By Ralph Derickson

The Kentucky Kernel and the Kentuckian won Best of Show awards Sunday from the Associated Collegiate Press at a convention in Orlando, Fla., attended by 2,400 college journalists.

Lexington, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2002) -- The University of Kentucky student newspaper, the Kernel, and its yearbook, the Kentuckian, placed in the top five nationally in a contest recognizing collegiate publications' work so far this school year.

The Kentucky Kernel and the Kentuckian won Best of Show awards Sunday from the Associated Collegiate Press at a convention in Orlando, Fla., attended by 2,400 college journalists.

Included among the winners in the newspaper category were the Indiana Daily Student at the University of Indiana, the Daily Texan at The University of Texas-Austin, The State News at Michigan State University, and The Daily Pennsylvanian at the University of Pennsylvania.
Included among the yearbook winners were Pittsburgh State University's Kanza yearbook; The Sheaf at Principia College in Elsah, Ill.; The Grifton at Missouri Western State College; and the Johnsonian at Johnson and Wales University, Providence, R.I.

The Kernel's editor is Tracy Kershaw, a senior from Hazard, Ky. The yearbook editor is Anna Nolan, a junior from Racine, Wis.

Although the Kernel didn't win, it had also been named as a finalist for the Pacemaker award, the collegiate equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for newspapers. This year's Pacemaker contest recognized work from the 2001-2002 school year. Ten finalists were chosen from around the country, and the list was narrowed to four winners Saturday at the ACP convention.