2025 Digital Story 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 Digital Story of the Year contests —
Multimedia News Story
listed by state
Addya Agarwal, Chloe Chu, May Lin, Anna Ypodimatopoulou
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Celebrate the Music 2025
Isabelle Ling
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Media Interest Post-Election Shifts Towards Community Engagement
Julia Abair, Chloe Blair, Abbey Elalouf, Ben Lehman, Clayre Woodruff
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Setting Off the Truth
Staff
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
2024 Election Package
Staff
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Looking Back on Black History Month
Mary Wang
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Gym Construction Disrupts Parking, Pick-Up, and Drop-Off
Ainsley Jay, Karis Tam, Jeffery Zhang, Kyle Zhang
Wayland Student Press Network
Wayland High School, Wayland, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Reevaluates Graduation Requirement
Zimo Xie
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Winter Formal Provides a Space to Decompress with Friends
Mia Fagone, Evelynn Lin, Matthew Ramirez
The Panther Press
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Off or On?
James Libresco, Noah Sternberg
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
Plane Crash at DCA
Multimedia Feature Story
listed by state
Liz Liu
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
MVHS Alum Ruri Kobayakawa’s Journey as a Firefighter
Staff
The Redwood Bark
Redwood High School, Larkspur, California
A Compiled Report of the Current State of Social Media
Staff
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
After Apalachee
Jay Deegan, C.J. Getting, Sarah Segvich
Central Times
Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
Youth Voices Amplified
Lydia Cruce, Shanza Sami
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Music On the Mind
Gabe Cohen, Tavio Mares-Van Praag
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Beyond the Buzzer: A.J. Reeves
Mary Wang
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Sparking a School-Wide Push-Up Craze
Achilles Caranto, Zelina Panissidi, Hunter Rhee, Adrienne Vera-Perez
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Harmful Effects of a Modern Lifestyle
Oskar Doepke, Ruby Rogers
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
LGBTQ+ Students Grapple with Homophobia, Belonging
Sophia Hsu, Yasmine Rivera
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
Period Stigma, Ignorance Bleeds Through Community
Multimedia Sports Story
listed by state
Minna Abdalla, Evelyn Kraber
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
How Women’s Wrestling Found a Home in Iowa City
Seyun Park
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Maryland
Volleyball Spikes Past Vikes, Advances to First Regional Final in 12 Years
Tavio Mares-Van Praag
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
From Underdogs to Champions
Thomas Chen
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Track and Field Shines at Conference Championships
Jack Cranmer, Keva Elie, Aaron Linden, Charlotte Nesevich
WordsWorth
Moorestown Friends School, Moorestown, New Jersey
Super Bowl LIX: The Game, the Show, and the Experience
Riley Smith, Matteo Ventresca
The Panther Press
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Girls Soccer Wins State Championship
Minori Kunte, Hiral Patel
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Jain Exemplifying Taekwondo Excellence
Zachary Ford
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Reyes Emerges as Vocal Leader One Year After Joining Team, Learning English
Wesley Brodeur, Christine Han, Joaquin Perez, Addyson Schick
WTV Daily Update
Liberty High School, Frisco, Texas
Memories Made as Redhawks Beat Memorial
Noelle Quintin, Laila Taraporevala
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
John Farmer Reflects on Journey from Varsity Athlete to Director of Athletics
Photo Slideshow
listed by state
Vera Marinescu
Spyglass Westridge School, Pasadena, California
Documenting the Loss of My Home After the Eaton Fire
Andrew Collaku
The Oracle
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois
V-Show Unites South Performers
Jay Deegan, C.J. Getting, Sarah Segvich
Central Times
Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
2024 Democratic National Convention
Bryce Kenny, Olin Nafziger, Orlie Weitzman
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Exchange Students Arrive from China
Staff
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Moments of Intensity
Lily Chen
The Spoke
Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Save Chinatown Coalition Organizes Rally
Matthew Ramirez
The Panther Press
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Cantata Returns to New York City
Kayla Nguyen
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Cowgirls Pummel Lady Cavaliers in State Championship, 6-2
Caroline Kraft
FHCtoday
Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Texas
Springing Toward the End
Seth Johnson
Voice
Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas
Varsity Boys Basketball Upsets Westlake
Interactive Graphic
listed by state
Micaela Rubinsky, Amari Witt
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
M-A’s Most Significant Demonstrations Through Time
Ben Mueller, Morgan Sicklick
The Redwood Bark
Redwood High School, Larkspur, California
Board of Trustees Discusses Yondr Phone Pouch Implementation
Maya Diaz
The Mirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
Controversial Book Bans Spark National Debate in Schools
Frances Bell, Tekle Skiles-Januta
Spyglass
Westridge School, Pasadena, California
Annual Spyglass Senior Survey
Bea Roberts
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Maryland
Looking Back on My Year Abroad in Germany
Thomas Chen
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Explore Our Local Reviews
Harper Coleman, Audrey Waters
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Prep, Milwaukie, Oregon
How U.S. Paid Leave Policy Fails Families
Lillian Gray
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Lack of AC Becoming a More Heated Issue
Alan Tang
The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
McLean Community Mourns D.C. Plane Crash Victims
Zoe Karibian, Rania Raj
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
Confronting Racist Humor Culture in School Community
Podcast
listed by state
Kaarlo Anderson, Arthur Bonifield, Kevin Ngo
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
Fishy Business
Lucas Trexler, Townes Widger
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
Around the Track: Behind the Popularity of Track and Field
Aletheia Ju, Yixuan (Joyce) Li
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
On Our Own Frequency
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
A Conversation with Mayor Francis Suarez
Light Dohrn
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Dungeons & Dragons Fosters Creativity, Connection
Emma Lai
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Our Journey to Worlds
Maggie Stone
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Missing Work
Rhea Chowdhary, Wendy Le
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Once a Cowpoke, Always a Cowpoke
James Libresco, Will Price, Isabel Shultz
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
Dissecting DEI
Hila Hakimi, Vitalina Ulitovska
DHS Press
Dominion High School, Sterling, Virginia
Crying Over College
Blog
listed by state
Daryna Hriaznova
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
“When a few air raid alarms interrupted us”
Isabelle Kok
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Ill-Advised
Bela Parrett
The Northmen’s Log
Oak Park High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Bela’s Movie Blog: “Nosferatu”
Harper Coleman
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, Oregon
How U.S. Paid Leave Policy Fails Families
Maddy Park
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Older Presidents’ Cognitive Abilities Restrict Their Competency
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
“In the Heights”Amplifies Cultural Pride
Lea Garcia-Salazar
WTV Daily Update
Liberty High School, Frisco, Texas
The Benefits Behind Taking Naps
Staff
The Shield Online
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
300 Words
Mabrey Stokes
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Astros Fans Grapple with Minute Maid Park’s Name Change
Sarah Alvarez-Martin
The Standard
The American School in London, London , United
Kingdom Feast or Flop: Cucumber Salad