The Fourth Estate, has been selected as a 2011 NSPA Design of the Year Finalist in the NSPA 2011 Pacemaker Competition.
The contest yielded a total of 545 entries.
“This is the Holy Grail of journalism awards,” explains journalism advisor Ms. Trish McHale.
Ms. McHale continues, “This is NSPA’s (National Scholastic Press Association) annual contest for newspaper, magazine, and yearbook spreads.”
Journalists from the class of 2011 Lillie Hodges, Sean Burke, and Julia Kent  created the spread “Social Networking Transforms the Middle East,” which earned finalist standing.
Since 1927, 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 Pacemaker contest is co-sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation.
According to the NSPA, the criteria for the Pacemaker include: effective use of photos, color, art, graphics and typography; established visual hierarchy; news judgment for Newspaper Page One; contemporary appeal; suitability for respective audience.
NSPA is honoring up to 10 entries in each category of the Individual Awards.
The top five entries have been announced as finalists, and will be announced as first through fifth place winners at the fall JEA/NSPA convention in Minneapolis.
Up to five honorable mentions have additionally been awarded in each category. The honorable mentions are not ranked.
Adobe and an NSPA sponsor the Design of the Year competition.
First-place winners in each category receive an Adobe software package of their choice.
“This spread reflects the collective talents and efforts of Sean Burke, Lillie Hodges, Julia Kent, and Fletcher Sipple,” said Ms. McHale