The Tiger Times 2013-2014 print edition was awarded a Pacemaker from the National Scholastic Press Association on Nov. 8 in Washington D.C. after being named finalist on their website in September.

“I feel pretty good,” former co-editor in chief Taylor Potter said. “It was something that we wanted to do. It was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, but I don’t think any of us actually expected us to become a finalist much less have won.”

The current staff is working toward another Pacemaker for the current print editions.

“I feel like if we just keep trying as hard as we can, we can come up with another Pacemaker,” co-editor in chief Robert Hoover said. “I feel like we are as strong as we were last year, if not stronger.”

The Tiger Times Online has also worked to improve the website in hopes of adding more to the award collection.

“We’ve completely redesigned the website and kinda amped it up,” online editor in chief Caroline Purtle said. “We’ve been posting high quality daily content whether it be a video, a regular story or a gallery of pictures.”

The staff has always tried to consistently post stories in order to keep traffic moving on the site. This along with success are contributing factors for stricter deadlines.

“The staff always has the pressure to succeed,” adviser Rebecca Potter said. “The awards are just a result of the high standard they set for themselves.”

The push for awards causes editors to set high goals for the paper as whole and for themselves.

“It is a goal of mine to win another Pacemaker just for myself,” Hoover said. “It was an accomplishment and it meant a lot to me last year. I would really like to win another one.”

Publications will continue to strive for success even though they might not know the outcome of their labor.

“It’s hard to predict whether a publication will win a national award,” Rebecca Potter said. “The key is to continue to have a staff that pushes themselves to create high quality publications.”