Herald, Talisman, Cherry Creative and Advertising all contribute to a string of national honors that no other university can match
WKU Student Publications has had an incredible run of excellence over the past four academic years, winning 10 national Pacemaker awards — more than any other student-media program and the most we’ve won in any four years.
That string of Pacemakers took place during a remarkably challenging period, the four years following the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, which changed nearly everything for the students involved in the program during that period.
The Pacemakers, awarded by Associated Collegiate Press, cover all four student-led areas represented by Student Publications — Talisman, the College Heights Herald, Student Publications Advertising and Cherry Creative.
Six of those Pacemakers went to the Herald, covering all four categories the news organization is eligible to enter. Two went to Talisman, for print and online; one went to Cherry for innovation; and Cherry and Advertising shared the Student Media Business Pacemaker.
Three times in the past four years, Student Publications has won three Pacemakers — in 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The string of 10 top honors brings to 47 the total number of Pacemakers won by Student Publications since Talisman won its first in 1978 and the Herald in 1981.
Over the past four years, only one program, at Elon University, came close to WKU’s 10 Pacemakers, winning nine during the period.
WKU also had eight more Pacemaker Finalists since 2020-21:
- 2020-21: Newspaper for the Herald, Online for Talisman.
- 2021-22: Online for Talisman.
- 2022-23: Multiplatform for the Herald, Multiplatform for Talisman, Magazine for Talisman.
- 2023-24: Newsmagazine for the Herald, Online for the Herald.
All together, WKU had 18 Finalists in the four years, 10 of which won Pacemakers.
