This is the first time all three Texas Tech student-run publications have been nominated for top national awards in same year.
All of Toreador Media's publications, The Daily Toreador (DT) newspaper, website and La Ventana yearbook, have been recognized for college media honors.
The DT is a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press' Online Pacemaker and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Crown Award for print. La Ventana is a Pacemaker finalist for the 2017 yearbook.
Formerly known as Student Media, Toreador Media is part of Texas Tech University's College of Media & Communication.
CSPA's Crown Awards are judged on overall merit as a publication. Pacemaker awards are judged on coverage, content and quality based on the organizations' websites. Pacemaker winners will be announced at the College Media Association convention on Oct. 27 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Crown awards for print publications will be announced at the CSPA ceremony in March in New York City.
For the first time since 2011, The DT has been named an online Pacemaker finalist. The publication also is a Crown winner, for the first time since spring 2004. All publications nominated for a Crown Award will win either a Gold or Silver Award.
The 2017 La Ventana also is an ACP Pacemaker finalist. This is the second consecutive year the yearbook is a finalist, with the 2016 La Ventana being one of six publications to win last year.
“Being finalists for two of the biggest awards in college media for both our online and print publications is amazing,” said McKenzi Morris, editor-in-chief for The DT. “When we made the shift to printing twice a week, we wanted to really build our online platforms but still have a strong print product. Being nominated in both areas really validates the work we've done, and I'm so proud of the staff that helped get us here.”
Davian Hopkins, editor-in-chief of the 2017 yearbook, is currently working on his third book as editor-in-chief.
“It's very exciting for the 2017 La Ventana yearbook to be a Pacemaker finalist,” Hopkins said. “Having won a Pacemaker for the 2016 book continually motivates me to produce great content. Now that I am working on my third book as editor-in-chief, I feel very hopeful for the future of La Ventana.”
The DT prints on Mondays and Thursdays, while publishing daily online. The 2019 La Ventana is available for purchase here. It will be available for delivery in May.
