2026 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 Story of the Year contests —
News Story
listed by school in alpha order
Vi Erisha, Liliana Kirby
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida
Khanmigo Enters the Chat
Elias Kang
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Students Walk Out in Protest of ICE Actions
Linus Bossardt, Jenny Marquez
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
Students Walk Out to Denounce ICE
Delaney Henon, Sophia Tzanetos
Manual RedEye
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Students Walk Out in Protest of Gun Violence
Lily Rantanen
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Pilot Strike Strands Students in Chicago
Elizabeth Yowell
The Dispatch
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
The Detrimental Debt Cycle
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Kingwood Greets Wilson on Ride Home
Kieran Crist-Kenworthy, Clover Martin
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, Oregon
The Pope Asked a Question
Siboney Lynch, Lilia Wilkiewicz
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
Board Votes to Close TIDE
Staff
RockMedia
Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Granting Dre’s Wish
Feature Story
listed by school in alpha order
Lila Aitelli, Chloe Nelson
Falcon Quill
Fort Worth Country Day, Fort Worth, Texas
More Than Just a Teacher
Levi Greene, Charlotte Jacobs, Micah Kramer
The Quaker Quill
Friends School of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
Always Learning
Stella Cardoso
The Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
When Being Told No Becomes a Calling
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Wilson Family Leaves Legacy on Community
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Goss Finds Path to Priesthood
Yee Lam Zhou
The Lion
McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
Make My Own Victory
Sophia D’Sa
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Gilbert Shares Her Approach to Writing
Christopher Long
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Disintegrating Support
Annabel Hall
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Cinderella or Nothing
Naomi Benton
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Math Teacher Lunte Excels at Pool
Sports Story
listed by school in alpha order
Raima Awan
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Hoosier Champion? Coppell’s Radicic, That’s Who
Lia Miller
The Blueprint
Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
Leaving So Soon?
Shanza Sami, Colin Wehrle
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Longmire’s Sports Journey
Michael Yi
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
Canon’s Journey
Claire Rogers
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Green Ribbons
Luke Lavoie
The Chronicle
Shorecrest Preparatory School, St. Petersburg, Florida
The ‘Reining’ Champion
Preston Wu
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
Coffman Tosses ‘Unreal’ No-Hitter
Dylan Robbin
Inklings News
Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
Staples Falls Short to West Haven
Fiona Seale
The Panther Press
Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Haven’s Female Athletes Face ACL Tear Epidemic
Ava Kaplan
Legend
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
The Butterfly Effect
Editorial
listed by school in alpha order
Staff
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
ACPS’ Revolving Door of Leadership
Staff
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
Reinstating First Amendment Rights
Staff
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Dual Enrollment
Staff
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Civic Engagement
Scarlet Gitelson, Lyla Granich, Rohin Shah
The Forum
Latin School of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Dear Head of School Search Committee
Staff
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
Sandy Hook Promise’s Deceptive Marketing Discredits Its Cause
Staff
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Advanced Diploma Rewards Privileged
Staff
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Extend New Voices Law to Private School Publications
Orlie Weitzman
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Stand Up Against ICE Raids
Joel Nam
VNHSMirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
Too Much Flexibility Is Hurting Students
Opinion
listed by school in alpha order
Stella Kim
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
‘Whitewashed’ Distorts Complex Cultural Identities
Sylvia Oglesbay
Zephyrus
Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota
Fear Is a Tool, Trump Is Using It
Sheridan Bailey
Eagle Edition
Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
The Politicization of Peacemaking
Zoha Suteria
The Oracle
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois
Standing Up for Immigrant Families
Hemanth Tavane Shivakumar
The Huron Emery
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Struggle Behind H1B
Shawn Chaney
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Texas Fails To Realize Phone Ban Is Too Far Reaching
Dominic Niyo
The Pinion
McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Review
Audrey Majzun
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
Vote Yes on Proposition 50
Dayla Jertson
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
A Good Imagination
Hope Hunt
Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
Missing Piece
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reporting
listed by school in alpha order
Rohan Muni
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
As Attacks on DEI Escalate, Our School Stands Firm
May Lin
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
The Attempt and the Aftermath
Staff
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Women’s History Month
Staff
The Epitaph
Homestead High School, Cupertino, California
Epitaph Diversity Audit
Lily Liner
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Twp., Ohio
Home Away From Home
Vesta Kassayan, Shawnak Shivakumar
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California
How Ravenswood Became the Lowest-Ranked District
Julia Abair, Aaliyah Currier, Rachel Larsen, Oakley Lloyd
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
More Than Just a Word
Lydia Greves, Dillon Lewis, Abby Prescott, Salma Schalhamer, Riley Wood
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
Crushing Perceptions
Anjali Dahncke, Bahar Diner, Stella Guo, Adrienne Lec
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
It’s Probably Just Their Period
Connor Hsiao
Pride
Portola High School, Irvine, California
Breaking the Silence
Systemic Change Reporting
listed by school in alpha order
Miles Nash
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Home for Those Without a House
Riley Jensen, Zoe Lobato, Lennon Sharp, Peyton Thies, Naomi VanDyne
North Star
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
A Way Forward
Salem Dinh
The Huron Emery
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan Youth Confront New Barriers to Gender Affirming Care
Liberty Pittman
The Dispatch
James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Students Stand Against ICE
Lillian Donaldson, Mira Schoewe
Pilot
Lindbergh High School, St. Louis, Missouri
One Step Towards Change
Alex Brendle, Dylan Seinberg
The Southerner
Midtown High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Offering Juvenile Offenders Second Chances
Audey Lyons, Fairlie Mercer, Eleanor Shore
The Southerner
Midtown High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Azalea Fresh Market Combats Downtown Food Desert
Riya Kumar
Tatler
St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis, Tennessee
Urban Farms Works to Make Memphis Healthier
Lyla Furlong
Tatler
St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis, Tennessee
Food Pantry Is Working to Fight Food Insecurity
Hollyn Alpert
The Oracle
The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
Nonprofit Provides Online Education
Local Climate Change Reporting
listed by school in alpha order
Claire Kornberg
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
A Flutter of Hope
Eva Shen
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Upcycling Trash for a Sustainable Future
Tessa Lee
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Fatal Bird Flu Outbreak Hits California Elephant Seals
Zia Walker
The Communicator
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Renewable Energy Revolution
Khloe Cruz, Isabella Damas, LilyRose Tobins, Colin Vail
The Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
Saving Miami’s Mangroves
Antonella Aguero, Levi Mbadiwe, Kian Moyer
The Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
Orchid Conservation at Deering
Lakshya Jaiganesh
The Huron Emery
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
A Look Into Environmental Journalism
Jillian Ju, Liz Liu
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Experts Share Waste Reduction Strategies
Ariella Kim, Sylvia Westra
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Being Green or Seeing Green?
Gus Creech
Tower Broadcast News
The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
Campus Flooding
Creative Writing
listed by school in alpha order
Hans Jeppson
Imag
Albert Lea High School, Albert Lea, Minnesota
The Plan of the Cube
Liya Taylor
Iliad Literary-Art Magazine
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
A 16-Year-Old’s Guide to Adulthood
Reese Bell
Inkslinger
Darlington School, Rome, Georgia
Drops of Jazz
Josephine Wright
One Blue Wall
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Isfahan, 1978
Eddie Schulz
Menagerie
Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
The Glorious Future
Abigail Tilton
Iris: Art + Lit
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Final Whistle
Jenny Chu
Vibrato
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas
Generic UFO and Screaming Alien Poster
Madeline Koller
Dreamcatcher
Westwood High School, Austin, Texas
Bound by Words