This year two of UNM's published magazines, Scribendi and Conceptions Southwest, have been nominated as finalists to be awarded the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award.
The ACP Pacemaker is awarded to a publication chosen by teams of professionals based on a wealth of criteria, including coverage and content, quality of writing, reporting and design, according to the ACP website.
The winner will be announced at the ACP National College Admission Convention in Austin on Oct. 31. Scribendi was also a finalist for the award in 2013.
Amaris Ketcham, Scribendi advisor and professor at the Honor’s College, said that visual innovation makes this year’s publication distinct from previous years.
"This year, we went against the basic design rules,” Ketcham said. "You are not supposed to put blue lettering on a red background, but that is what made the look stand out."
Scribendi is an annual nonprofit magazine published and produced by students at the UNM Honors College. They publish creative works submitted by undergraduate honors students from over two hundred participating colleges and universities in fourteen states, according to the Scribendi website.
Ketcham said this is the first year they went with a more obvious theme: one of perception.
"The cover of the magazine, at first glance, is just a circle with words inside and a line through it; but when opened you can see the front and back cover gives a complete picture of glasses," Ketcham said.
Caitlin Carcerano, editor in chief for this year’s Scribendi, said that the success of the latest edition of the publication lies in the amount of work put into it.
"We choose our submissions on quality, creativity and relatability to a wide audience,” Carcerano said. “What I believe qualified us to be a finalist this year was the quality of the pieces inside, and the way they were all pieced together that received national recognition. I am incredibly honored to be apart of this level of talent.”
Ketcham also said she was proud of the Scribendi staff.
"I am absolutely thrilled that my students have been nominated for this award, and I feel that they truly deserve it,” she said.
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Conceptions Southwest is another publication staffed by volunteer UNM students under the lead of editor in chief Jordan Burk, who was selected by UNM's Student Publications Board.
"This magazine is providing a venue for literature and arts students to promote their work and to become a part of the artistic community," the publication’s web site states.
The content for Conceptions Southwest comes from a variety of sources, including undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty and University alumni.
For students interested, both publications are now accepting submissions to be included in their 2016 issues. Scribendi's deadline for content is Oct. 16, and Conceptions Southwest's deadline is Dec. 9.
Denicia Aragon is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
