2020 Digital Story of the Year finalists

Nov. 3, 2020

National Scholastic Press Association announces the finalists in its 2020 Digital of the Year competition —

Multimedia News Story

Multimedia Feature Story

Multimedia Sports Story

Photo Slideshow

Interactive Graphic

Podcast

Blog

Winners in this and all Individual Award categories, as well as the NSPA Pacemaker Awards in broadcast, specialty magazine and newspaper/newsmagazine, will be announced online at 1 p.m. Central Saturday, Nov. 21, as part of the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, presented virtually Nov. 19-21.

To view the awards presentation, register for the convention at orlando.journalismconvention.org by 11:59 p.m. Central Nov. 13.

Finalists listed below are alphabetical by state.


Multimedia News Story

When a Tower Falls:
The Bay Area grapples with power outages, wildfires, and high winds

Brianna Cheng, Zachary Khouri, Miki Nguyen, Auva Soheili, Maddy Ting
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Birthright
Staff
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

Taking on Tallahassee:
Teachers rally in state capitol to demand funding for public education
Staff
The Eagle Eye
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, Florida

Peaceful Naperville rally continues to Aurora police station, turns violent
Katie Dalton, Maggie Dalton, Amisha Sethi
Central Times
Naperville Central High School
Naperville, Illinois

Fighting for change:
Examining the combative culture at West High

Alex Carlon, Joe Goodman
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

School district budget cuts campus to the bone
Ahmed Ahmed, Alyxander Beeten, Charli Gisi, Joshua Mercado, David Paleracio
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

The Fight for Wellness
Staff
The Lamp Online
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Flemington, New Jersey

The COVID-19 Blame Game
Logan Schiciano
Tower
The Masters School
Dobb’s Ferry, New York

Denton Veterans Initiative Provides Hope for Homeless
Sarah Crowder, Jaclyn Harris
The Talon News
Argyle High School
Argyle, Texas

Casting ballots: the politics of voting
Aaron Boehmer
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas


Multimedia Feature Story

Just one bite could kill
Saya Deshpande, Kiana George
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, Calfornia

Completing the circle:
Restorative justice at San Quentin
Audrey Hettleman, Eislyn Snyder
The Redwood Bark
Redwood High School
Larkspur, Calfornia

Emmie Boylan:
Living with spina bifida

Bess Frerichs
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

Cash-strapped in the Valley
Ben Hobbs, Izze Lentfer, Raabia Qureshi, Rachel Sarff, Jenna Weyforth
BVNWnews
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Overland Park, Kansas

More Than A Lipstick Mark — Hamburger Mary’s Impact
Riley Atkinson
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Power of We:
Immigration and Louisville youth

Staff
On the Record
duPont Manual High School
Louisville, Kentucky

Life After
Emily Hood
FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School
St. Charles, Missouri

Utterly Overassessed
Staff
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

Immersed In The Unknown
McKenzie Canton, Brinley Koenig
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas

Queen Bee
Rebekah Ford
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas


Multimedia Sports Story

Training life vs. Teenage life
Allison Raisner
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Switching sides
Justine Ha, Vivian Jiang, Neysa Singh, Anish Vasudevan
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

53rd Classic City Championship package
Owen Donnelly, Gretchen Hinger, Luna Reichert
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Knights Stun Bison in Regional Championship
Ryan Barich, Nolan Hamilton, Rick Lytle, Adam Ryerson, Jacob Siciliano
ProspectorNow
Prospect High School
Mount Prospect, Illinois

The Power of Family
Olivia Berry, Megan Cablk
The North Star
Naperville North High School
Naperville, Illinois

In the Face of Adversity
Payton Schield, June Sun, Katie de Waard
The North Star
Naperville North High School
Naperville, Illinois

Beneath the jersey:
The 20-year history of sports uniforms at West

Joe Goodman, Natalie Katz
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

Remembering the Knight at the Bank
Staff
Knight Errant
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Female Football Player Breaks New Ground
Connor Del Carmen, Lexie Diekroeger
The Messenger
Marquette High School
Chesterfield, Missouri

Prosper knocks out The Woodlands from playoffs, wins Regional Semifinals
Ana Arredondo, Maggie Hale
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas


Photo Slideshow

Lady Patriots take home CIF title against Palisades Dolphins
Valery Barrera, Valeria Luquin
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California

With upcoming fall production “Cheerleaders Vs. Aliens,” students and makeup artists describe artistry of special effects makeup
Clare Dierckman
HiLite
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana

Sideline spirit
Justice Seay
Ike News
Eisenhower High School
Shelby Township, Michigan

Cherry Hill East suffers a season-ending loss to Atlantic City in the Conference Championship, 61-44
Andrew Maier
Eastside Online
Cherry Hill East High School
Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Through the lens of editor Hunter Musi
Hunter Musi
Tribal Tribune
Wando High School
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Denton Protests Spark Debate On Racial Inequality
Alex Daggett
The Talon News
Argyle High School
Argyle, Texas

Student beekeeper
Rae Gray
The Dispatch
James Bowie High School
Austin, Texas

Border Brawl Football Game
Staff
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas

Lions defeat Broncos again, 10-7
Elizabeth Chan, Mariana Ramirez, Landry Raymond, Esmeralda Sosa, Branden Svevo
Manestream News
McKinney High School
McKinney, Texas

The Road to State
Elizabeth Chan, Mariana Ramirez, Landry Raymond, Branden Svevo
Manestream News
McKinney High School
McKinney, Texas


Interactive Graphic

Projected attendance boundary enrollment
Cam Medrano, Jordan Del Valle Tonoian
Eye of the Tiger
Roseville High School
Roseville, California

The Legacy of Star Wars
Marvin Fan, Gray Martens
HiLite
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana

Statewide Inclusive Sports
Rhea Acharya, Chloe Sun
HiLite
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana

Maryland COVID-19 Dashboard
Prayag Gordy
Silver Chips
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, Maryland

State of the Academy 2020
Staff
The Phillipian
Phillips Academy
Andover, Massachuets

The Spread of COVID-19 in Michigan
Mori Ono
The Communicator
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Daniel and Ben’s Food Review: Joe’s Pizza
Daniel Hou, Ben Zhao
The Huron Emery
Huron High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Generations of East Students
Staff
Eastside Online
Cherry Hill East High School
Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Knight staff reveals senior superlative winners
Staff
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Coronavirus Timeline
Gabriel Romualdo
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom


Podcast

Theatricult Episode 3:
Risks and Responsibilities

Ava Richards, Ruya Yaman
Scot Scoop
Carlmont HIgh School
Belmont, Calfornia

Discussing Teacher Grooming at Tino, Part 1:
The Problem

Ashley Kang, Sanat Singhal
The Prospector
Cupertino High School
Cupertino, Calfornia

Dear RedEye September: Back to school
E.P. Presnell, Mandala Gupta VerWiebe
Manual RedEye
duPont Manual High School
Louisville, Kentucky

This is America. Speak English.
Dedeepya Guthikonda
Edina Zephyrus
Edina High School
Edina, Minnesota

Christmas tree shortage explained
Keegan Gustafson
Knight Errant
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

TKC True Crime:
The LaLaurie house of horrors

Sophie Chappell, Ally Ortmann
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

Starting the Conversation:
A Collection of Accounts from Experts and Survivors of Suicide Idealization

Thomas Jamison
FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School
St. Charles, Missouri

Lancers gain insight from life as first generation Americans
Chloe Baker, Juli Mejia
Lancer Feed
Layfayette High School
Wildwood, Missouri

Field Day 2020
Naomi Delkamiller
Marian Network
Marion High School
Omaha, Nebraska

New music podcast gets right to The Point
Tomas Marrero, Stella Shenkman
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas


Blog

Sincerely, Sumner: Crying is cool
Sumner Wallace
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

Reflection: Managing quarantine with an eating disorder
K.C. Ciresi
Manual RedEye
duPont Manual High School
Louisville, Kentucky

The Rheineck Report: Inside a Conversation with …
Mia Rheineck
Knight Errant
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

An Ocean Away
Riley Kerns
Bearing News
Rock Bridge High School
Columbia, Missouri

Why I Chose Not To Play a Sport in College
Kamryn Rogers
Le Journal Live
Notre Dame de Sion High School
Kansas City, Missouri

Off the Beaten Path
Amy Schaffer
Dart News Online
St. Teresa’s Academy
Kansas City, Missouri

Lucy’s Laboratory
Lucy Marco
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Rhodes Traveled
Max Rhodes
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Goodbye Gluten
Ashvita Girish
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas

Not Like Other Dads
Amber Adams
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas