News & Media Mentions

Illumination, a journal created and published by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Publications, was awarded a 2016 Online Pacemaker Award at the Associated Collegiate Press’s National College Media Convention.

The Pacemaker is recognized as one of the most prestigious collegiate journalism awards in existence. A panel of three journalism experts chose Illumination based on its coverage and content, quality of writing, leadership, photography and graphics.

Illumination serves as a creative outlet for University of Wisconsin-Madison students by focusing on artwork and literature, including short stories, poems and essays written by students.

“I was proud that not only did we have great content for the website, but the website was also user-friendly, streamlined to showcase new talent, and beautiful in and of itself,” said Raegan Niemela, who managed multimedia content for the publication.

Niemela also recognized the Illumination staff, including last year’s Editor-in-Chief Emmett Mottl, for their revamp of the publication’s website.

Illumination underwent a complete digital redesign during the 2015-2016 academic year, resulting in a cutting-edge Web presence. The team focused on bold, new digital projects, including audio recordings of authors reading their work and the Live from the Lake concert series.

“I hope Illumination continues to pursue its Web content,” Niemela said. “It probably has the most innovative and compelling Web presence on campus, and I hope the students who took over for us continue to push the boundaries of what a student-run literary journal can be.”