National Scholastic Press Association’s Best of Show competition honored student journalists and their organizations during the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, produced virtually in March-May 2021.

Students registered for the convention were eligible to enter their work for consideration.

Winners were announced in a convention awards ceremony on April 10.

WATCH the April 10, 2021, awards presentation.

Spring 2021 Pacemaker Awards
Literary magazine • Online • Yearbook

Spring 2021 Pacemaker Award finalists
Literary magazine • Online • Yearbook

Fall 2020 Pacemaker Awards
Broadcast • 
Newspaper/Newsmagazine/
Specialty Magazine

Spring 2021 Best of Show
JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention

NSPA Awards page

NSPA Awards archive

Newspaper (Broadsheet)

1.  The Campanile
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

2.  The Dispatch
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas

3.  Tower
The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

Newspaper (Tabloid, 16 or fewer pages)

1.  High Tide
Redondo Union HIgh School, Redondo Beach, California

2.  The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri

3.  The Accolade
Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, California

4.  The Prospector
Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois

5.  The Puma Press
University Prep, Seattle, Washington

6.  The Octagon
Sacramento Country Day School, Sacramento, California

7.  The Advocate
Washington Community High School, Washington, Illinois

8.  U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois

9.  The Pitchfork
Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia

10.  Pony Express
Stillwater Area High School, Stillwater, Minnesota

Newspaper (Tabloid, 17 or more pages)

1.  The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

2.  The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

3.  The Edge
Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas

4.  The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle
Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California

5.  The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas

6.  The Mirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California

7.  The Standard
The American School in London, London, England

8.  Eagle Edition
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas

9.  The Hoofprint
Walnut High School, Walnut, California

10.  The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

Newsmagazine

1.  West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa

2.  North Star
Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri

3.  Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

4.  El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California

5.  The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia

6.  Verde
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

7.  Southpaw
Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri

8.  The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida

9.  The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida

10.  The Communicator Magazine
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Newspaper (Junior High/Middle School)

No winners

Newspaper/Newsmagazine (Special Edition)

1.  The Express
Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

2.  The Communicator Magazine
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

3.  The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida

4.  The View
Castle View High School, Castle Rock, Colorado

5.  JagWire
Mill Valley High School, Shawnee, Kansas

6.  Anthro!
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

7.  Pep O’Plant
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida

8.  The Accolade
Sunny Hills High Schoool, Fullerton, California

9.  North Star
Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri

10.  Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri

Website (1,500 students or fewer)

1.  U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois

2.  Pathfinder
Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri

3.  The Rubicon Online
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota

4.  The Coat of Arms
Menlo School, Atherton, California

5.  Tower
The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

6.  The Standard
The American School in London, London, England

7.  Mill Valley News
Mill Valley High School, Shawnee, Kansas

8.  Wayland Student Press Network
Wayland High School, Wayland, Massachusetts

9.  West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa

10.  The Review Online
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

Website (more than 1,500 students)

1.  FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri

2.  Coppell Student Media
Coppell HIgh School, Coppell, Texas

3.  Bearing News
Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri

4.  The Chronicle
Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California

5.  Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada

6.  El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California

7.  The Rider Online
Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas

8.  The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa

9.  The Paly Voice
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

10.  PHS News
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida

Website (Junior High/Middle School)

No winners

Broadcast News Program (High School)

1.  VATV
Van Alstyne High School, Van Alstyne, Texas

2.  Timber Creek Today
Timber Creek High School, Fort Worth, Texas

3.  HTN Daily
Rock Hill High School, Frisco, Texas

4.  Knight TV
Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois

5.  AVTV
Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California

6.  Channel 97 News
Oakville High School, St. Louis, Missouri

7.  Knightly Show
Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri

8.  InFocus
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

9.  WMHS News
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia

10.  DVTV
Desert Vista High School, Phoenix, Arizona

Broadcast News Program (Junior High/Middle School)

1.  WSMS News
Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

Literary Arts Magazine

1.  Seeds in the Black Earth
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida

2.  Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota

3. The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia

4.  Struan
Christ School, Arden, North Carolina

5. Reflection
Bear River High School/Nevada Joint Union High School District, Grass Valley, California

6.  Voice
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

7.  Ink
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

8.  Flight
Timber Creek High School, Fort Worth, Texas

Yearbook  (321-512 pages)

1.  Black and Gold
Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado

2.  The Pilot
Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach, California

3.  The Lion
McKinney HIgh School, McKinney, Texas

4.  Panther
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida

5.  Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas

6.  Tesserae
Corning-Painted Post High School, Corning, New York

7.  Cayuse
Walnut High School, Walnut, California

8.  Lone Star
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas

9.  Etruscan
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois

10.  Wingspan
James Enochs High School, Modesto, California

Yearbook (264-320 pages)

1.  The Marquee
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida

2.  The Indian
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas

3.  The Arena
Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas

4.  Summit
Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, Colorado

5.  Traditions
Del Norte High School, San Diego, California

6.  Columbian
George C. Marshall High School, Falls Church, Virginia

7.  Rambler
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri

8.  Lion’s Roar
Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tennessee

9.  Vieo
Castle View High School, Castle Rock, Colorado

10.  The Wildcat
Har-Ber High School, Springdale, Arkansas

Yearbook (164-263 pages)

1.  The Hawk
Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas

2.  The Howl
Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada

3.  Reflections
Brighton High School, Brighton, Colorado

4.  Le Flambeau
Notre Dame de Sion High School, Kansas City, Missouri

5.  Priam
Longmont High School, Longmont, Colorado

6.  Paragon
Munster HIgh School, Munster, Indiana

7.  Details
Whitney High School, Rocklin, California

8.  The Chase
Chase County Junior/Senior High School, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas

9.  The Knight
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

10.  Aerial
Williams Field High School, Gilbert, Arizona

Yearbook (Junior High/Middle School)

1.  Oro
Cactus Canyon Junior High School, Apache Junction, Arizona

2.  The Round-up
Woodland Junior High School, Fayetteville, Arkansas

3.  Eagle Eye View
Sierra Middle School, Parker, Colorado

4.  Panther
Ridgeview Middle School, Round Rock, Texas

5.  Ingenium
Greenfield Junior High School, Gilbert, Arizona

6.  The Rosette
Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

Editorial Leadership

1.  Sally Parampottil
The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

2.  Naomi Hendershot
Odyssey Newsmagazine, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

3.  Soumya Sahay
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley HIgh School, Pleasanton, California

4.  Ella Hutnick
Horizon, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

5.  Ireland McCage
Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

6.  Alexandra Audrain
The Pitchfork, Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia

7.  Audrey Enghauser
Odyssey Newsmagazine, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

8.  Sonel Cutler
Columbian, George C. Marshall High School, Falls Church, Virginia

9.  Isabel Umekubo
The Vitruvian Post, Da Vinci Communications High School, El Segundo, California

10.  Ella West
The Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

Blog

1.  Celine Huang
“‘Mulan’ 2020: What happened to the original plot of the movie?,” The Review Online, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

2.  Tate Larsen
“Tate’s Car Corner,” The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa

3.  Lucy Marco
“Lucy’s Laboratory: ‘Making yourself at gnome,’” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

4.  Micah Shannon
“Hiking helps,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

5.  Camila Villarreal
“The heavy burden of being a ‘big girl,’” The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

6.  Audrey Enghauser
“Peace in Planning,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

7.  Tomas Dougan
“… To be more like my father,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

Podcast

1.  Logan Schiciano
“Inside the Mob: Jan. 6, 2021,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

2.  Micah Shannon
“This I Believe: Criminal Justice and Me,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

3.  Maxine Zuriff
“The Green Room — Darcy Miller,” Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California

4.  Emma Scott
“Sopa malfalda and me,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

5.  Izze Lentfer, Bella Rinne
“Unknown Northwest: Pepper Spray Incident,” BVNWnews, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

6.  Juliet Aquino
“Celebrity fandoms turned obsession,” KnightVoices, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois

7.  Maarya Shafqat Adil, Yasmina Kassir
“Insight on Islamophobia,” The Standard, The American School in London, London, England

8.  Adrianna Nehme
“Without volunteers, organizations need extra assistance,” U-High Midway, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois

9.  Mitch Fink
“Where Are They Now: Congressional Staffer Fisch recounts experience with Capitol insurrection,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

10.  Charlie Browder, Cade Mintz, AJ Simpkins
“Coaches Corner, Episode 2,” The Stump, Christ School, Arden, North Carolina

Magazine Design 

1.  Maya Coates Cush, Bev O’Malley
“The Stained Lady/Era,” Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota

Newspaper/Newsmagazine Design

1.  Ivan Delgado, Antony Nepeyvoda
“Homeless & Vulnerable,” The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California

2.  Oviya Srihari
“Culinary Queen,” Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri

3.  Delaynie Keeney
“2020,” The Edge, Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas

4.  Sophia Liu
“Rap the Route,” Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri

5.  Samantha Freeman, Tracy Tran
“Past in present,” The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

6.  Domenic Fenoglio
“Using Her Voice,” Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri

7.  Ella Rosewarne
“Proust: Leah White,” The Communicator Magazine, Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

8.  Antony Nepeyvoda
“The Silent Epidemic,” The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California

9.  Sophie Grand
“The Elephant in the Room,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

10.  Celine Huang
“Seen but not heard,” The Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

Yearbook Design

1.  Tori Scoggins, Katie Ferguson
“In a Split Second,” The Hawk, Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas

2.  Hannah Zuniga
“Mask and you shall receive,” The Knight, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

3.  Lindsey Plotkin
“No justice, no peace,” The Knight, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

4.  Abby Mandel, Kaitlyn Sherman
“Six Points in Sight,” Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas

5.  Sophia Sinacola
“In the Bag,” Carillon, Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas

6.  Ashlyn Van Horn
“Engaging in Faith,” Horizon, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

7.  Ryan Kinney
“#evanstrong,” Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas

8.  Allison Dragoo
“Steep Learning Curve,” Horizon, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas

9.  Sonel Cutler, Shelly Dimri, Torrie McNabb, Stephanie Wright
“How We Will Change,” Columbian, George C. Marshall High School, Falls Church, Virginia

10.  Victoria Verde
“Switching It Up,” The Dragon, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa

Photojournalism

1.  Ivan Delgado
“Los LGBTQ+,” The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California

2.  Trevor Paulus
“Student Voice,” The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas

3.  Ana Manzano
“RBHS wins in a tight game against Tolton Catholic,” Bearing News, Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri

4.  Kennedy Weatherby
“LIONS 67, KNIGHTS 57,” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

5.  Ana Manzano
“RBHS volleyball looks to postseason ,” Bearing News, Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri

6.  Savannah Hernandez
“CBS interviews Mr. Andrew Cole,” The Pitchfork, Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia

7.  Lexi Guo
“Stroke,” Review Online, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

8.  Bella Russo
“Weekend fire drill,” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

9.  Jordyn Cimmiyotti
“Kick,” The Dragon, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa

10.  Desmond Kisida
“Accidental shots fired,” Bearing News, Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri

Broadcast News Story

1.  Logan Schiciano
“Remembering the life of Panton Adams,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

2.  Logan Schiciano
“Stein family welcomes Thai student Adul Samon,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

3.  Jacob Siciliano
“Parade of lights,” KnightTV, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois

4.  Sadie Bograd, Alex Gonzalez
“Paying It Forward: A Cup of Commonwealth Offers Coffee and Community During Pandemic,” PLD Lamplighter, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, Kentucky

5.  Logan Schiciano
“Dobbs 16 perseveres through restrictions,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

6.  Alice Scott
“Voting for the first time with humanity in her heart,” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

7.  Mia Reaugh, Chloe Smith
“One act play,” WSMS News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

8.  Hannah Fatehdin
“Fairness of online testing versus face to face,” WSMS News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

9.  Mia Reaugh, Chloe Smith
“Stop the bleed,” WSMS News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

10.  Emma Curtis, Joseph McLauglin, Caleb Tobin, Larenz Ward
“Holbrook Food Pantry,” Code Blue News, Holbrook Middle High School, Holbrook, Massachusetts

COVID-19 Reporting

1.  Keira Beller
“Same breath that carries the music now quiets the choir,” The Boiling Point, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles, California

2.  Sophie Henschel
“Off the Camera, Under the Influence,” The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas

3.  Logan Schiciano
“Children of the pandemic: exploring the challenges and coping strategies of the world’s youngest learners,” Tower, The Masters School, Goldens Bridge, New York

4.  Lydia Reedy
“Mac Spanish teacher does her part to make COVID vaccine a reality,” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

5.  Owen Donnelly, Elizabeth Ingle, Lillian Sams
“The Digital Divide,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Geogia

6.  Fareen Dhuka,  Laney Chang, Megan Chang, Celine Huang, Ashley Yen
“The Perpetual Pandemic: Exercising social responsibility amidst inequality, stigma,” The Review Online, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

7.  Mia Reaugh, Chloe Smith
“Covid 19 update,” WSMS News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas

8.  Ani Tutunjyan
“Back to the Basics,” The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California

9.  Staff
“COVID-19: I Remember,” The Communicator Magazine, Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

10.  Julian Ingersoll
“Throughout pandemic, students explore LGBTQ+ identity,” U-High Midway, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois

Election Reporting

1.  Staff
2020 Presidential Election Special Edition, The Standard, The American School in London, London, England

2.  Staff
“The Politics Edition,” The Communicator Magazine, Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

3.  Samantha Powers
“Mac students hold out hope that Biden-Harris inauguration can usher in era of civility, unity, progress,” The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas

4.  Shivi Sharma
“Election Day stirring speculation about delayed results in evolving political climate,” The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas

5.  Chloe Sears
“Warnock rallies Athens,” Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia

Social Justice Reporting

1.  Noura Jabir, Ella West
“Seen but not heard,” The Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas

2.  Emily Forgash, Cameron Spurr
“Confronting toxic masculinity,” The Standard, The American School in London, London, England

3.  Ben Antonow, Braden Leung, Ajay Venkatraman
“Being Black at Paly,” The Campanile, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California

4.  Mitch Fink
“Masters teachers serve as ‘powers for good’ in NY prisons,” Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York

5.  Olivia Kim
“One nation, two realities,” The Prospector, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois

6.  Hanah Kitamoto, Caroline Mascardo
“Beyond the Binary,” West Side Story, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa

7.  Saisha Dani, Shruthi Manimaran, Swetha Manimaran
“An alternate reality: confronting the parallel world people of color face,” The Highlander, McLean High School, McLean, Virginia

8.  Mehuli Basu Roy
“Anonymous Instagram account brings to light alleged racist incidents,” The Featherduster, Westlake High School, Austin, Texas

9.  Sadie Bograd
“Homeless Students Face Heightened Challenges,” PLD Lamplighter, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, Kentucky

10.  Lauren Pickett
“Barriers to Mental Health Care in Black Communities,” The Messenger, Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri