2025 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 Story of the Year contests —
News Story
listed by state
Zaid Naqvi
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
The Future of Press Freedom
C.J. Getting
Central Times
Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Illinois
Confidential Student Information Released in District 203 Data Leak
Tai Caputo, Lily Rantanen
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Targeted
Ember Klein
The Free Press
Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Scaling Back Staffing
Phoebe Morris
The Free Press
Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Medicaid Cuts Impact Local Family
Allie Hauke
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Township, Ohio
Crossing the Line
Caitlyn Concepcion
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Board Approves Pinkerton Consolidation
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Mayor Prepares as Kingwood Worries About Hurricane Season
Kristie Min, Lennon Riedie
Featherduster
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
Professional Learning Communities to be Removed
Serena Liu, Vedanti Patil
The Horizon
Westwood High School, Austin, Texas
House Explosion Creates Community Commotion
Feature Story
listed by state
Madison Thacker
The Mirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
Julian Pankowski Unscripted
Emlyn McKinney, Wyatt Meyer
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
The Weight of the Scale
Wyatt Meyer
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
After Apalachee
Dominic Niyo
The Pinion
McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
Murder Case Breakthrough 50 Years Later
Lydia Cruce
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Starboy
Charlotte Wissel
Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Brooklyn Adams
Ian Chen, Anna Wu
The Tide
Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Maryland
The 30-year Reign of Laura Goetz
Matthew Hofmann, Linyang Lee, Doan Nguyen, Hilton Sampson
ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
Women Among Men
Matthew Hofmann, Linyang Lee, Hilton Sampson
ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
The Lonely Generation
Tara Behbehani
The Standard
The American School in London, London, United
Kingdom Christina Adane Elevates Youth Movement Through Advocacy, Art
Sports Story
listed by state
Siena Codekas
The Wildcat
Brea Olinda High School, Brea, California
Championship Seasons
Julie Yang, Chris Jeon
Verde
Palo Alto High School
Verde, Palo Alto, California
Gently Down the Stream
Zoey Perrine, Brenna Severson
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Fallen Blades
Amelia Berkowitz
Inklings News
Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Underhanded, Undeterred; Wolff Turns Setback Into Success
Wyatt Meyer
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
CHS vs. Apalachee High School Varsity Football
Isabelle Leofanti
The Stampede
Metea Valley High School, Aurora, Illinois
Safety Concerns Rise as Turf Field Deteriorates
Sofia Ball, Grace Rau
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
No Question
Ella Mohr
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
What Are You Losing?
Abby Chong, Lauren Pinheiro, Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla
The Spoke
Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Field Hockey Wins State Championship for First Time
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Pushing Through Pain
Editorial
listed by state
Celine Chien, Tessa Ellingson, Ameya Nori, Ben Siegel, Celeste Zucker
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
Mary Beth ThompsonIs What the District Needs
Alan Tai
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Students Should Be Allowed to Vote in FUHSD Board Elections
Staff
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School Campanile, Palo Alto, California
Pause Ethnic Studies Requirement
Staff
The Mirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
The Yondr Pouch Has Become LAUSD’s Million Dollar Failure
Zoey Perrine
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Vote for the Planet
Avni Bansal
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
More Than a Check
Violet Newton
North Star
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
It’s Time for a Change to Knight Tim
Staff
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
There Is No Way to Put This Nicely: We Should Be Ashamed
Staff
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
ACPS Is Set to Initiate a New Policy of Censorship
Staff
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
The Lamentable State of ACHS
Opinion
listed by state
Maria Uribe Estrada
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
The Color Complex
Wyatt Meyer
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Letter From the Editor
Amanda Feinberg
The Prospector
Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
Cultivating Religious Identity
Michael Yi
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Inclusion Under Fire
Annabel Hall
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Sunrise, Sunset, Philadelphia
Sage McCarthy
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Soundtrack of My Life
Jessica Rothstein
The Communicator
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
You Have a Voice in This Election, Use It
Jeffrey Heng
The Spoke
Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Jeff’s Gist: I Hate Men
Lillian Gray
The Shield
McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
The Human Toll of Political Lies
Rawya Hazin
The Edge
Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas
The Art of Pretension
Creative Writing
listed by state
Henry Slaughter
Pawprints
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida
Vignettes
Samantha Iglesias
Pawprints
H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, Florida
The Plight of Music
Alyssa Gao
Silent Voices
Woodward Academy, College Park, Georgia
1. Are You Supposed to Be Here Rght Now? Mark One.
Jeighna Diaz
The Pinion
McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
The Dinner Table
River Jennison
Menagerie
Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
Pressure
Via Campbell
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Chapter 11
Samantha Lyons
Odyssey
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
A Painting of a Pink Fairy Armadillo
Jenny Chu
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Animal Blues
Aashna Kapur
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
How to Fall to Pieces, Artfully
Ava Zhang
The Tartan
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Life Measured in Bites