2026 Design 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 Design of the Year contests —
Newspaper Front Page
listed by school in alpha order
Isabel Shultz
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
The Bullet Spangled Banner
Kate Lewis, Emmy Moss, Reese Rawson
Eagle Edition
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
The Hidden Dangers of Teen Driving
Penelope Keenan, Audrey Lyons, Fairlie Mercer
The Southerner
Midtown High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Clouded Judgement
David Cardwell, Madeline Simkowiak
Hawkeye
Mountlake Terrace High School, Mountlake Terrace, Washington
Students Awe Struck by the No Hate Tour
Emily Yen
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Changing the Face of Plastic Surgery
Thomas Chen, Amanda Hsu, Peter Ostrem, Elizabeth Tuttle
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
All Eyes on Us
Rina Kobayashi
The Standard
The American School in London, London, England
20 Years Since Inception
Mary Elise Estess, Aneeka Tansen
The Fourcast
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Dear Mystic
Declan Smith
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Yu, Dutta to Lead Student Council
Abigail Kim
VNHSMirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
California Exodus
Newspaper Page/Spread
listed by school in alpha order
Sofia Exposito, Kevin Gunnampalli, Naseeha Masood
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Silver Line Transists Its Way Into Residents Lives
Veda Bodhanampati, Josephine Holmes
Eagle Edition
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Freedom, Firearms and Fury
Maia Weissman
The Oracle
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois
Performative Male Trend
Frances Donahue, Ruby McCormick
The Haldane Outlook
Haldane High School, Cold Spring, New York
Haldane’s Youth Show Civic Engagement
Brooke Bressler, Annika Chu, Dashel Chun, Philip Shen
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Reading Regression
Libby Marsh
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Don’t Worry, AI’s Got This
Cate Frey, Avery Lurie, Diana Muzzarelli
The Chronicle
Shorecrest Preparatory School, St. Petersburg, Florida
All the World’s a Stage
Light Dohrn
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
To Love America
Light Dohrn
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Serving Up Skinny
Abigail Kim
VNHSMirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
Painted. Pierced. Being Herself.
Newsmagazine Cover
listed by school in alpha order
Henry Lazarus, Gabriel Soto
The Aerie
Atascocita High School, Humble, Texas
Wrestling
Dwight Erdmann
The Globe
Clayton High School, Clayton, Missouri
Spinning Decisions
Laura Chen, Ashley Qi, Rebecca Wawda
The Prospector
Cupertino High School, Cupertino, California
The Prospector
Louise Gaguet
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
The Pearl Post
Jeremy Young
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Access Denied
Lia Miller
The Blueprint
Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
The Blueprint
Vincent Hsiao, Celina Zhou
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Panorama
Mihir Bhalla
Southpaw
Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, Missouri
Southpaw
Greta Grist
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Northwest Passage
Noah Iverson, Quinn Pinto, Bella Shipek
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Early Decision Unaided
Newsmagazine Page/Spread
listed by school in alpha order
Dwight Erdmann, Zoey Lin
The Globe
Clayton High School, Clayton, Missouri
The Sleep Hack
David Routt
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Scroll to the Polls
Taelim Yoon
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Buy Now, Pay Later
Tricia Darcy
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Energy Drinks
Josh Fitter, Brianna Raak
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
The (Not So) Sweet Fight
Ariza Noscal
The Free Press
Lawrence Free State High School, Lawrence, Kansas
Invisible Code
Corinna Kuo, Angela Poon
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Coloring Outside the Lines
Greta Grist
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
A Dark Place
Ella Turner
Inklings News
Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Adderall
Gabbie Williams
The Trinity Voice
Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park, Florida
Nonchalance/Nonsense
Literary/Specialty Magazine Cover
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Highlander
Staff
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Highlander
Vincent Hsiao, Maya Mathew
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
ID
Suzanne Avakian, Arete Lindo
Menagerie
Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
Menagerie
Sarah Egan, Reese Eggers, Lilly Italia
The Network
Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Burn Magazine
Zoe Ferring, Poppy Morrison, Maria Uribe Estrada
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
When It Comes to Women
Karen Artola, Ria Mirchandani, Ellis Shyamji
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
The America Issue
Lili Itzkowitz, Annika Kim
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Renaissance
Rina Kobayashi, Aden Ovenden
The Standard
The American School in London, London, England
Ampersand
Isabella Luo, Sharika Mandyam, Aanya Naini, Iris Zhang
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Vibrato
Literary/Specialty Magazine Page/Spread
listed by school in alpha order
May Lin
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Your Heart on Your Wrist
Kathryn Winters
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Stretching for Success
Finley Sleppy
Iliad Literary-Art Magazine
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
The Email Scott Skimmed
Valentina Mouhaffel Mattey
Reflections Literary & Arts Magazine
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
I Wish
Stephen Glaser, Hannah Salz, Riley Soffera
Odyssey
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Rivers
Zoe Batista Hernandez, Grace Brill, Lucas Felipe
Artifex
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
The Awakening
Morgan Siegel
The Messenger
Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
Looking Back: Senior Year
Stella Guo, Luna Lim, Ellis Shyamji
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
A Day in San Francisco
Ivy Evans, Sofia Rivera, Kate Tuttle
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Don’t Forget To Look Up
Iris Zhang
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Woe
Yearbook Spread
listed by school in alpha order
Dana Cuevas Lopez, Kara Schultz
The Marquee
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida
Dance Show
Riley Doherty, Audrey Heller, Morgan Hudake
Reflections
Brighton High School, Brighton, Colorado
Inclusion Week
Estee Piccagli
Carillon
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
A New Day a New Discovery
Alex Adkins, Kaden De La Rosa, Lucas Franco, Anayah Maldonado, Long Truong
Fusion
Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
We’ve Got Game
Hannah Salz
Lone Star
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Deep in the Heart
Ivana Todorova
Rambler
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
For Nora
Luke Ye
Rambler
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Week 1
Grace Deschaine
Hauberk
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Just Keep Swimming
Macy Williams
Brickhouse
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Hispanic Heritage Program
Lexi Franzen
The Lair
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Finding Faith
Yearbook Theme Package
listed by school in alpha order
Riley Doherty, Gavin Federocko, Samuel Granado, Isaiah Leon, Aubrey Thomson
Reflections
Brighton High School, Brighton, Colorado
It’s So Brighton
Kate Basler, Cami Dunajcik, Demi Jorgji, Airi Ubukata
Spirit
Lindbergh High School, Saint Louis, Missouri
We’ll Take It From Here
Madilyn Benson, Breelee Edwards, Hunter Ericksen, Braden Jones, Rebecca Stears
Madisonian
Madison High School, Rexburg, Idaho
Lounder Than Ever
Elijah Gross
The Arena
Mansfield Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas
Keep It Classy
Elizabeth Gudino, Alonda Perez Lachino, Amy Ledezma Gonzalez, Sonya Martinez, Noemy Melchor
The Torch
Orange Glen High School, Escondido, California
Mas
Autumn Dilmore, Gianna Fusco, Shea Stacey
The Oviedian
Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida
You Know What This Is
Neha Allamneni, Nolan Bond, Katie Mathews, Faye Zayed
Replay
Rouse High School, Leander, Texas
Just Because
Stella Mages, Scarlett Moore, Shiloh Nelson, Logan Wallace, Macy Williams
Brickhouse
Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas
That’s the Point
Vielka Corrales
Heritage
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
In It
Henry Nielsen, Sophie Whittaker
The Unicorn
UPrep, Seattle, Washington
So Far. So Good.
Informational Graphic
listed by school in alpha order
Mila Van Hoecke
Reflections
Blue Valley High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Seniors
Edwin Nui Baker, Sophia Cespedes, Riley Doherty, Jaidon Gallegos, Kayce Spellman
Reflections
Brighton High School, Brighton, Colorado
Busy Being a Bulldog
Nina Beals, Eli Feng, Rose Hood, Daniel Jacob, Addison McCreadie
The Midnight Sun
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Clubs
Alyssa Gray, Kaden Horn
Round-Up
Coppell High School, COPPELL, Texas
That’s What They Said
Bri Taliaferro
North Star
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Morning Energy
Sophia Vignato, Taelim Yoon
Trojan Epic
Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
What’s on Your Screen?
Hannah Salz
Lone Star
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Here’s How the Present Played Out
Celina Zhou
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Ice Under Trump
Margaret Myckatyn
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Worth the Jitter?
Katie Mathews
Replay
Rouse High School, Leander, Texas
A Deal With the Devil
Illustration
listed by school in alpha order
Roy Kim
Jets Flyover
Daegu International School, Daegu, Daegu
The Art of Uncertainty
Julia Ma
Zephyrus
Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota
The Dangers of Teen Influences
Bri Taliaferro
North Star
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Avatar
Frances Donahue, Ruby McCormick
The Haldane Outlook
Haldane High School, Cold Spring, New York
Phone Ban Arrives
Vincent Hsiao, Henry Madden
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Newsflash
Ben Lehman
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Safe on Stage
Kale Williams
Cambia
Oak Park High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Coach of Year
Aidan Patterson, Brennan Scott
South Paw
Park Hill South High School, Riverside, Missouri
Chasing Greatness
Francesca Lorusso
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
What’s Your SME Spirit Animal?
Abigail Kim
VNHSMirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
Free Speech Under Fire
Artwork
listed by school in alpha order
Cameryn McBurrows
Voice Literary + Arts Journal
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tender Headed
Temira Bolds
Inkslinger
Darlington School, Rome, Georgia
Coral Reef
Cora Maggin
Menagerie
Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
Pufferfish
Grace Brill
Artifex
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
Serenity
Fiona Yan
Images
Moorestown Friends School, Moorestown, New Jersey
Pump It Up!
Livia Kam
Images
Moorestown Friends School, Moorestown, New Jersey
Another Day at the Food Stand
Cortney Buford
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Keep Your Crown Up