NSPA honors
top digital storytelling in scholastic journalism

Nov. 12, 2022

National Scholastic Press Association salutes the winners of its 2022 Digital Story of the Year competition.

NSPA’s Individual Awards are the top prizes in scholastic journalism, and the awards are a showcase of journalistic excellence.

Winners were announced during the Fall National High School Journalism Convention, Nov. 10-13, in St. Louis.

NSPA awards archive

NSPA awards info

First Place
Lindsay Augustine, Carolina Cuadros, Gabrielle Shore,
Soleil Dam, Mandy Mah
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Heritage Fair: The importance of cultural representation

Second Place
Anjali Kakarla, Serena O’Brien
The Communicator
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Planned Parenthood Rally

Third Place
Alison LaTorre, Haley Jackson,
Ethan Flores Rothmund, Kate Becker,
Ashveen Saini
The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, Florida
MSD commemorates 2022 Black History Month: Black Health and Wellness

Fourth Place
Kate Heitmann, Lyda Cosgrove,
Sophie Henschel, Campbell Wood
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Don’t Say Gay Bill

Fifth Place
Grace Uhrain
The Rock
Rock Canyon High School
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
A Fierce Debate: Facts and Perspectives on Wearing Masks in School

Honorable mentions

Brynn Schwartz, Julia Landy, Kate Becker,
Ivy Lam, Carolina Ochoa
The Eagle Eye, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
March for Our Lives reemerges four years later

Natalie Cullen, Izzy Rejino, Dylan Ebs
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Nerf War

Hanna Schiciano
Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
Students react to self-defense law and verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse

Anna McClellan, Emma Hagood, Helen Martin, Miles Traweek Moehle
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
For close Bush adviser, 9/11 emotions remain strong

First Place
Staff
The Mix
Monarch High School
Louisville, Colorado
The Marshall Fire: Our special coverage

Second Place
Melanie George
Rank & File
George C. Marshall High School
Falls Church, Virginia
Frog and Toad: What it takes to make a musical

Third Place
Andrew Jáuregui
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
Spider-Man ultra fan

Fourth Place
Elle Horst, Lindsay Augustine,
Husdon Fox, Oliver Fichte,
Chesney Evert
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Criminalizing abortion could result in far-reaching consequences

Fifth Place
Staff
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
They didn’t ask for fentanyl

Honorable mentions

Elizabeth Franklin
Pathfinder, Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri
The pride and culture of Black hair

Tracy Tran, Angelina Liu
The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
From home cooking to Chopped Junior: National platforms showcasing Neufeld’s love for baking

Staff
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Coffeehouse enjoys triumphant return to Mac campus

Alyssa Clark, Amanda Hare, Gabriella Winans
Eagle Nation Online, Prosper High School, Prosper, Texas
Valentine’s Day Special — Staff share stories of meeting, falling in love with spouse

Grace Papas
The Gator, Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
After Nearly Three Decades, Athletic Director Jeff Gates Retires

First Place
Nico Jaffer
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Quinn Nielsen ‘23: Shooting Hoops at 6’10”

Second Place
Maya Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas
I’m a Fighter

Third Place
Harley Classe, Trisha Dasgupta,
Athena Tseng
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
Beating the undefeated: football’s memorable win against Lovejoy

Fourth Place
Owen Aanestad
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa
Crossing the limits

Fifth Place
Kiana Hinkson
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Chronic consequences: confusion among specialists affects student-athletes

Honorable mentions

Iniya Nathan, Sruthi Lingam
The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Two brothers, two journeys, two goals

Lucille Sanders, Stella Pavao
Scot Scoop, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Sidelined: the psychological toll of a sports injury

Owen Aanestad
West Side Story, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Fueling the fight

Natalie Cullen
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Lacrosse senior captain competing in college

Staff
Harker Aquila, The Harker School, San Jose, California
Live coverage: Harker hosts Marina for annual Homecoming game

First Place
Staff
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas
Standing up and walking out

Second Place
Neena Sidhu, Christi Norris
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
Varsity football loses to No. 3 Southlake Carroll

Third Place
Jason Zhou
The Hill News
The Hill School
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
“Love, Dot” opens with exceptional performances by all, dazzling audience members

Fourth Place
Andrew Burke-Stevenson
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois
Rock stars: Through rock climbing, students reach new heights

Fifth Place
Samantha Freeman
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas
Varsity Boys Basketball Playoffs

Honorable mentions

Nevaeh Dull
The Mission, Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Spring Band Concert 2022

Ben Hughes, Jacob Robinson
Messenger, Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Varsity Field Hockey Celebrates Senior Night

Reagan Zuniga
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Dawgs dominate their opening games

Delilah Brumer, Rikka Dimalanta, Valeria Ruiz,
Alan Ruiz, Emily Short
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California
World Music Day performers shine

Lucy Dockter
Inklings News, Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Westport’s bounty: fall foraging feast

First Place
Oliver Fichte
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
They didn’t ask for fentanyl

Second Place
Ali Benjamin
WordsWorth
Moorestown Friends School
Moorestown, New Jersey
From Roe V. Wade to Today: How Did We Get Here?

Third Place
Anita Gaenko
The Huron Emery
Huron High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
All-you-need-to-know guide on how to wear your mask safely

Fourth Place
Dakota Chang, Davin Jeong,
Claire Wang
The Phillipian
Phillips Academy Andover
Andover, Massachusetts
State of the Academy (SOTA)

Fifth Place
Ian Wright, Yunseo Jo
The Hawk Eye
Hebron High School
Carrollton, Texas
Next Steps: Seniors share their college plans

Honorable mentions

Clara Martinez
The Standard, The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
Texas school shooting spurs discourse on gun control

Katie Newkirk, Rose Flaherty
The Hill News, The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Recent changes to dress code enforcement spark controversy about the handbook

Ava Stein
Pony Express, Stillwater Area High School, Stillwater, Minnesota
Federal minimum wage should increase amid high inflation

Krish Dev
El Estoque, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Visualizing the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Clara County

Krish Dev, Lillian Wang
El Estoque, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Take our April news quiz

First Place
Joey Delahunty
KnightMedia
Prospect High School
Mount Prospect, Illinois
Why music in games is so important

Second Place
Kira Zizzo
The Rock
Rock Canyon High School
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Elephant in the Room Podcast: Eating Disorders and Recovery with Emma Warford

Third Place
Jolie Han, Kevin Jia,
Tanvee Sai
The Prospector
Cupertino High School
Cupertino, California
Discussing Mental Health: A Conversation On Body Insecurities With Staffers

Fourth Place
Ines Legrand
Verde Magazine
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto High School, California
A message to mom

Fifth Place
Michelle Sheen, Krishna Thaker
The Accolade
Sunny Hills High School
Fullerton, California
Masks, Mandates and Mr. Adams

Honorable mentions

Chesney Evert, Carolina Cuadros
Scot Scoop, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
It’s ok to say gay

Gabrielle Lashley, Valeria Luquin
The Pearl Post, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
An Ode To Teachers, Part 1

Sonya Sud
The Lancer Feed, Lafayette High School, Wildwood, Missouri
9-11 Memories

Ashley Henderson
The Talon News, Argyle High School, Argyle, Texas
Feathers V1E1: Brandi Hunt Interview

Sophia Chen
El Estoque, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
To all the sports I’ve done before: Cross country

First Place
Shivani Verma
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
Bloom: I went on a date alone (and so should you)

Second Place
Lucy Marco
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas
Thinking inside the box

Third Place
Tatem Petet
The Northmen’s Log
Oak Park High School
Kansas City, Missouri
Wake up, people, COVID has consequences

Fourth Place
April Wang
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
If you can just look up

Fifth Place
Makayla Archambeault
The Lancer Feed
Lafayette High School
Wildwood, Missouri
I am a Jedi, like my father before me

Honorable mentions

Jaden Boster
The Huron Emery, Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Are you doing high school right? To date or not to date

Aleena Gilani
The Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Why I boycotted watching the Winter Olympics

Samantha Haney
The Lancer Feed, Lafayette High School, Wildwood, Missouri
Today I took a stand

Charlie Warner
Staley News, Staley High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Movies Underutilize Soundtracks

Allyson Lastovica
Wingspan, Liberty High School, Frisco, Texas
Vegan View