers / 5 Pacemaker finalists

Spark

Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio

The Lair yearbook staff, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and adviser Susan Massy, at the Nov. 12, 2022, celebration

VIEW photos of the Nov. 13, 2023, celebration in St. Louis.

WATCH the original May 20, 2021, announcement.


To celebrate its centennial year,
National Scholastic Press Association announces
its top 100 Pacemaker award winners

National Scholastic Press Association — home of the prestigious Pacemaker awards — proudly recognizes its top 100 publications as it launches its centennial celebration.

Founded in 1921, NSPA has trained and honored student journalists through conventions, workshops and awards.

First presented in 1927 as the Pace-Maker, the Pacemaker awards are now recognized as the top prizes in scholastic journalism. They honor the very best scholastic broadcasts, literary arts magazines, newspapers/newsmagazines, online publications, specialty magazines and yearbooks.

“The Pacemaker really represents the best of the best and it is appropriate that we recognize the rich tradition this award has in scholastic journalism as part of our centennial celebration,” NSPA associate director Gary Lundgren said. 

The Pacemaker 100 represents a one-time snapshot of the top 100 publications recognized in the competition during its history. Each Pacemaker finalist was awarded five points and each Pacemaker earned 10 points. The results were tabulated in May 2021.

The Pacemaker 100 will be honored in alphabetical order by state followed by the announcement of the top 10 publications. Just like the Pacemaker competition, online sites are recognized separately from the print newspaper/newsmagazine.

“It was fun to reflect on the history of the award and to recognize the publications during the past century with a rich Pacemaker history — this is a remarkable achievement,” he said.

Since 1927, there have been 2,700 Pacemaker awards presented to high school and middle school publications. An additional 2,300 Pacemaker finalists have been awarded over the years.

There are three publications that have earned at least 20 or more Pacemakers and dozens that have earned 10 or more.

“While it is certainly a remarkable achievement to earn a dozen or more Pacemakers, it is also exciting to see the many publications that earned a single Pacemaker over the last century,” Lundgren said. “Their hard work and excellence landed them a place in scholastic journalism history and that’s also worth celebrating.”

Associated Collegiate Press, the collegiate division of NSPA, has also awarded Pacemakers since 1927 and plans to recognize The Pacemaker 100 for collegiate publications.

During the upcoming school year, a searchable database of member publications earning Pacemaker recognition will be added to both the NSPA and ACP websites.

The Pacemaker 100 will be honored and presented awards during the next on-site NSPA convention, and the Pacemaker 100 will be showcased in “Empowering Student Journalists,” a commemorative book documenting and celebrating the role of NSPA and ACP in educating, influencing and promoting the student press. “Empowering Student Journalists” will be released at the Philadelphia convention, as well as at the ACP/CMA New Orleans convention in October 2021.


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Explore past NSPA awards
in our online archive.


NSPA’s top 100 Pacemaker winners

May 20, 2021
alphabetical by state

CS Press
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Cactus Shadows High School
Cave Creek, Arizona

Crusader
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Salpointe Catholic High School
Tucson, Arizona

Hornet
Yearbook
Bryant High School
Bryant, Arkansas

Connotations
Literary Arts Magazine
Fayetteville High School
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Titanium
Yearbook
Antelope High School
Antelope, California

Epic
Yearbook
Center High School
Antelope, California

The Epitaph
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Homestead High School
Cupertino, California

El Estoque
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

El Estoque Online
Online
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

Decamhian
Yearbook
Del Campo High School
Fair Oaks, California

The Feather Online
Online
Fresno Christian High School
Fresno, California

The Gazette
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Granite Bay High School
Granite Bay, California

Wingspan
Yearbook
James C. Enochs High School
Modesto, California

Rampages
Yearbook
Casa Roble High School
Orangevale, California

Campanile
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

The Paly Voice
Online
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Verde
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Wings
Yearbook
Arrowhead Christian Academy
Redlands, California

Pilot
Yearbook
Redondo Union High School
Redondo Beach, California

Tonitrus
Yearbook
Rocklin High School
Rocklin, California

Details
Yearbook
Whitney High School
Rocklin, California

Lowell
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Lowell High School
San Francisco, California

The American
Yearbook
Independence High School
San Jose, California

Stagg Line
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
Stockton, California

The Chronicle
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Harvard-Westlake School
Studio City, California

Cub Trax
Yearbook
Cupertino Middle School
Sunnyvale, California

Cayuse
Yearbook
Walnut High School
Walnut, California

Union Street Journal
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, Colorado

The Prowl
Yearbook
Powell Middle School
Littleton, Colorado

Eagle Eye View
Yearbook
Sierra Middle School
Parker, Colorado

Literary and Visual Arts
Literary Arts Magazine
Maret School
Washington, D.C.

The Southerner
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Midtown High School
Atlanta, Georgia

U-High Midway
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois

Renaissance
Literary Arts Magazine
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois

New Pennies
Literary Arts Magazine
DeKalb High School
DeKalb, Illinois

Etruscan
Yearbook
Glenbrook South High School
Glenview, Illinois

Lion
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Lyons Township High School
La Grange, Illinois

The Central Times
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Naperville Central High School
Naperville, Illinois

HiLite
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana

HiLite Online
Online
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana

Log
Yearbook
Columbus North High School
Columbus, Indiana

Paragon
Yearbook
Munster High School
Munster, Indiana

The Little Hawk
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Iowa City High School
Iowa City, Iowa

Eagle/Stampede
Yearbook
Maize Intermediate School/Maize South Middle School
Maize, Kansas

Indian
Yearbook
Shawnee Mission North High School
Overland Park, Kansas

Hauberk
Yearbook
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

The Harbinger
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

The Harbinger Online
Online
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Lair
Yearbook
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee, Kansas

The Northwest Passage
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee, Kansas

Erehwon
Literary Arts Magazine
Winston Churchill High School
Potomac, Maryland

Silver Chips
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, Maryland

Colophon
Literary Arts Magazine
Towson High School
Towson, Maryland

Wayland Student Press Network
Online
Wayland High School
Wayland, Massachusetts

Ceniad
Yearbook
East Lansing High School
East Lansing, Michigan

Fentonian
Yearbook
Fenton High School
Fenton, Michigan

The Tower
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Grosse Pointe South High School
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

The Update
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
H.H. Dow High School
Midland, Michigan

Images on the Wind
Literary Arts Magazine
Edina High School
Edina, Minnesota

Central High News
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Central High School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

West High Weekly/
West High Times
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
West High School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Knight Errant
Online
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

Echo
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Saint Louis Park High School
Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

Cogwheel
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Mechanic Arts High School
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Globe
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Clayton High School
Clayton, Missouri

Pioneer
Yearbook
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

The Kirkwood Call
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

North Star
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Francis Howell North High School
Saint Charles, Missouri

FHNtoday
Online
Francis Howell North High School
Saint Charles, Missouri

Courier
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Normandy High School
Saint Louis, Missouri

HTV Magazine
Broadcast
Hillcrest High School
Springfield, Missouri

Westwind
Yearbook
West Henderson High School
Hendersonville, North Carolina

Yearbook
Yearbook
Bay High School
Bay Village, Ohio

John Adams Journal
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
John Adams High School
Cleveland, Ohio

Spark
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio

The Axe
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
South Eugene High School
Eugene, Oregon

El Paisano
Yearbook
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Featherduster
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Hillcrest Hurricane
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Hillcrest High School
Dallas, Texas

Marksmen
Yearbook
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

The ReMarker
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Vibrato
Literary Arts Magazine
The Hockaday School
Dallas, Texas

Hoofbeats
Yearbook
Burges High School
El Paso, Texas

Stampede
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Burges High School
El Paso, Texas

The Rider Online
Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas

The Lion
Yearbook
McKinney High School
McKinney, Texas

The Hawk
Yearbook
Pleasant Grove High School
Texarkana, Texas

The Tiger
Yearbook
Texas High School
Texarkana, Texas

Runes
Literary Arts Magazine
Brighton High School
Salt Lake City, Utah

tjToday
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Alexandria, Virginia

Odyssey
Yearbook
Chantilly High School
Chantilly, Virginia

Chatterbox
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
George Washington High School
Danville, Virginia

Sentry
Yearbook
Robinson Middle School
Fairfax, Virginia

TRNWIRED
Online
Prince George High School
Prince George, Virginia

Saga
Yearbook
Loudoun Valley High School
Purcellville, Virginia

Peninsula Outlook
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Peninsula High School
Gig Harbor, Washington

Lincoln News
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Lincoln High School
Tacoma, Washington

Shorewood Ripples
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Shorewood High School
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Washington Scroll
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Washington High School
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Scroll
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
The American School in London Middle School
London, England