2026 Broadcast Story of the Year finalists
Sept. 10, 2026
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. 21, at the Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando.
After the winners are announced on Nov. 21, 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 Broadcast Story of the Year contests —
Broadcast News Story
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
Aligator Alcatraz
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
March of the Machines
Sally Lee, Sophie Lee
Jets Flyover
Daegu International School, Daegu, Daegu
Seomun Market Redevelopment
Samuel Ochsner-Hembrow
The HUB
Davis Senior High School, Davis, California
Graduates Navigate National Guard Deployment
Montana Armes
DTV News
Davison High School, Davison, Michigan
Nurse Strike
Sabrina Borgia, Casey Engel, Ari Ludkovski, Michael Shinn
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
The Pipeline Restarts
Sarah Ewy, Sonya Solomon
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Declining Enrollment
Ian Harvie, Alon Milman, Liani Ragade
InFocus
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Teen Filmmakers Take the Red Carpet
Alexis Walker
KRAM
Rampart High School, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2nd Ice Walkout Protest
Kaitlyn Evans
Bruin News Now
St. Joseph Catholic School, Madison, Mississippi
Mississippi Legislature Considers School Choice
Broadcast Feature Story
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
Coral Canvas
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
The Strongest Heart
Sophie Lee
Jets Flyover
Daegu International School, Daegu, Daegu
The Sole of the City
Trent Uptegraff, Broklynn Watters
DTV News
Davison, Davison, Michigan
Nature Preschool
Micah Barnhart, Tyler McCutchen
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
Barbers R Us
Tyler McCutchen
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
The Invasion
Brooke Thomas
Lincoln Live
Gahanna LIncoln High School, Gahanna, Ohio
The Final Roar
Angel DiSalvo
The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Student Director Performs Final Show
Valeria Rincon, Sophia Vallejo
OLLA TV
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami, Florida
Live Like Livy
Jason Buckley
Bruin News Now
St. Joseph Catholic School, Madison, Mississippi
Football Players Show Livestock
Broadcast Sports Story
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
The Brotherhood on the Biggest Stage
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
From Aloha to the O-Line
Lucas Trexler, Townes Widger
DPNews
Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
The State of Hockey
Kane Manfull
FHNtoday TV
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Stuck in a Bad Dream
Isaiah Banks
Lincoln Live
Gahanna LIncoln High School, Gahanna, Ohio
The Wolfe Park Tennis Association
Zanayah Dasilva, Eliza Rund, Jaden Waweru
Code Blue News
Holbrook Middle – High School, Holbrook, Massachusetts
Road to a Thousand
Vihaan Madhavan
The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Junior Explores US Through Mountain Biking
Grant Lappin
The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Rock Climbing Promotes Exercise, Community
Connor Lockrem, Evan Schmidt
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Rock Creek Curling
Connor Lockrem
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Five Straight
Broadcast Commentary
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
We Say ‘Be Yourself’
Staff
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School, Miami, Florida
Pathways With Purpose
Zanayah Dasilva, Salma Ziad
Code Blue News
Holbrook Middle – High School, Holbrook, Massachusetts
What Is Ramadan?
Zanayah Dasilva, Michael Schaar
Code Blue News
Holbrook Middle – High School, Holbrook, Massachusetts
New Year, New Me
Aidan Gallagher
The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Plea for Students to Pick Up Their Trash
Gabriel Agin, Sidd Bhula, Dominic Lackey
WMHS News
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
National Guard
Connor Lockrem, Dalilyah Rucker
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Change the Finals Schedule
Alon Milman, Mateo Rosas, Melody Xu
InFocus
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
When Will We Start Paying Our Teachers Fairly?
Alon Milman, Samanvika Senthil Kumar, Melody Xu
InFocus
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Thermond’s Impact at Paly
Azariah Charles, Jessica Grant
Tower Broadcast News
The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
Student Perspectives on Black History Month