Associated Collegiate Press

Congratulations to the winners of the Clips & Clicks contest for the fall 2025 semester — and to the ACP-member student media.

ACP - Fall 2025 Clips & Clicks Through education training and recognition programs for members, the Associated Collegiate Press promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

March 7, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (CA) — Honoring the nation’s best, the Associated College Press named three collegiate yearbooks as winners of its prestigious Pacemaker during an awards ceremony at the ACP Spring National College Media Conference,

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best.”“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Laura Widmer, executive director, said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best with Pacemaker honors.”

The ACP Pacemaker Award, one of the oldest awards for collegiate journalism, has a rich tradition. The association began presenting the prestigious award to collegiate newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Through the years, yearbooks, magazines and online sites were added to the competition.

In February, seven yearbooks were named Pacemaker finalists.

“These yearbooks deliver engaging verbal and visual stories, showcasing superior photojournalism, writing and design,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competitions.

Yearbooks produced during the 2024-25 school year competed directly against each other. A team of nationally recognized judges selected the finalists and Pacemakers.

March 7, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (CA) — Honoring the nation’s best, the Associated College Press named 19 student websites as winners of its prestigious Pacemaker during an awards ceremony at the ACP Spring National College Media Conference.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

The prestigious Pacemaker recognizes overall excellence and distinguishes the top student media produced during a particular school year. The award started shortly after the association was founded in 1921 and is often regarded as the most-competitive, most-honored award in collegiate journalism.

In February, 44 websites were named Pacemaker finalists. The 44 finalists represent 20 states. California set the pace with 12 finalists, followed by Texas with six. The finalists include 37 four-year and seven two-year schools.

Online sites from two-year and four-year schools competed in separate divisions.

Within the four-year school category, websites competed against those from colleges and universities with similar enrollments.

Early in 2026, judging teams began reviewing the sites.

For this contest, news and feature websites are accepted. The websites may be produced in conjunction with a print newspaper or magazine or a stand-alone site. In addition to reviewing the overall sites, judges paid particular attention to the URLs of three content presentations suggested by editors on the contest entry form.

“Today’s best online sites are platforms for rich multimedia storytelling,” associate director Gary Lundgren said. “Deep and diverse coverage with strong engagement and interactivity distinguish the best student-produced sites.”

In this competition, only the online product was judged. Print newspapers/newsmagazines compete in a separate competition. There is also a Multiplatform Pacemaker competition. The Newspaper/Newsmagazine Pacemakers and Multiplatform Pacemaker will be recognized in the fall.

Congratulations to all the award winners! ACP announced winners in three Pacemaker contests, Business and Advertising Awards and Best of Show contests.

See the winners:

ACP - Spring 2026 convention awards Through education training and recognition programs for members, the Associated Collegiate Press promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

Interested in WORLD Journalism Institute's multimedia journalism intensives? Join WJI for an information session March 6 at noon ET.

Sign up here: https://ow.ly/7UIm50YnB2w.

Information Session: Sign Up Form Thank you so much for you interest in WJI! Join us on Friday, March 6 at noon Eastern Time for this 30-minute online gathering to hear alumni share how the WJI can equip you for a career in journalism and how to improve your WJI application. Don't miss the opportunity to learn some tips to improve y...

Opportunity alert! The WORLD Journalism Institute is accepting applications for its multimedia journalism intensives offered by WORLD News Group. During the two-week WJI College Course, students will receive classroom instruction and on-the-ground reporting experience. It is designed for college students or graduates of the May 2026 class. WJI Young Pros is a one-week version in July!

Seasoned reporters with WORLD News Group, a Christian non-profit news organization, coach participants in the craft of reporting for print, audio, and video platforms. Students who are accepted to the program receive a scholarship covering tuition, housing, and most meals.

Applications are due March 23: https://ow.ly/6zbH50YnB2m

From the team at ACP: happy Student Press Freedom Day! Student journalists across the country are doing top-notch journalism covering any number of important topics. ACP is proud to support scholastic journalism!

Today is the LAST DAY to save on your ACP Spring National College Media Conference registration! Prices increase by $30 per person after today.

Check out all the convention has to offer:

Welcome 2026 - ACP Spring College Media Conference JOIN US IN SAN FRANCISCO ACP SPRING NATIONAL COLLEGE MEDIA CONFERENCE March 5–7, 2026 • San Francisco Boost your skills with the training you need Sessions on key skills, mental health, AI, responsible reporting and more Register here ADVERTISINGSALES & MARKETING STAFF RECRUITMENT SPORTS REPORTI...

Feb. 12, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS — Associated Collegiate Press has recognized 44 online news and feature sites as finalists in the Online Pacemaker competition.

The finalists will be honored and the Pacemaker winners announced during Saturday’s awards ceremony at the ACP Spring National College Media Conference, March 5-7, 2026, in San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

Starting in 2024, ACP started presenting the Online Pacemaker award in the spring.

“This shift allows the sites to be reviewed in real time during the school year and for the student editors to also be recognized in real time rather than in the fall of the next school year,” associate director Gary Lundgren said.

Early in 2026, judging teams began reviewing the sites, focusing on content posted after June 17, 2025.

For this contest, news and feature websites are accepted. The websites may be produced in conjunction with a print newspaper or magazine or a stand-alone site. In addition to reviewing the overall sites, judges paid particular attention to the URLs of three content presentations suggested by editors on the contest entry form.

The judges are now visiting the sites of the Pacemaker finalists on a regular basis before selecting the Pacemakers on March 2.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

The 44 finalists represent 20 states. California set the pace with 12 finalists, followed by Texas with six. The finalists include 37 four-year and seven two-year schools.

Online sites from two-year and four-year schools competed in separate divisions.

Within the four-year school category, websites competed against those from colleges and universities with similar enrollments.

“Today’s best online sites are platforms for rich multimedia storytelling,” Lundgren said. “Deep and diverse coverage with strong engagement and interactivity distinguish the best student-produced sites.”

In this competition, only the online product was judged. The deadline is June 15, 2026, for Broadcast, Innovation, Magazine, Multiplatform and Newspaper/Newsmagazine Pacemaker competitions. Those finalists will be announced in September 2025 and awarded at the fall convention.

See you tonight for an ACP Pacemaker Master Class about all things fundraising! Tonight's session will explore how to build support among your alumni, how to develop ways to generate revenue outside of traditional advertising and how to seek grants.

See you there:

ACP - Pacemaker Master Classes & Town Hall Meetings Through education training and recognition programs for members, the Associated Collegiate Press promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

THREE DAYS left to save on your registration for ACP's spring conference! Registration prices will increase after Feb. 14.

We hope you will join us in San Francisco: https://ow.ly/gfXX50YbgMc

MINNEAPOLIS — The Associated Collegiate Press has named four collegiate student media operations as finalists in its Business Pacemaker competition.

The finalists will be honored and the Pacemaker winners announced during Saturday’s awards ceremony at the ACP Spring National College Media Conference, March 5-7, 2026, in San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

Of the four finalists, two will receive Pacemaker honors.

“The business and marketing side of student media is critical in today’s media world — it is very important for ACP to recognize this important aspect of journalism,” said ACP associate director Gary Lundgren.

The judges were impressed with the entries.

“The Pacemaker winners put together outstanding application packets that included important information on training programs, development of various products and goals,” the judging team wrote. “These schools also had strong media kits and put together great examples of product work.”

The ACP Pacemaker, one of the oldest awards for collegiate journalism, has a rich tradition.

The association began presenting the prestigious award to collegiate newspapers soon after the organization was founded in 1921. Through the years, yearbooks, magazines and websites were added to the competition.

The Business Pacemaker was established in 2020 to recognize outstanding student media business and operations teams that work hard to ensure student journalism is supported financially so that it may thrive.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” Laura Widmer, executive director, said. “ACP is honored to recognize the best of the best with Pacemaker honors.”