Congrats Kernel

This from the Kentucky Kernel:

The Kernel won the 2007-08 Pacemaker award, the prize commonly referred to as the “Pulitzer Prize of college journalism.”

The award, presented during the weekend at the Associated Collegiate Press annual convention in Kansas City, Mo., is given based on five issues of the Kernel published during the last school year.

The contest was judged by editors at the St. Petersburg Times in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Other daily newspaper award recipients were: The Daily Iowan of the University of Iowa; the Northern Star of Northern Illinois University; The Daily Northwestern of Northwestern University; the Indiana Daily Student of Indiana University; The Harvard Crimson of Harvard University; The State News of Michigan State University; The Daily Tar Heel of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and The Battalion of Texas A&M University.

Kernel adviser Chris Poore said he was proud of the students who work at the state’s only daily college newspaper. He said the Kernel was in good company among the top newspapers in the nation.

“These guys love working at the Kernel and wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Poore said. “So it’s nice to have them recognized by professionals as one of the top newspapers in the country.”

Keith Smiley, editor in chief for the Kernel during the 2007-08 school year, said while he knew the Kernel staff did an excellent job during the year, it was nice to have the validation that comes from national recognition.

“I think for me and for all of us, it was a culmination,” Smiley said. “I think we knew we put in a lot of good work. But it’s nice to have that recognition, not just by us but by the judges from these professional newspapers.”