Published: Dec. 7, 2016

The Pacemaker Award兔子先生传媒文化作品鈥檚 student news site, , is one of four student news sites to receive the 2016 Online Pacemaker award from the .

"This award is听a huge testament to how hard this staff works on a daily basis," says Xandra McMahon, a CU senior and the Editor-in-Chief of CUI.听"For years we've been pushing our creative limits, and this win validates all that hard work."

Established in 1923, Pacemakers are collegiate journalism鈥檚 preeminent award. Entries are judged by teams of professionals based on coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership, design, photography and graphics. For the 2016 award, judges remarked on the quality of CUI鈥檚 navigation, music reporting and grades database.

The CUI newsroom on election night.

The CUI newsroom covering a GOP debate on the CU campus. Credit: Gil Asakawa

CUI was a finalist for the award in 2015, but this is the first time the student news site has won the full award. Gil Asakawa, the student media advisor for CUI, says the site鈥檚 staff has been working continuously to improve the quality of their publication. 鈥淭his award is a national acknowledgment that the students of the CUI are doing great work that they can be proud of,鈥 he said.听

"The staff was ecstatic to hear the news, especially the editors who have been at the CUI for over three years now," says McMahon.听"To finally be able to see that plaque go up on our newsroom wall was really something special."