2009 NSPA YEARBOOK PACEMAKERS
View the award list/gallery
Video of judges’ comments (posted in February)
2009 NSPA DIGITAL YEARBOOK PACEMAKERS
View the award list/gallery
Judges’ Comments: Winners
The Legend, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, TX
A crisp, clean design that coordinates nicely with the print book. Rich in original content and features.
The Lion, McKinney High School, McKinney, TX
With a wealth of student-produced material and a creative design that pairs nicely with the print book, this was a most impressive entry. The menu is rich with well-produced video features, supplementing the print book with a textured portrait of the school year.
Heritage Yearbook, Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, KS
With 100% student-produced work and well-produced video content, this was a very impressive entry.
The Bronco, McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney, TX
An impressive graphic design with lots of well-produced student content. It’s nice to see “Academics” as the first item on the menu, and the category shows a range of ways the school engages students to make learning fun.
Judges’ Comments: Finalists
Wingspan, James Enochs High School, Modesto, CA
Lots of original production, produced with a design concept that ties-in very clearly with the print book.
Log, Columbus North High School, Columbus, IN
This DVD tells the story of a major flood and how it affected students and their families. A gripping piece of visual journalism told through student voices and dramatic pictures.
Excalibur, Francis Howell North, Saint Charles, MO
An impressive 100% student-produced work in every category. A bold, colorful graphic design that pairs nicely with the print book.
The Confederate, Lee-Davis High School, Mechanicsville, VA
A clean, bold graphic look with lots of original video content.
2010 ONLINE PACEMAKERS
View the award list/gallery
Judges’ Comments:
It was exciting to see so many high school publications working with video. There were some really innovative video programs that included not only great action and sound but great voice-overs delivered by reporters and anchors. Many of the videos included superb editing and post-production.
We were also very pleased to see that schools are utilizing social media – Twitter and Facebook in particular – and integrating them into their news websites. We encourage all high school students to continue experimenting with new forms of interactive storytelling. Never let technology prevent you from telling the story the way you want to tell it. For the larger schools, it was great to see such diversity in news coverage and the unique stories they were telling. It was also encouraging to see current news published to their websites.
All of the sites offered something different and depending upon their location and size showed varying degrees of skill, design and content.
The most important factors considered in judging were site ease of navigation, up to date content, solid design, strong writing and editing, use of multimedia and complete, thorough coverage of student life. The best sites exhibited excellence in all of these areas.
Overall, it was a pleasure to see how students are utilizing the opportunity of online publishing. Keep up the good work.
2009 MAGAZINE PACEMAKERS
View the award list/gallery
Judges’ Comments:
Chasms, Cooper Hills High School, West Jordan, UT
Chasms is centered on the concept of duality, quite an ambitious undertaking. Graphic design elements and artwork supporting each section of the magazine are generally effective and sometimes very striking. The literary work conveys a wide range of emotions developing each section admirably. Overall, Chasms is an energetic and substantial effort. It wins this competition because we feel its ambition is realized.
Artistic License, American International School Guangzhou
Artistic License employs a graphic design that conveys a visual sense of unity. The literary and artwork are presented well and compliment each other. We are impressed by the range of subjects addressed. This is an impressive issue.
Seeds, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL
Seeds has a wonderful idea at its core: using an abandoned building as context for the issue. This is especially evident on the covers, front matter, and the text superimposed over spackled walls. Some fine photography and literary work fill the magazine. This is a strong issue.
Pulp, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, Midland, PA
Pulp impressed us. There is a successful interplay between graphic elements, visual art, and literary work. Overall, this is an admirable effort.
Tesserae, Rowland Hall-St Mark’s School, Salt Lake City, UT
Tesserae presents high quality literary content throughout the magazine. The artwork is engaging and complements the literary work. Overall, Tesserae is a fine effort.
Rapier, Marist School, Atlanta, GA
Inside of plain covers is a tasteful, thoughtful literary magazine. Visually clean and straightforward, Rapier features some stunning artwork and solid content. Our overall impression of the magazine was very good indeed.
EDDA, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, IL
EDDA’s theme “What Lies Beneath” was conveyed by the organization and by repetition of key visual elements. An appealing balance of literary and visual art is presented.
Spectator, Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, MD
Spectator conveys a good deal of creative energy. The literary work and the art and graphics often support and complement each other. Overall, Spectator is a worthy effort.
Creations, Warren Township High School, Gurnee, IL
The concept for the organization is quite appealing but the content included in each thematic section is not always consonant with theme. Overall, there is much to like in Creations.
Dark as Day, Crossroads School, Santa Monica, CA
Dark as Day features some striking artwork that is juxtaposed with the literary text in interesting ways. Overall, Dark as Day makes a strong impression.
Shadows, Cactus Shadows High School, Cave Creek, AZ
Shadows presents its content in an uncluttered and unpretentious manner. We like the consistency of format; it enhances both the literary and the visual art.
Mirage, Seminole Ridge High School, Loxahatchee, FL
Mirage presents itself as an “album” of work that is collected, and pasted here—yellow pages tucked into corner frames. The layout is consistent from page to page. The literary and art work are well integrated with each other.
