Founded in 1883, The Cynic was published in print for most of its history before fully transitioning to digital in 2022.

In October 2011, it won the Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker award,[2] widely known as the Pulitzer Prize for student journalism.

In October 2012, The Vermont Cynic won the Associated Collegiate Press' Online Pacemaker award.

[3] The Cynic won Diversity Story of the Year in 2016 from the ACP for reporting on the history of "Kake Walk," a Minstrel show tradition at UVM's Winter Carnival that continued until 1969.

[4] It was also a finalist for another Pacemaker award in 2017 and took second place in the environmental portrait category for the 2018 Photo of the Year.