Miami Dade College student publications, Miambiance and AXIS, have been selected as magazine organizational pacemaker finalists in the Two-Year Literary Arts Magazine category by the Associated Collegiate Press.
They are two of five magazines tabbed as finalists in the category nation-wide.
The Pacemaker is considered by many as the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate student media. Judging is based on student work published during the 2025-26 school year.
Winners will be announced at the Fall National College Media Convention during the 2026 ACP Awards Ceremony on Nov. 7 in Kansas City, Missouri.
AXIS, the creative arts magazine at North Campus, published their first edition in 2003. They have won pacemakers in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024 and received a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2025.
Karen Zamora and Gray Prado served as co-editor in chiefs of volume 23. Professors Carmen Bucher, Kathleen Noonan and Eric Cornish serve as advisers to the publication.
“We struggled a bit trying to figure out how to make [the magazine] feel cohesive,” Zamora said. “The [theme] just came to us one day and we thought it would be fun to try.”
Volume 23’s theme is: Descent into Madness. It explores topics like murder, heritage, guilt and change. The cover is a striking yellow pattern of random shapes that resemble a jig-saw puzzle placed atop a white surface.
“I’m so proud of how far we’ve gone,” Prado said. “Being able to put the final product, every step of the way, has made me very proud.”
For more information about AXIS, visit: https://www.mdc.edu/axis/.
Miambiance made its debut in 1989. It has won Pacemakers in 2009, 2018, 2022, and 2023. The magazine also won a College Media Association Organizational Pinnacle Award in 2025.
Volume 36 was guided by co-editor in chiefs Alexander Polo and Sophia Massie. The magazine is advised by professors Rita Fernandez-Sterling and Tony Chirinos.
“All these works from the students, artists, photographers, writers, they all poured their hearts into it,” Polo said. “We got a glimpse into their minds.”
The volume’s theme explores the human psyche and the human condition. It covers themes such as grief, self-reflection, acceptance and discovery. Its cover displays a man’s face who appears to be in distress as his face is pulled in by various hands descending from a black background.
“It is a very long and grueling process, but to know that it’s worth it in the end and to be a finalist for the Pacemaker is really surreal,” Massie said.
For more information about the magazine, go to: https://www.mdc.edu/miambiance/.
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