Van Nuys High School’s newspaper, The Mirror, has once again been nominated for the National Scholastic Press Association’s (NSPA) Pacemaker Award.

The Pacemaker Award is one of the most distinguished journalism awards given by NSPA. IIt recognizes outstanding achievement in high school magazines, newspapers, yearbooks, websites and broadcasts throughout the country.

On Sept. 11, 2025, The Mirror was announced as one of the 41 finalists in the Pacemaker competition. This is the 10th nomination in a row for the newspaper, highlighting their continued excellence throughout the years.

Additionally, six members of The Mirror’s journalism staff have been recognized as NSPA Individual Award finalists:

Alisa Laura for Cartoon of the Year with her story, “Trump’s Cruel Immigration Machine,” 

Abigail Kim for Newspaper Front Page with “The Rise and Fall of Generation Alpha,”

Maya Diaz for Introspective Graphic with “Controversial Book Bans Spark National Debate in Schools” and Multimedia Journalist of the Year,

Madison Thacker for Story of the Year — Feature with “Julian Pankowski Unscripted” and

The Mirror Staff for Story of the Year — Editorial with “The Yondr Pouch Has Become LAUSD’s Million Dollar Failure”

NSPA Pacemaker awards and Individual Finalists will be announced on Nov. 15, at the NSPA Awards Ceremony during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville.