2026 Digital Story 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 Digital Story of the Year contests —
Multimedia News Story
listed by school in alpha order
Rohan Muni
The Gator
Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Voices From the Middle East
Mia Ghosh, Isla Iyer, Tsukina Ohashi, Talia Simon, Eleanna Swartz
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Celebrate the Music 2026
Michelle Chen, May Lin, Rowan Sheng, Anoushka Swaminathan, Ashlyn Wong
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Students Protest ICE in Walkout
Peter Atchley, Lea D’Angelo
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Parking Problems
Rachel Chio
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Revamping a Ghost Town
Anna Greenlee, Shanza Sami, Isaac Warner
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Exploring Iowa’s Legacy of Student Activism
Kieran Crist-Kenworthy, Clover Martin
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, Oregon
Immigration Crackdown Spurs Growing Fear, Debate
Ellie Liu, Selvi Radia, Kensi Renwick, Annie Seeman, Mattea Vergara
The UltraViolet
Marlborough School, Los Angeles, California
Voices of the Fires
Julius Li, Caroline Su
The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Chinese Language Reinstated Amid Community Criticism
Grace Berger
The Rubicon
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Saint Paul, Minnesota
ICE Presence on Indigenous Lands Opens Old Wounds
Multimedia Feature Story
listed by school in alpha order
Madilyn Shoop-Gardner, Caitlin Stehr
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
The Life of Keith LaMar
May Lin
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Arrowsmithing
Lea D’Angelo, Abigail Holloway
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Inkspired
Ayaan Haque
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Emergency Center Provides Home for Guardian Angels
Ayaan Haque
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Investigating Dispute, Development at North Lake
Jake Beneke, Shanza Sami, Colin Wehrle
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
A Fare-Free Future?
Ella Ciliberto
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Fertile Fields, Foul Currents
Paghunda Ali, Karin Leverett, Caroline Su, Jiayue Zou
The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Freedom Under Fire
Saher Punshi
The Standard
The American School in London, London, England
Don’t Forget to Look Up
Annabelle Hage, Shawnie Loveless, Fiona Peltonen
Wayland Student Press Network
Wayland High School, Wayland, Massachusetts
Going to School in Era of Rampant Gun Violence
Multimedia Sports Story
listed by school in alpha order
Lea D’Angelo, Liya Taylor, David Wang
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
The Glory of ’85
Lucy Lowenschuss
The Communicator
Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
A Record-Breaking Victory
Staff
Manual RedEye
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
UFL Brings Professional Football Back to Louisville
Colin Wehrle
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Wrestlers and Weight Management
Evelyn Kraber
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Journey Through Injury, Loss and Success
Tricia Darcy
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Opportunities Continue to Grow for Girls in Sports
Owen Francis, Will Nolan, Will Quinney, MaryKate Stroud
LHSToday
Liberty High School, Lake Saint Louis, Missouri
Senior Athletes Commit to the Next Level
Ritik Shenoy, Kate Yang
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Chen Commits to Carnegie Mellon University
Isabel Erickson, Allie O’Boyle
The Oracle
The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
A Solo Season
Joey Fay
Wayland Student Press Network
Wayland High School, Wayland, Massachusetts
Coach Doherty Steps Down After 17 Seasons
Photo Slideshow
listed by school in alpha order
Mason Petkov
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
East vs. Lenape Boys’ Basketball
Colin Wehrle, Taelim Yoon
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Boys Swimming Dominates District Meet
Eli Batcheller
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, Oregon
Portland’s Approach to Protesting the Trump Administration
Staff
RockMedia
Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
The Week in Photos
Maddy McKenna
The Patriot
Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Dominate the Vikings
Laila Taraporevala
The Standard
The American School in London, London, England
Students Perform in Musical ‘Urinetown’
Naomi Benton, Viren de Jeu, Noah Gunning, Bryce Kenny, Calder Wong
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Game Faces
Elspeth LaCroix-Birdthistle, Ari Novak, Sohana Schneider, Declan Smith, Calder Wong
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Lab Community Participates in ‘No Kings’ Protests
Joe Nogalski
Featherduster
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
Chaps Take Down Knights
Jakeman Strelitz
Featherduster
Westlake High School, Austin, Texas
Varsity Volleyball Advances to Area Championship
Interactive Graphic
listed by school in alpha order
Annika Kumar, Tsukina Ohashi
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
The Sinking of Jakarta
Chloe Ren, Dino Russo
Eastside
Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Test Your Artificial Intelligence Literacy
Rachel Chio, Karthika Dayanand, Eirene Park, Hamza Zakir
The Sidekick
Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
Departure for D115 Approaches
Jersey Dubis
FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Recycle vs. Trash Challenge
Jake Beneke
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Indigenous Nations of Iowa
Jasmine Wu
The UltraViolet
Marlborough School, Los Angeles, California
Trump’s Grant Cuts Impact Women and Girls in STEM
Julius Li
The Highlander
McLean High School, McLean, Virginia
Starving for Control
Tarek Ahmad
The Standard
The American School in London, London, England
Russian Hockey Players Must Be Allowed to Compete
Reese Carsley, Gabi Morillo Dal Piccol, Lana Weber
The Falconer
Torrey Pines High School, San Diego, California
Holiday Gift Guide
Staff
VNHSMirror
Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
NASA’s Artemis II Mission Will Send Astronauts Around the Moon
Podcast
listed by school in alpha order
Maddie Lynn
Manual RedEye
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Struggling Through Senioritis
Maggie Stone
On the Record
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Balancing Act
Olive Bosanquet
FHNtoday
Francis Howell North High School, Saint Charles, Missouri
Mitski the Losing Dog
Emma Lai
West Side Story
Iowa City West High, Iowa City, Iowa
Understanding Iowa’s Water Quality Crisis
Henry Eckersley
The Southerner
Midtown High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Washington Retires After Decades of Service
Max Zelniker
The Southerner
Midtown High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Departure for D115 Approaches
Stella Ock
Tiger Times
Seoul International School, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
SIS Perspectives on the Anxious Generation
William Burger, Judah Sanchez
The Review
St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
AI, Data Centers, the Disneyland of Energy
Beyla Patil
The Oracle
The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
Understanding Period Irregularities
Nadia Washington
U-High Midway
University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
Community to Raise Awareness About ICE Threat
Blog
listed by school in alpha order
May Lin
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Breaking the Ice
Samaya Ellis
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Solidifying a Melting Mask
Rola Ali, Kayla Lee
The Prospector
Cupertino High School, Cupertino, California
Losing Touch With My Home Country
Andrew Pulido
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
The Chance to Chart a New Identity
Benjamin Haines
The Little Hawk
Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Film Reviews
Sydney Ortiz
Kingwood Park Times
Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas
Sports Knowledge Not Limited to Boys
Kiley Huang, Josie Mottl
The Kirkwood Call
Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
ICE Protest
Finn Christensen-McElroy
The La Salle Falconer
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory, Milwaukie, Oregon
What Our Culture Needs Now
Radhika Dharmapurikar
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
Tongue-Tied
Jonah Chang
El Estoque
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
The Bittersweet Success of Outgrowing Allergies