The Daily was named a Pacemaker winner this evening, the sixth time in the past decade the student-led newspaper has taken home what is considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism.

The prestigious accolade was handed out at this weekend’s National College Media Convention in Chicago and covers last school year’s print edition of The Daily.

“Consistent and varied, the paper offers appealing visuals and a good range of content and fun graphics and features,” Pacemaker judges wrote in The Daily’s evaluation. “The news went beyond the campus and smartly covered those issues local and afar, giving a comprehensive package of news and information.”

Medill senior Maria LaMagna served as Daily editor in chief during Spring and Winter quarters. Katherine Driessen (Medill ’12) was at the helm of The Daily last fall.

In the convention’s individual contests, then-Gameday editor Colin Becht placed fourth in Sports Story of the Year for his Nov. 10, 2011, article about the NCAA rulebook.

North by Northwestern’s quarterly magazine and flagship website also won Pacemakers at the yearly gathering of campus journalists.

This story has been updated to reflect the Pacemaker judges’ comments.

— Patrick Svitek