Oct. 22, 2021

National Scholastic Press Association announces the finalists in its 2021 Story of the Year competition.

Winners in this and all Individual Award categories, as well as the NSPA Pacemaker Awards in Broadcast, Newspaper/Newsmagazine and Specialty Magazine, will be announced virtually at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.

Finalists are alphabetical by state.

Register for the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, presented virtually Nov. 1, 2021, to Jan. 15, 2022.

Enter the Best of Show competition for the fall virtual convention.

Register for the Philadelphia Storytelling Workshop.

NSPA’s first in-person Pacemaker Master Class will be presented Nov. 11-13, 2021, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

Finalists for
2021 NSPA Individual Awards

Broadcast Story of the Year
Cartoon of the Year
Design of the Year
Digital Story of the Year
Photo of the Year
Story of the Year
Social Justice Reporting
Local Climate Change Reporting
Portfolio of the Year
Best Use of Social Media
COVID-19 Coverage
Junior high/middle school

Finalists for fall 2021
NSPA Pacemaker Awards

Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Specialty Magazine

“BOUSD Board of Education Seat Determined by Roll of Dice”
Doyon Kim
The Wildcat Online
Brea Olinda High School
Brea, California

“Off the market: How Robinhood’s mission to democratize trading highlights a bigger problem of financial illiteracy”
Anushka De
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

“PAUSD proposes new reopening plan for secondary schools”
Valerie Chu, Jace Purcell
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

“SMN Mascot plans to retire during 2020-21 school year”
Anna Miesner
The Mission
Shawnee Mission North High School
Overland Park, Kansas

“FBI opens civil rights investigation into 2018 police shooting of BVNW student”
Emma Johnson
BVNWnews
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Overland Park, Kansas

“KHS alumni share stories of sexual abuse”
Molly Higgins
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

“Risks of Returning”
Megan Miranda
Spark
Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio

“Their own fight”
Toby Barrett, Austin Williams
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“Strong through separation”
Austin Williams, Toby Barrett
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“Taking on Wall Street”
Toby Barrett, Austin Williams
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“Title IX: Reporting Sexual Misconduct at PAUSD”
Gina Bae, Gianna Brogley, Avantika Singh
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

“Living Through Fear”
Maddie Oliver, Lizzie Lively, Erin Reece, Mitri Krishna
The Express
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Overland Park, Kansas

“It was supposed to be a hospital, but it was basically a prison”
Leila Faraday, Sofia Roehrig
Silver Chips
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, Maryland

“Becoming myself: Brendon Rich”
Sophia Arndt
The Pony Express
Stillwater Area High School
Stillwater, Minnesota

“Self-medication: When substance abuse and mental health collide”
Ari Bowman, Eleanor Creelman, Greta Miller
The Stinger
Emmaus High School
Emmaus, Pennsylvania

“Miles for Miles”
Madi Olivier
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

“Kirsch family seeks peace after another tragic loss”
Kathleen Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas

“Rising from the ashes: activist reflects on 9/11, works to spread freedom”
Amanda Hare, Sailor Jane Mackenzie
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas

“No place to call home”
Gillian Knowles
The Edge
Pleasant Grove High School
Texarkana, Texas

“Confronting toxic masculinity”
Emily Forgash, Cameron Spurr
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom

“Sneakerheads: How sneaker culture impacts the basketball team”
Raegan Knobbe
The Union St. Journal
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, Colorado

“Grady Stadium renamed in remembrance of Eddie S. Henderson”
Ava Smith
The Southerner
Midtown High School
Atlanta, Georgia

“Beyond the binary”
Hanah Kitamoto, Caroline Mascardo
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa

“Hobbs Makes History”
Dan Gutenberg
The Communicator Magazine
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

“XC coach let go in surprise move to team; School board approves replacement”
Erick De La Rosa, Greta Miller
The Stinger
Emmaus High School
Emmaus, Pennsylvania

“Making History”
Sophia Sutter
El Paisano
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

“SPC cancels fall sports, leaving athletes unsure”
Peter Orsak, Luke Nayfa
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“Ball in a new court”
Hyunsung Na
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

“Reaching for the rings”
Sophia Craig
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

“Standing out is all Emma Yeager knows”
Maya Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas

“Fear, loathing and anonymity”
Molly Litvak
The Boiling Point
Shalhevet High School
Los Angeles, California

“Evening the Playing Field”
Jack Ververis
The Trinity Voice
Trinity Preparatory School
Winter Park, Florida

“Call Ed: White people you’ve had your rest”
Olivia Silvey
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood, Missouri

“Nevada needs to end poverty period”
Staff
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

“An open letter to a new year. We implore you.”
Staff
The Slate
Northern Lehigh High School
Slatington, Pennsylvania

“We can handle the whole truth”
Ellen Fox
The Shield Online
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

“Senator Cruz, it’s time to go.”
Staff
The ReMarker
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“Drug testing isn’t the best option for students”
Staff
The Marquee
Marcus High School
Flower Mound, Texas

“Tinker 2.0: Protect Students’ Rights”
Aleena Gul, Polina Zubarev
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia

“Vote For Religious Tolerance”
Saisha Dani, Shruthi Manimaran
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia

“Anger. Confusion. Hurt. Embarrassment. January 6.”
Eva Levin
Highlights
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills, California

“Va-MINE-a”
Anushka De, Oishee Misra
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California

“This Is Not About Abortion”
Isabelle Brady
The Talon
Del Norte High School
San Diego, California

“What We Learned from Those Who Feel Invisible”
Kaja Andric, Sam Cohen
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Florida

“Fridays at the Club”
Morgan Tate
The Northwest Passage
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee, Kansas

“The woke left’s thirst for retribution”
Ahmed Ahmed
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

“Opinion: The illusion of politics, how to play the game”
Jacquelyn Burrer
The Hawk Eye
Hebron High School
Carrollton, Texas

“Talks with my father”
Jamie Mahowald
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“America to me”
SeMaj Musco
Focus Magazine
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

“P.S. I won”
Lindsey Hughes
The Red Ledger
Lovejoy High School
Lucas, Texas