Northwestern Student Paper Wins Two Pacemakers
Prospective students researching Evanston campuses can see how student journalism reflects everyday campus life.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in College Applications
The Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University's student newspaper, received two 2026 Pacemaker awards from the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP), which announced the honors on Saturday. Several Daily staff members also won individual ACP awards.
Why it matters
Pacemaker awards are among the most recognized honors for college journalism, and they signal the quality of student reporting that prospective students and families may read when researching a campus. The recognition comes as the paper's staff covered news affecting the university community, including remote operations at its Qatar campus during spring 2026.
The Daily earned two of the 2026 Newspaper/Newsmagazine Pacemakers, given to 18 news publications, and 21 publications received the 2026 Multiplatform Pacemaker. Individual honors included first place for Summer Hu and Ruixin Zhang in Breaking News Story and second place for Lily Ogburn in Illustration.
The players
Associated Collegiate Press
The national organization that runs collegiate journalism competitions and awards the Pacemaker honors to student publications.
The Daily Northwestern
The independent student newspaper of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, which received two 2026 Pacemakers.
The details
The Associated Collegiate Press runs annual judging across print, online, multiplatform, and individual categories, and winning publications and staff are named in its announcements. For a prospective student, these honors are a public indicator of the reporting environment at a school, though they do not directly change tuition, aid, or admission. The announcement was made on Saturday, and the awards recognize work produced across the 2025-26 academic year.
Timeline
Remote operations and shelter-in-place orders at Northwestern's Qatar campus were reported in spring 2026.
The Daily and 18 other publications won the 2026 Online Pacemakers in March 2026.
The ACP announced the 2026 Pacemaker awards on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Education Landscape
Student media awards like the ACP Pacemakers sit alongside the broader college admissions cycle, in which prospective students increasingly research campus culture, reporting, and student life before applying. For Northwestern and other Evanston institutions, such recognition is one of many public signals of campus quality during a period of rising college costs and heightened scrutiny of higher education.
If you are researching Northwestern or other Evanston campuses, student publications such as The Daily can give you a firsthand sense of campus life and student voice. Ask admissions offices about student media and other activities that match your interests as you compare schools.
The takeaway
Student journalism awards offer a window into how a campus communicates with itself and its community. Before you apply, consider reading a school's student publications alongside its official admissions materials to get a fuller picture.
Further reading
For a broader look at how campus reputation factors into the decision, explore our College Applications coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Northwestern.
