NSPA honors top digital storytelling in scholastic journalism

Digital Story of the Year

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Nov. 9, 2024

National Scholastic Press Association salutes the winners of its 2024 Digital Story of the Year competition.

NSPA’s Individual Awards are among the top prizes in scholastic media, and the awards are a showcase of journalistic excellence.

Winners were announced during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Media Convention, on Nov. 9, in Philadelphia.

2024 Fall Convention Awards

Fall 2024 Pacemakers
Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine/ Specialty Magazine

2024 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
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Fred Ross Systemic Change Student Journalism Competition
Local Climate Change Reporting
Portfolio of the Year
Best Use of Social Media

Philadelphia Best of Show
Individual Recognition
Staff Recognition

First Place
Staff
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minnesota
Israel-Hamas war today

Second Place
Staff
MFS WordsWorth
Moorestown Friends School
Moorestown, New Jersey
2024 Mock Primary Election

Third Place
Sophia Bateman, Oskar Doepke
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Following the Funds: An inside look into the High School’s finances

Fourth Place
Arden Margulis
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School
Atherton, California
Behind the Two Legal Organizations Investigating Antisemitism at SUHSD

Fifth Place
Ella Herrera, Sakura Mogami
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia
Palestinian student activism directly impacts communities in NOVA

Honorable Mention
Muskaan Batra, Matthew Berkery, Karina Gupta, Jiwoo Lee, Kaylee Yoon
Eastside Cherry Hill High School
East Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Investigating Different Studying Habits and Techniques

Staff
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minnesota
Community Day

Elaine Jiang, Arianna Zhu, Alexandra Chan, Katherine Zhang, Isabella Zarzar
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival showcases Japanese cultural pride in bloom

Maggie Simonyan, Andre Arcilla, Alexa Garay
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California
Traffic congestion raises safety concerns for school community

Rachael Rosenberg
The Gator Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Academic Priorities Limit Club Meeting Periods

First Place
Elaine Jiang, Isabelle Ling, Kiana Chen, Isabella Zarzar, Franklin Kuo
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Middle ground: Reconciling free speech and university response to pro-Palestinian protests

Second Place
Evan Michaeli
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Choking Ourselves to Death

Third Place
Sophia Bateman, Anna Reznick
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Shadowed by sexism: How gender inequality manifests in school community

Fourth Place
Nick Wood, Mars Canepa, Noah Bihan, Alex Edwards
The Dispatch
James Bowie High School
Austin, Texas
These bees buzzzz

Fifth Place
Staff
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas
Opening doors to appreciating Black history

Honorable Mention
Gabe Deedler, Neila Shee, Payton Sly
The Communicator Online
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Long Road to Citizenship

Seyun Park, Mia Halper
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School
Bethesda, Maryland
Future uncertain for Capitals following trade deadline

Katie Ray McKillop
The Oracle
The Archer School for Girls
Los Angeles, California
Conscious consuming: Sustainable fashion practices help slow climate change

Rania Raj, Meher Sareen
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Jeffrey Gettleman strives to empower readers through words, bridge communities

Lily Daniel, Alice Sheffer
C Magazine
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California
Rhythm & Roots

First Place
Franklin Kuo, Isabella Rice, Alyssa Bish
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
What makes athletes great

Second Place
Maya Silberman, Haley Ward
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
Friday Night Lights

Third Place
Seyun Park
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School
Bethesda, Maryland
Back-and-forth game sends softball into first-ever state semifinal

Fourth Place
Elaine Jiang
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Getting on track

Fifth Place
Ryan Shapiro, Addyson Schick
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
At the home of the Alamo, girls’ basketball becomes unforgettable

Honorable Mention
Gianna Liu, Anna Song, Celia Sadewasser
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa
The CC Effect

Noah Bihan, Nick Wood, Will Olenick, Slyder Degalia, Austin Ikard
The Dispatch
James Bowie High School
Austin, Texas
Mountain Baker

Cadence Schapker, Anna Shaikun, Wyatt Meyer, Cooper Jones, Evan Cornish
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia
57th Classic City Championship Package

Meghan Heins, Vania Rometty
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas
Varsity boys soccer travels to San Antonio to face Harlan in the regional tournament

Thomas Chen
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minnesota
First Ultimate game unites new and returning players

First Place
Sydney Ortiz, Fallon Head
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School
Kingwood, Texas
Kingwood Park’s Class of 2024 finds joy in final night together

Second Place
Mia Lipson, Chloé Alexander, Jaya Alenghat, Olin Nafziger
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois
After 8 days, UChicago pro-Palestine encampment removed on morning of May 7

Third Place
Gianna Liu, Zoe Smith
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa West
High’s first Homecoming Parade

Fourth Place
Krista Fleming
The Hawk Eye
Hebron High School
Carrollton, Texas
Theater to perform “Clue” Oct. 12 and 14

Fifth Place
Motoko Iwata
The Paly Voice
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California
The protests of May 10

Honorable Mention

Staff
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Chicago, Illinois
Eclipse excitement: Lab community gathers to celebrate unique celestial event

Caroline Martucci, Clara Peters, Amelie Wong
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Shawnee Mission East Class of 2024 Graduation

Aden Ovenden, Yiannis Theofilopoulos
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Crew athletes compete in Chiswick Regatta

Nora Mariano, Abigail Lee, Elsie McAndrews
HiLite Online
Carmel High School
Carmel, Indiana
Christkindlmarkt Photo Gallery

Shaona Das
The Prospector
Cupertino High School
Cupertino, California
Football vs. Bear Creek High School Cupertino California

First Place
Kalista Palarca
Southwest Shadow
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada What’s your Aesthetic?

Second Place
Haik Ushaglyan, Baron Kim
The Mirror
Van Nuys HIgh School
Van Nuys, California
Black History timeline: The Civil Rights movement

Third Place
Isabella Zarzar
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
A Brief History of Japanese Americans

Fourth Place
Michael Baker III, Pratha Ravani
Uncaged
Freedom High School
South Riding, Virginia
Class of 2023 Senior Map

Fifth Place
Daniel Hemati
The Huron
Emery Huron High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan The United States Government Pushes to Boost Sales of Electric Vehicles

Honorable Mention

Jordyn Green
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas
Starting the School

Staff
MFS WordsWorth
Moorestown Friends School
Moorestown, New Jersey
Traveling Far and Wide: 2024 Intensive Learning Feature

Sophia Bateman
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Phoebe Krumich embraces passion for literature, writing through education

Maya Silberman
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
15 Redhawks named National Merit Semifinalists

Arden Margulis
M-A Chronicle
Menlo-Atherton High School
Atherton, California
Behind the Two Legal Organizations Investigating Antisemitism at SUHSD

First Place
Emlyn McKinney
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia
Letter to my younger self: Emlyn McKinney

Second Place
Emily Diaz
Eagle Nation News
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
An Interview With My Mom

Third Place
Matthew Quesada, Marcos Montesino, Abbey Suarez, Mia Ortiz, Christopher Gonzalez
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School
Miami, Florida
Dominoes in the Park: A Miami Tradition

Fourth Place
Sara Gelrud, Valeria Bigott
Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida
Striking Through Hollywood: The Breakdown

Fifth Place
Gianna Liu
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa
Tech Talk: Let’s Chat: GPT

Honorable Mention

Matthew Quesada, Marcos Montesino, Abbey Suarez, Mia Ortiz, Christopher Gonzalez
CCNN Live
Christopher Columbus High School
Miami, Florida
The Dangers of Digital Dating

Liam Barrett
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School
Bethesda, Maryland
The Change-Up: State of the School

Sarah Matzkin
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
The Power of Music

Jaden Gardiola
The Standard
The American School in London
London, United Kingdom
Have a Seat: Assistant High School Principal Natalie Maisey reflects on assuming new role, leadership

First Place
Rowan Bienapfl, Rita Tran
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory
Milwaukie, Oregon
Let’s Talk, Period.

Second Place
Isabella Westrich
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia
Rose-colored glasses

Third Place
Surabhi Komanduri
Uncaged
Freedom High School
South Riding, Virginia
Students’ Stress Over Competitive School Environment

Fourth Place
Meggie Chen
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School
Cupertino, California
Fruit(less) communication

Fifth Place
Lucy Walker
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas
Katy Kirby’s ‘Blue Raspberry’ is a gem

Honorable Mention

Lea Garcia-Salazar
Wingspan
Liberty High School
Frisco, Texas
The Fresh Perspective

Jonah Pedroza
The Rider Online
Legacy High School
Mansfield, Texas
Bronco Nation, Now What?

Kate Cooper
Raider Voice
Gulliver Preparatory
School Miami, Florida
Zak the Baker: A Miami Staple

Shrikha Balaji
Uncaged
Freedom High School
South Riding, Virginia
Hidden Gems Amongst Electives

Peter Philpott
The Union St. Journal
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, Colorado
Peanuts and Cracker Jack #10: 2023’s Biggest Surprises