2025 Design of the Year finalists
Sept. 11, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS — The National Scholastic Press Association has named 468 finalists in its popular Individual Awards competition.
The winners will be announced at the NSPA Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville.
After the winners are announced on Nov. 15, a gallery of the winners and honorable mentions will be shared on this website allowing student journalists and advisers to see all of the entries recognized in the competition. Slide shows featuring the winners will also be available for classroom use.
Congratulations to the finalists in the following Design of the Year contests —
Newspaper Front Page
listed by state
Kate Xia, Lucas Yuan
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Seniors Strike Gold
Abigail Kim
The Mirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
The Rise and Fall of Generation Alpha
Taariq Ahmed
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
DEI Celebrated Amid Backlash
Matthew Ramirez
Panther Press
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania
About the Box
Stella Bartley, Reese Rawson
Eagle Edition
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
The Nation’s Return to Red
Serina Yan
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Living with the Death Penalty
Joshua Goforth, Hilton Sampson
ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
Sculpting Perfection
Joshua Goforth, Hilton Sampson
ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
The Lonely Generation
Elena Pozzo
The Puma Press
UPrep, Seattle, Washington
Washington, Not Washington (DC)
Rina Kobayashi, Lina Taraporevala
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
Confronting Racist Humor Culture at School
Newspaper Page/Spread
listed by state
Nathalia Arias
Verde
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Livin’ in the Golden Stat
Lynn Soivilus
The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
Victory Visit
Olivia Martin
The Chronicle
Shorecrest Preparatory School, St. Petersburg, Florida
Shorecrest Moves Mountains
Jaiden Han, Rafaella Kolesnik, Kaitlyn Lu
Torch
Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Illinois
Behind the Headlines
Marisa Chi, Lucy de Leon, Rafaella Kolesnik, Kaitlyn Lu, Mali Nangia
Torch
Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Illinois
Teen Budgeting
Amanda Hsu
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul,
Kora Smith
The Bell
Liberty High School, Liberty, Missouri
Quiet on Set
Manasa Borra
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
How Coppell Athletes Balance Success, Sacrifice
Hamna Humanyou
The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
A Model Student
Lillian Antin, Akash Krishna, Lily Phillips
Patriot Press
Liberty High School, Renton, Washington
Overconsumption Is Consuming the Holiday Season
Newsmagazine Cover
listed by state
Quinn Rudnick
The Union Street Journal
Cherry Creek High School, Denver, Colorado
When Students Drink
Maya VanVleet
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Torn Apart
Alex Gaines, Allison Ginzburg, Madison Sanjuas, Olivia Signorile
Inklings News
Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Hometown Haunts
Kiara Benoit
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida
District Pilots AI Student Surveillance Program
Josephine Lim
The Blueprint
Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
Who Holds the Power?
Yomi Hemley, Lily Rantanen
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Battle for the Phones
Lily Rantanen
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Brain Drain
Michaela Manfull, Violet Newton
North Star
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Generative AI and the Future
Mira Patel
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Voice of the Voter
Max Bykowski, Marley Helfer
Talisman
Ballard High School, Seattle, Washingon
Rolling the Dice on Teen Gambling
Newsmagazine Page/Spread
listed by state
Peter Philpott, Quinn Rudnick
The Union Street Journal
Cherry Creek High School, Denver, Colorado
In Our Backyard
Lydia Greves, Rachel Larsen, Greta Van Steenberg
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Torn Apart
Victoria Damaso
The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
Brace for Impact
Harper Finck
The Free Press
Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Environmental Footprint
Gabe Deedler
The Communicator
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Bullet by Bullet
Vincent Hsiao
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Full Throttle
Kendall Bowers
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
A Vote for Redemption, the Lesser of Two Evils, or a Historical First?
Kendall Bowers
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Triple Threat
Nate Williams
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Eye on the Target
Nate Williams
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Read Banned Books
Literary/Specialty Magazine Cover
listed by state
Ethan Wang
Viking
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Mind, Body, Meds
Gina Copetti, Valentina Mouhaffel Mattey
Reflections
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
Our Voices
Emmy Warren
Pawprints
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida
Now Feel
Olivia Hendershot
Illiad Literary-Art Magazine
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Sound & Color
Temira Bolds
Inkslinger
Darlington School, Rome, Georgia
Equilibrium
Camille Dotson, Kyla Granville, Gabby Short, Nathan Terrio
Silent Voices
Woodward Academy, College Park, Georgia
Silent Voices
Roman Farley, Annika Kim
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Missing Piece/Peace
Maya Mathew
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Identity
Elizabeth Buescher, Julia Ramadan
Burn
Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Burn
Literary/Specialty Magazine Page/Spread
listed by state
Sneha Budhathoki, Zulema Van der Noordaa
The HUB
Davis Senior High School, Davis, California
Never Ending Cycle
Juliet Frick, Elena Salvatierra, Sarah Thieman, Lucas Tung
Viking
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Plate of Pressure
Valentina Mouhaffel Mattey
Reflections
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Flora
Where I’m From
Asra Swinson
Inscriptions
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Stolen Moments
Kaylee Gadepalli, Sylvia Stoermer
Voice Literary + Arts Journal
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Shrouded One
Catherine Buescher, Lucy Mendenhall, Claire Pogge, Ruby Scanlan, Bailey Shea
Burn
Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska
The Challenge of Painting
Meena Chrzanowski, Madeline Chu, Abigail Chung, Phoebe Rubin, Nila Shaines
Briars & Ivy
Briarcliff High School, Briarcliff Manor, New York
Wildflower Wildfire and Glow of a Fire
Isabella Luo
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Ink and Paper Lives
Emily Ma, Ava Zhang
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Life Measured in Bites
Rachel Noh, Rachel Zamsky
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
October Sunsets
Yearbook Spread
listed by state
Vera Lopresti, Aleah Sawyer
Raider
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
Hot Wheels
Allie Mickel-Lindner
The Talon
Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Swimming for Sport
Sloan Meyer
Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Going the Extra Mile
Molly McCracken
Heritage
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
TikTok Is On the Clock
Jillian Freeman, Chloe Johnston
The Spectator
Liberty High School, Liberty, Missouri
Top 10 of This Year
Maria Gonzalez, Huntly Poole, Hannah Whitaker
Legend
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Our Turn to Take Over
Camden Smith
The Arena
Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas
On the Field
Jeanine Cruz
The Lion
McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
Running to Victory
Lucie Maraine
The Talon
O.D. Tompkins High School, Katy, Texas
Feast or Famine
Hannah Hampton, Lynleigh Henderson
The Hawk
Pleasant Grove HIgh School, Texarkana, Texas
It Was a Happy Ending
Yearbook Theme Package
listed by state
Richard Li, Avery Smiley
The Talon
Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
This is Why
Samantha Atkins, Francie Garrison, Camilla Simmons
Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Here’s Proof.
Leila Henderson, Molly McCracken, Delani Young
Heritage
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
We
Kate Basler, Audrey Scarpace, Anna Waters
Spirit
Lindbergh High School, St. Louis, Missouri
We’ve Been Through It All and the Wait Is Finally Over
Makenna Bendorf, Johanna Frandeen, Callie Huffman, Irene Jones, Ban Puoch
The Burke Book
Omaha Burke High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Maybe You Don’t Know
Lainey Green, Ana Ruth Mikos, Emercyn Randolph
Lion’s Roar
Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tennessee
All These Things
Elijah Gross, Jay Hillis, Jade Vu
The Arena
Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas
Off the Main
Dulce Nuñez, Yee Lam Zhou
The Lion
McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
Unreal
Rhea Erukulla, Eleanor Ronan
The Lonestar
Vista Ridge High School, Cedar Park, Texas
Y’all Ready for This?
Wavy Ronning, Flynn Yoshinobu
Showcase
UPrep, Seattle, Washington
That’s All U
Informational Graphic
listed by state
Anwen Chen
The Nueva Current
The Nueva School, San Mateo, California
The Half-Full Generation?
Anna Greenlee
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
What’s Next?
Molly McCracken
Heritage
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
See Ya’ Later
Jeremy Young
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
A History of Redlining in Louisville
Madeline Awad, Josh Devine
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Game, Set, Pickle
Jillian Freeman, Amelia Hunt
The Spectator
Liberty High School, Liberty, Missouri
Surveying the Scene
Kate Basler, Cami Dunajcik, Molly Eisele, Demi Jorgji, Lena Pacanowski
Spirit
Lindbergh High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Through the Year
Alex Schwind
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Township, Ohio
Seizure Breakdown
Will Huelskamp
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Township, Ohio
“Let Them Eat Cake”
Cassidy Brausa, Blake Dundon, Searcy Mae Ferguson, Gabriela Loewen-Eells, Isabella Villegas
Carillon
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Eagles Turn 50
Illustration
listed by state
Audrey Finigan, Daniella Smit
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
The Clear Solution
Cathy Wu
The Prospector
Cupertino High School, Los Gatos, California
Jack of All Trades
Maya VanVleet
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Torn Apart
Sygne Stole
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Addicted to the Algorithm
Katie Kennedy
The Tiger Print
Blue Valley High School, Overland Park, Kansas
And with Every Passing Hour I’m So Glad I Left My Tower
Ziching Yang
The Tide
Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Maryland
Coachella Draws in New Stars, Old Criticism
Sydney Ross
FHCtoday
Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Missouri
A Violent Shift
Joselyn Ambrosio-Fierro
The Burke Book
Omaha Burke High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Finding Faith
Sofia Exposito
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Not Your Stereotypical Woman of Color
Mira Patel
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Winds of Change
Artwork
listed by state
Raina Kim
The Wildcat
Brea Olinda High School, Brea, California
The Tide that Brings Us Back
Sneha Budhathoki
The HUB
Davis Senior High School, Davis, California
Game Board
Candace Groves
Pawprints
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida
Table of Contents
Kathleen Hwang
Inkslinger
Darlington School, Rome, Georgia
Forever Rotating
Daniele Naujokas
Silent Voices
Woodward Academy, College Park, Georgia
Long Live Lithuania
Isabela Cazares
Menagerie
Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
Learning Spanish
Franny Wagner
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Untitled
Angela Ma
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Color Rush
Cindy Chan
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Pearfections of a Woman
Sarah Li
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Multifaceted