2018 Magazine Pacemaker finalists announced
NSPA honors 23 literary arts and 5 specialty/in-depth magazines
MINNEAPOLIS — Honoring the nation’s best, the National Scholastic Press Association has named 28 scholastic magazines as finalists in its prestigious Pacemaker competition.
“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” said Laura Widmer, executive director. “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.
To select the 28 finalists, a team of judges analyzed and discussed 115 entries from 31 states. From the 28 finalists, eight literary arts and three specialty /in-depth magazines will earn Pacemaker honors. Three of the finalists were published by junior high/middle school students.
The Pacemaker finalists represent the top 24 percent and the Pacemaker winners represent the top 10 percent of the entries. The magazines were published during the 2017-18 school year.
To reflect trends in scholastic publishing, a specialty/in-depth category was added to recognize magazines devoted to in-depth reporting on a single topic as well as feature magazines. Traditional newsmagazines continue to compete in the Newspaper/Newsmagazine Pacemaker competition.
“As scholastic media programs shift their daily news reporting to online sites, we are seeing an increase in specialty magazine publishing for in-depth reporting and storytelling,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition. “We expect the number of specialty/in-depth magazines to increase each year like is has in our college competition.”
Written comments from the judges about each of the Pacemaker-winning magazines will be posted after the winners are announced along with overall comments and observations from the judges. The professional bios of the judges will also be included.
Pacemaker finalists will be recognized with plaques at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 at the Opening Ceremony of the Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim. Pacemaker winners will be announced and will receive plaques on Saturday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. and the convention’s closing Awards Ceremony where both NSPA and JEA honors will be presented.
Literary Arts Magazines
BLAM
Brophy College Preparatory
Phoenix, Arizona
Advisers: John Damaso, Austin Pidgeon
Editor: Graham Armknecht
Connotations
Fayetteville High School
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Adviser: Katie Stueart
Editors: Logan Goodwin, Zara Raezer
The Rambler
Sierra Canyon School
Chatsworth, California
Adviser: Susan Turner Jones
Editor: Madison Cole Garfinkle
Ink
The Hotchkiss School
Lakeville, Connecticut
Advisers: Liz Buckles, Brad Faus
Editors: Edward Guo, Dear Liu
Literati
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
Miami, Florida
Adviser: Rebecca Retana
Editors: Sophia Beceiro, Diana Bunge
Threshold
North Forsyth High School
Cumming, Georgia
Adviser: Elizabeth Smith
Editor: Noah Smith
Phantasm
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Chicago, Illinois
Advisers: Katie Haviland, Teegan Ness, Wendy Schmiedeler
Editors: Lizzy George-Griffin, Marilyn Tess
Harbinger
Carmel Catholic High School
Mundelein, Illinois
Advisers: Marcia Meyer, Maria Murczek
Editors: Megan Brinkman, Carolyne Im
Echoes
Rockville High School
Rockville, Maryland
Adviser: Sean Pang
Editor: Jackie de Melo
Mindprints
Jackson Preparatory Junior High School
Flowood, Mississippi
Advisers: Kimberly Reedy, Kathryn Shuff
Editor: Hawthorne Cleveland
Evoke
Oxford High School
Oxford, Mississippi
Adviser: Diala Chaney
Editors: Neely Mullen, Anna Renfroe
Hatch
Bigfork High School
Bigfork, Montana
Adviser: Louis Jessop
Editors: Castor Conley, Kyle Cumming, Cassie Dawn
Changing Perspectives
Delaware Valley Regional High School
Frenchtown, New Jersey
Adviser: Molly Esposito
Editors: Maggie Erwin, Isabelle LoSapio
Roars and Whispers
Providence Senior High School
Charlotte, North Carolina
Adviser: Marva Hutchinson
Editors: Emma Carter, Allie Debe, Zoe Knepp, Paige Thomas
Inkblot
Kealing Middle School
Austin, Texas
Adviser: Kristen Scott
Editors: Danielle Gu, Nora Kelly, Kyra Kleiman, Zoe Rabinowitz
The Calliope
Geneva School of Boerne
Boerne, Texas
Adviser: Becky Ryden
Editor: Ruth Wacker
The Marque
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Advisers: Lynne Schwartz, GayMarie Vaughan
Editors: Matthew Coleman, C.J. Crawford
Mini-Marque
St. Mark’s School of Texas Middle School
Dallas, Texas
Advisers: Danielle Clayton, Meagan Frazier
Editors: Jeffery Chen, Alex Geng
Vibrato
The Hockaday School
Dallas, Texas
Adviser: Ana Rosenthal
Editors: Payton Hart, Claire Marucci
Reflections
Cistercian Preparatory School
Irving, Texas
Adviser: Stephen Gregg
Editor: Matthew Dorn
The Lost Art
McKinney High School
McKinney, Texas
Advisers: Kaitlin Christian, Katye Rutledge
Editors: Mena Bahram, Austyne Chetwood, Kaley Polk
Opus
Oakton High School
Vienna, Virginia
Adviser: Susan Sullivan
Editors: Sayrin Kang, Ana Catarina Medas
The Talon
Woodberry Forest School
Woodberry Forest, Virginia
Advisers: Karen Broaddus, Rich Broaddus
Editors: Trip Hurley, Max Johns, Kyle Kauffman
Specialty/In-depth Magazines
Exploration by the Realm
Thomas Downey High School
Modesto, California
Adviser: Rene Guevara
Editor: Hannah Hightman
Panorama Magazine by The Chronicle
Harvard-Westlake School
Studio City, California
Adviser: Jim Burns
Editors: Nicole Kim, Alena Rubin
“Where Are They Now?” by The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri
Adviser: Mitch Eden
Editors: Camille Baker, Hannah Cohen, Chloe Hooker
Backcountry Review
Springfield High School
Springfield, Oregon
Adviser: Ivan Miller
Editors: Emma Babcock, Ruby Lohne, Kiley McCurry
Focus Magazine by The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Adviser: Ray Westbrook
Editor: Kobe Roseman