Laguna Blanca’s Upper School newspaper, The Fourth Estate, has been selected as a 2011 NSPA Design of the Year Finalist in the National Scholastic Press Association’s Pacemaker competition.
“This is the Holy Grail of journalism awards,” journalism instructor Trish McHale said. “This is NSPA’s annual contest for newspaper, magazine and yearbook spreads.”
Journalists Lillie Hodges, Sean Burke and Julia Kent, all who graduated in June, created the spread “Social Networking Transforms the Middle East,” which earned finalist standing.
Since 1927, the NSPA’s Pacemaker competition has been considered by many to be student journalism’s highest honor. All NSPA members are eligible to compete in their respective national Pacemaker competitions.
The Newspaper Pacemaker contest is co-sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. The contest yielded 325 entries, and categories included: newspapers with eight or fewer pages, newspapers with nine to 16 pages, newspapers with 17-plus pages, news magazines and junior high/middle school newspapers.
New this year, the NSPA is honoring up to 10 entries in each category of the individual awards. The top five entries in each category have been announced as finalists and will be announced as first- through fifth-place winners at the fall JEA/NSPA convention in Minneapolis, Minn.
Up to five honorable mentions additionally have been awarded in each category. The honorable mentions are not ranked.
Adobe Systems and the NSPA sponsor a Design of the Year competition. First-place winners in each category receive an Adobe software package of their choice. Categories include newspaper page one, newspaper page/spread, yearbook page/spread, magazine page/spread, infographic and illustration.
— Tara Broucqsault is the director of communications for Laguna Blanca School.