2020 Story of the Year finalists
Nov. 3, 2020
National Scholastic Press Association announces the finalists in its 2020 Story of the Year competition —
First-place winners in the Story of the Year categories, plus the Social Justice Reporting category, are then eligible to compete for NSPA’s Brasler Prize.
Winners in this and all Individual Award categories, as well as the NSPA Pacemaker Awards in broadcast, specialty magazine and newspaper/newsmagazine, will be announced online at 1 p.m. Central Saturday, Nov. 21, as part of the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, presented virtually Nov. 19-21.
To view the awards presentation, register for the convention at orlando.journalismconvention.org by 11:59 p.m. Central Nov. 13.
Finalists listed below are alphabetical by state.
Individual Award finalists
Broadcast • Cartoon • Design
Digital Story • Photo • Portfolio • Story
Social Justice Reporting • Local Climate Change Reporting
Best Use of Social Media • COVID-19 Coverage
Middle School
Pacemaker Award finalists for this fall
Broadcast • Newspaper/Newsmagazine/Specialty Magazine
News Story
Days of dysfunction
Mackenzie Caudill, Owen Donnelly
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia
To be continued
Caroline Chisholm, Ben Henschel
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
This Bites: EEE’s impact on Algonquin
Catherine Hayden, Gabriela Paz-Soldan
The Harbinger
Algonquin Regional High School
Northborough, Massachusetts
Coronavirus: Chinese Students Worry About Home
Caroline Champa
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Minnesota House of Representatives passes two gun violence prevention bills
Maggie Klaers
Echo
St. Louis Park High School
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Nowhere to Turn
Anna Mullins
Spark
Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio
Disaster strikes shopping center, neighborhoods
Karen Lu
The Sidekick
Coppell High School
Coppell, Texas
Amid fight for justice, students take charge in local protests
Aaron Boehmer
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
Higher Education Application:
District introduces controversial graduation requirement
Faith Garcia, Jade Griffin-Chapman
Panther Prowler
Pflugerville High School
Pflugerville, Texas
Supporting Future Changemakers
Marina Qu
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia
Feature Story
On The Road Again
Carolyn Popper
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Junior stayed strong while battling cancer
Elizabeth Long
Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Discovering her inner strength
Dominik Zelek
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Pushing boundaries
Isabella Spuler
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Fit for a king
Luke Piazza, Sai Thirunagari
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Our hidden issue
Sam Ahmed, Colin Campbell, Sid Vattamreddy
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas
Butterfly effect
Madi Olivier
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas
Building bridges
McKenzie Henningsen
The Lair
Leander High School
Leander, Texas
Robert Mierow
Jailyn Serrano
The Lion
McKinney High School
McKinney, Texas
Teacher journeys from Marines to FFA
Isabella Abraham
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
Sports Story
Fueling the Athletic Experience with New Athletic Director Ira Childress
Kathleen Lewis
The Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida
Senior shatters silence:
Justin Davis excels on the court despite hearing impairment
Matthew Halpin
The Trinity Voice
Trinity Preparatory School
Winter Park, Florida
CrossFit helps teen girls gain confidence
Kamry Harty
The Southerner
Henry W. Grady High School
Atlanta, Georgia
From halftime shows to fourth quarters
Ryan Barich
The Prospector
Prospect High School
Mount Prospect, Illinois
It’s Not All in Your Head:
Mental Health in Athletes
Jesse Hausknecht-Brown
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School
Iowa City, Iowa
Frances Tiafoe:
Aiming beyond the lines
Aviva Bechky, Oliver Goldman
Silver Chips
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, Maryland
Breaking down gender barriers in male dominated sports
Maddie Orr
Bearing News
Rock Bridge High School
Columbia, Missouri
Proposed Legislation Threatens Transgender Rights
Ivy Reed
The Globe
Clayton High School
St. Louis, Missouri
Lady Lancer basketball hosts first annual SHEro Night
Chloe Baker
Lancer Feed
Lafayette High School
Wildwood, Missouri
Harmoni Turner:
The Journey to Cambridge
Brinley Koenig
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas
Editorial
Blended periods should count as valid instructional minutes
Staff
The Campanile
Palo Alto Senior High School
Palo Alto, California
Holding open a door to danger
India Turner
The Pack
Monarch High School
Louisville, Colorado
Identity clubs need our help to thrive
Nicky Edwards-Levin
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois
Shadow of the Past
Staff
HiLite
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana
Hardening Measures Won’t Increase Safety
Will Cover
The Rock
Rock Bridge High School
Columbia, Missouri
Rite Idea: He Is Not The Alumnus We Inducted
Staff
The Shakerite
Shaker Heights High School
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Problems with Parking
Trinity Flaten
The Talon News
Argyle High School
Argyle, Texas
Removing B lunch for learning, efficiency, safety
Staff
The Red Ledger
Lovejoy High School
Lucas, Texas
District Should Replace iPads With Laptops
Staff
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield , Texas
Life 360
Safe Parenting or Surveillance Parenting?
Staff
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
Opinion
It’s Time to Bring Inclusivity and Representation to English Classrooms
Abigail Bodell
The Wolfpacket
Claremont High School
Claremont, California
Life just threw us a curveball
Steven Rissotto
The Crusader
Archbishop Riordan High School
San Francisco, California
Don’t be the grasshopper:
Thoughts on COVID-19 from a Chinese American
William Tong
Central Times
Naperville Central High School
Naperville, Illinois
What George Floyd’s death means to a second generation immigrant
Amisha Sethi
Central Times
Naperville Central High School
Naperville, Illinois
United We Stand:
In times of political division, unity is more important than ever
Lily Wobbe
On the Record
duPont Manual High School
Louisville, Kentucky
Me, Myself and I
Shoshi Gordon
The Lion’s Roar
Newton South High School
Newton, Masschusets
Home responsibilities give ample opportunities for growth
Amira McKee
Bearing News
Rock Bridge High School
Columbia, Missouri
Tracking, An Unfair Race
Olivia Peebles
The Shakerite
Shaker Heights High School
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Pressed for time
Ava Valdes
Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas
Sally’s pigtails:
Understanding selflessness at summer camp
Siddhartha Sinha
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas