2025 Cartoon of the Year

NSPA honors top scholastic cartoons

Comic Strip/Panel • Editorial Cartoon

Nov. 15, 2025

National Scholastic Press Association salutes the winners of its 2025 Cartoon 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. 15, in Nashville.

Fall 2025 Pacemakers
Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine/ Specialty Magazine

2025 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

Nashville Best of Show
Individual Recognition
Staff Recognition

First Place
Elena Pozzo
The Puma Press
UPrep
Seattle, Washington
Grade Goals

Second Place
Anwen Chen
The Nueva School
The Nueva School
San Mateo, California
No Thoughts, Just Summer

Third Place
Lucy Jeffers
The Redwood Bark
Redwood High School (Larkspur, CA)
Larkspur, California
Student Security

Fourth Place
Anna Papanastassiou
Southwords
Maine South High School
Park Ridge, Illinois
Snow Go

Fifth Place
Yeju Seol
West Side Story
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City, Iowa
Haunting Headlines

Honorable Mention
Rozalia Finkelstein
Theogony
Alexandria City High School
Alexandria, Virginia
West End Girls

Callie Lonowski
The WIldcat
Brea Olinda High School
Brea, California
Losing in the Lunch Line

Leon Situ
Zephyrus
Edina High School
Edina, Minnesota
The Forever Election Cycle

Claire Therond
The Mix
Monarch High School
Louisville, Colorado
Life Cycle of an Artist

Emily Logan
Eagle Nation Online
Prosper High School
Prosper, Texas
Prosper High School by the Hours

First Place
Staff
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School Campanile
Palo Alto, California
Executive Order Attacking Birthright Citizenship Crosses Constitutional Line

Second Place
Christine Wang
Central Times
Naperville Central High School
Naperville, Illinois
New Swearing Policy Out of Touch with Social Norms, Reality

Third Place
Alisa Laura
The Mirror
Van Nuys High School
Van Nuys, California
Trump’s Cruel Immigration Machine

Fourth Place
Chloe Marshall
WordsWorth
Moorestown Friends School
Moorestown, New Jersey
Back to School Shopping

Fifth Place
Francesca Lorusso
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas
Shadowed Victories

Honorable Mention
Marlena Reinshagen
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California
Battling in Education

Clara Isom
The Stinger
Emmaus High School
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Trump Chops Down Department of Education

Sakura Mogami
The Highlander
McLean High School
McLean, Virginia
Stop the Silencing

Penelope Trott
The Redwood Bark
Redwood High School (Larkspur, CA)
Larkspur, California
Schools starved from Lack of USDA Funding

Annika Kim
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minnesota
Reaffirm Commitment to Diversity to Uphold Values