2026 Cartoon 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 Cartoon of the Year contests —
Comic Strip/Panel
listed by school in alpha order
Rozalia Finkelstein
Theogony
Alexandria City High School, Alexandria, Virginia
West End Girls
Keira Sarmiento
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Monty vs. the Lunch Line
Zane Razzak
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Unexpected Material
Athira Kasthuri
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
“Schooled” Comics
Vi Ciccone
Zephyrus
Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota
Sitting in Class in September
Justin Phelps
The Huron Emery
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Misfits
Drew Oberholtzer
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Twp., Ohio
Drew’s Drawings
Hannah Taylor
The Network
Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska
How to Build a Boyfriend
Sam Berntsen
The Puma Press
UPrep, Seattle, Washington
Let’s Talk Politics
Jay Resnik
The Pitch
Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Maryland
UMD Accepts Record Low Percentage of WJ Applicants
Editorial Cartoon
listed by school in alpha order
Zane Razzak
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Epic Fury
Athira Kasthuri
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Welcome Ms. Walker
Ani Ly
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
A Final Line Left Unwritten
James Chu
The Crane-Clarion
Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Access Denied
Beatrix Montabon
Zephyrus
Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota
The Suspension of Freedom
Emery Mao
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Head of Science
Suri Wolfark
Spark
Lakota East High School, Liberty Twp., Ohio
Connection or Obsession?
Sonia Loizos
Southwords
Maine South High School, Park Ridge, Illinois
Incentives for Electives Cartoon
Alaina Kroll
The Network
Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Girl Math
Fox Therond
The Mix
Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
How to Build a Boyfriend