The Kentucky Kernel is a finalist for one of the top awards in college journalism, the Pacemaker. 

Three rounds of judging narrowed the 155 entries from around the country to 30 finalists, a handful of which will be crowned as winners in October at the Associated Collegiate Press’ National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C.

The Kernel, UK’s independent student newspaper, has won the Pacemaker, considered the Pulitzer Prize for student publications, twice since 2000. 

This year’s entries, from the 2015-2016 school year, included:

• “The woman behind the mask,” a profile of UK-employee-turned-bank-robber Crystal Little. Story by Will Wright, last year’s Kernel editor, photos by Michael Reaves.
• “Driving under the radar,” an in-depth account of an anonymous taxi system for fraternity parties. Story by this year’s Kernel editor, Marjorie Kirk, photos by Michael Reaves and multimedia by Marcus Dorsey.
• “Observing UK’s gender pay gap,” a data analysis of the gender disparity in salaries. Story by Patrick Brennan.
• “Local Congolese community welcomes refugee,” a profile of a refugee’s first three months of resettlement in Lexington. Story by Marjorie Kirk. 

The Kernel’s entry included five issues.

“I couldn’t be prouder of last year’s staff,” Wright said. “We had a talented group, and being a Pacemaker finalist reflects that. This shows what a dedicated and excited group of students can achieve.”

Kirk said the award is a sign of what’s to come for her eager staff.

“We had a great start to this year already and with this award as motivation, we won’t lose our momentum,” she said. “We’re honored that our hard work has been recognized nationally, and we hope to continue our focus on enterprise reporting in the future.”