Contact Grace Christiansen, ACP contest and critique coordinator, at grace@studentpress.org.

View list of finalists.

54 finalists have been selected in the 2013 ACP Online Pacemaker contest out of a total 277 entries.

The contest was judged by a panel of professionals with extensive online media experience. Judges noted that the most successful sites had clean and accessible designs, excellent writing and editing, strong handling of breaking news and had superb social integration.

Online Pacemaker winners will be announced at the 92nd Annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in New Orleans on Oct. 26, 2013. Comments from the judging team will be posted shortly after the convention.

View list of finalists.

The 2012 ACP Yearbook Pacemaker contest yielded a total of 61 entries. A team of judges comprised of experienced journalism professionals and educators traveled to Minneapolis in early February to select the finalists.

Judges completed an initial elimination round and considered a number of factors as disqualifiers, such as illegal photo usage or lack of body copy. After the elimination round, judges spent a day and a half selecting the 12 finalists.

The Pacemaker winners will be announced for the first time at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in New Orleans, Oct. 23-27, 2013.

Best of Show

Newspaper Pacemaker

Online Pacemaker

Magazine Pacemaker

Yearbook Pacemaker

Story of the Year

Multimedia Story of the Year

Photo Excellence

Design of the Year

Reporter of the Year

Cartooning Awards

Advertising Awards

The Magazine Pacemaker awards recognize general excellence in collegiate magazines and are divided into two categories: Feature and Literary magazines. This year, the Feature magazines were judged by The Atlantic, and the Literary magazines were judged by Graywolf Press.

View the list of Magazine Pacemaker finalists

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Content
  Was there evidence of diversity in content and approach? Was the content innovative and contemporary?
• Quality of writing and editing
  Was there evidence that the authors were well-read, creative, original and aware of the audience? Was the writing almost or completely free of grammatical and spelling errors?
• Photography, art and graphics
  Did the photos have strong centers of interest, sharp focus and proper contrast? Was a variety of artwork and graphics represented?
• Layout and design
  Did the design accentuate rather than dominate the content? If color was used, did it appropriately enhance the layout? Was overall design unity evident?
• Overall concept or theme
  Was the theme clear and carried throughout the publication? Was the concept fresh and engaging?

The ACP Newspaper Pacemaker contest has awarded general excellence in collegiate newspapers for 85 years. The 2012 Newspaper Pacemaker contest was possible because of a generous donation of time and expertise by the staff of The Sacramento Bee, who judged this year’s entries.

View the list of Newspaper Pacemaker finalists

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Coverage and content
  Were all aspects of student life covered (academics/sports/clubs/local news, etc.)? Was the use of wire/syndicated copy limited (especially on pg. 1)? Was there evidence of sound news judgment?
• Quality of writing and reporting
  Was the writing concise and the reporting thorough? Was writing free of opinion (with the exception of editorials or columns)? Was the copy edited for consistent style?
• Leadership on the opinion page
  Did staff editorials, cartoons and letters supplement personal columns? Did the staff demonstrate sensitivity to controversial topics? Was the content of the editorial page consequential?
• Evidence of in-depth reporting
  Did major stories show evidence of multiple sources? Are series or depth pieces prominent in entered issues?
• Layout and design
  Was the look of the paper clean and contemporary? Was a consistent modular page makeup used throughout the publication? Did designers establish a clear visual hierarchy for readers?
• Photography, art and graphics
  Did visuals enhance the verbal content and draw the reader in? Did visuals improve the reader’s understanding of the accompanying story? Were photos properly credited? Was the quality of photos and art technically excellent?

Winners will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the ACP website after winners are announced in Chicago.

Please contact Grace Christiansen, ACP Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at contests@studentpress.org

The Reporter of the Year contest recognizes individuals for outstanding writing and editorial leadership. The four-year category is co-sponsored by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and the two-year category is judged by an award-winning editor from the Minnesota Associated Press. Entries consist of three single news or feature stories published in a college newspaper during the competition year. Winners receive cash prizes when announced at the fall convention.

View the list of finalists with links to entered stories

Finalist selections are based on:

• Significance and news worthiness of the stories
• Quality and depth of reporting, quality of quotes
• Quality of writing, editing/AP style usage

The Print Story of the Year contest is sponsored by the Deadline Club, the New York chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Entries in the Story of the Year contest consist of a single story in one of the following categories: News, Feature, Sports, Editorial and Diversity. The entries are judged based on the importance of the story, quality of reporting and quotes, quality of writing and editing and credibility and leadership. There were 592 total entries.

View the list of finalists with links to entered stories

The Multimedia Story of the Year contest is also sponsored by the Deadline Club. Entries are accepted in the following categories: Multimedia News Multimedia Feature, Multimedia Sports and Photo Slideshow. All entries were accepted online. Entries are judged ased on innovation in the use of multimedia, including audio, video, slide shows and graphics, technical quality of multimedia elements, respect of copyright laws, quality of reporting and quotes, quality of writing and reader/viewer impact. There were 275 total entries.

View the list of finalists with links to entered stories

Winners and honorable mentions will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the ACP website after winners are announced in Chicago.

Please contact Grace Christiansen, ACP Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at contests@studentpress.org.

The Design of the Year awards are co-sponsored by Adobe Systems and were accepted through online submission. Entries were accepted in the following categories: Newsmagazine/Special Section Cover, Illustration, Infographic, Newspaper Page One, Newspaper Page/Spread and Yearbook/Magazine Page/Spread. The contest yielded a total of 543 entries, marking at 15 percent increase from last year.. The first place winner in each category will receive complimentary software from Adobe.

View the list of Design of the Year finalists

Judges selected finalists based on the following criteria:

• Effective use of photos, color, art, graphics and typography
• Established visual hierarchy
• News judgment for Newspaper Page One
• Contemporary appeal
• Suitability for respective audience

The Advertising Awards entries were accepted in the following categories: Display Ad, House Ad, Ad Campaign, Advertising/Editorial Supplement and Brochure/Rate Card. There were 253 total entries. The contest was judged by a team of advertising professionals.

View the list of Advertising Awards finalists

Advertising entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Contemporary appeal
• Effective use of photos, art, graphics, typography and color (if applicable)
• Suitability for respective audiences

Winners and honorable mentions will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the ACP website after winners are announced in Chicago.

Please contact Grace Christiansen, ACP Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at contests@studentpress.org

The 2012 Cartooning and Photo Excellence Awards were accepted through online submission. The Photo Excellence contest is co-sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association and honors student photographers in five categories: General News, Spot News, Feature, Sports and Environmental Portrait. Entries are judged based on technical quality, artistic value and journalistic content. There were over 813 entries this year.

View the list of Photo Excellence finalists

The Cartooning Awards contest is co-sponsored by Universal Uclick. And honors cartoonists in two categories: Editorial Cartoon and Cartoon Panel/Strip. Entries are judged based on reader impact, community importance, artistic quality and originality and clarity of message. There were 164 entries this year.

View the list of Cartooning finalists

First through fifth place winners and honorable mentions will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the ACP website after winners are announced in Chicago.

Please contact Grace Christiansen, ACP Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at contests@studentpress.org.

In this new position for NSPA and ACP, Grome will facilitate activities where members connect, engage, network and celebrate, including supporting convention planning, coordinating exhibits and trade shows and developing new projects.

Grome will begin June 6 in the Minneapolis office.

She worked most recently in marketing and communication at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and previously at Lakeshore Public Television and Radio in Merrillville, Ind. An Ohio native, she earned a B.S. in journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. She is pursuing a M.A. in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota.

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Contact Grace Christiansen, ACP contest and critique coordinator, at grace@studentpress.org.

View the list of finalists

55 finalists have been selected in the 2012 ACP Online Pacemaker contest out of a total of 270 entries. Contest entries have steadily increased in recent years, with 2012 yielding a nine percent increase from 2011.

The contest was judged by a panel of professionals with extensive online media experience. Judges noted that the most successful sites displayed excellence in writing and editing, in-depth coverage, site design, interactivity, photography, and reactions to breaking news.

Online Pacemaker winners will be announced at the 91st Annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago on Nov. 4, 2012. Comments from the judging team will be posted shortly after the convention.

2011 ACP Yearbook Pacemaker Finalists Announced

View the list of finalists

The 2011 ACP Yearbook Pacemaker contest yielded a total of 53 entries. A team of judges comprised of experienced journalism professionals and educators traveled to Minneapolis in late January to select the finalists.

Judges commented that the books chosen as finalists had elegant and sophisticated design, balanced coverage, strong and detailed writing, outstanding photography and comprehensive themes.

Entries were divided into two proportionate categories based on total page count. Judges completed an initial elimination round and considered a number of factors as disqualifiers, such as illegal photo usage or lack of body copy.

After the elimination round, judges spent a day and a half selecting the 16 finalists.

The Pacemaker winners will be announced for the first time at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Chicago, Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2012.