NSPA announces winners of spring Clips & Clicks contest

Sept. 16, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS — Congratulations to the winners of the Clips & Clicks contest for the springx 2026 semester — and to the NSPA-member student media outlets competing for this year’s Sweepstakes.

The competition, open to all NSPA members, honors current work among student journalists, and the spring-semester winners feature work produced from Dec. 13, 2025 to May 8, 2026.

There were 600 submissions in the spring competition. Judges were collegiate professors, student media advisers and professional journalists.

“The judges consistently said they were very impressed with the quality of the entries submitted,” associate director Gary Lundgren said. 

In all, 114 entries, approximately 19 percent of those entered, were recognized. The number of winners in each category was determined by the judges based on the quantity and quality of the entries. When calculating Sweepstakes, the following points are assigned —

First Place: 10
Second Place: 9
Third Place: 8
Fourth Place: 7
Fifth Place: 6
Honorable Mention: 5

The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School
claims 2025-26 Sweepstakes

Congratulations to The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, winner of this year’s Clips & Clicks Sweepstakes trophy. This marks the second time The Harbinger has claimed the Sweepstakes trophy with a previous win 2023-24.

Sweepstakes rankings are by NSPA-member student media outlet, not by school. Results of both fall and spring contests generate final standings. The Top 10 winners are listed below.

First Place
Students Rally Against ICE in Walkout
Rowan Sheng
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Second Place
Students Walkout to Protest ICE
Emily Chan, Medha Muppidi
InFocus
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Third Place
Students Walk Out to Denounce ICE
Tania Lopez, Jasmine Thompson
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California

First Place
Preparing Students for the World of Creative Work
Joy Kahtan
Gilbert Christian Television News
Gilbert Christian High School
Gilbert, Arizona

Second Place
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Gabby Spitzer
Gilbert Christian Television News
Gilbert Christian High School
Gilbert, Arizona

Third Place
How SUHSD’s Central Kitchen Feeds Thousands Every Day
May Lin, Jayden Young
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Fourth Place
Rowan Ricklefs
Macy Clark, Troy Jones, Izzy Miller
KLHS News
Liberty High School
Liberty, Missouri

Fifth Place
Vanguard
Magnolia Carroll
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

First Place
F1 Hits the Marina Green
Ian Harvie, Om Rajan
InFocus
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Second Place
Boys Varsity Track Team Breaks Records
Samaya Ellis
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Third Place
Bouncing Back Through Adversity
Hunter Prince
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

First Place
PAEA Teachers’ Union
Alon Milman, Mateo Rosas, Melody Xu
InFocus
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

First Place
Outlines of Culture
Libby Marsh
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Second Place
Time to Speak Out
Emlyn McKinney
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Third Place
On Ice
Zanna Allen
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Fourth Place
Save the Date
Ella Hughes, Emily Yen
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Fifth Place
Volume Up on Vax
Kiara Benoit
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Florida

First Place
Vibrant by Design
Elisa Cormier, Josie Stout
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

Second Place
A Look Inside the Urban Legend Newsroom
Daphne Gilman
The Urban Legend
Urban School of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

Third Place
Organs Not an Instrument
Julia Campbell
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Fourth Place
Running Past Records
Liza Larson
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Fifth Place
Volume Up on Vax
Kiara Benoit
The Muse
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
West Palm Beach, Florida

Honorable Mention
FD & BAPS Book Survey
Gideon Hock, Kristin Min
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Reclaimed
Daniel Jacob, Milly Sandstrom
The Communicator Magazine
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

When in Chrome
Beatrix Lozach
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Have We Fallen out of Love With Dating?
Jennifer Lin, Michelle Liu, Emily Yen
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

On the Cutting Edge
Josh Sopha
The Eyrie
Olathe South High School
Olathe, Kansas

First Place
Alchemy
Celina Zhou
Melodrama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

First Place
A 16-Year-Old’s Guide to Adulthood
Finley Sleppy
Iliad
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Second Place
Child of Magnolia
Fiona Van Allen
Melodrama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

Third Place
Stretching for Success
Kathryn Winters
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

First Place
Night of Dance
Paige Kim, Emma Lerner, Catalina Lopez-Sanchez, Ava Lucas
Hestia’s Flame
The Archer School for Girls
Los Angeles, California

Second Place
We Speak Out
Paige Kim, Catalina Lopez-Sanchez
The Oracle
Hestia’s Flame
Los Angeles, California

Third Place
Women Can Do It
Liliana Rogers, Jozlynn Smith, Vivian Gerch-Vertullo
The Trail
McIntosh High School
Peachtree City, Georgia

Fourth Place
Winter Is Coming
Anna Marie Fortner, Dylan Cajun Lopez, Emma Roldan, Savannah Wright
The Trail
McIntosh High School
Peachtree City, Georgia

Fifth Place
Pep Rally
Autumn Dilmore
The Oviedian
Oviedo High School
Oviedo, Florida

Honorable Mention
Winter Break
Tessa Olschansky
Rambler
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

For Norah
Ivana Todorova
Rambler
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

Breaking the Code
Simone Dusek
Raider
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida

Ready for Trends
Lila Diekmann
Epic
Legend High School
Parker, Colorado

New Beginnings
Anna Cruz, Valentina Mouhaffel Mattey
Raider
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida

First Place
‘Enchanted Garden’ Takes Over Prom
Audryn Lee
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

Second Place
The Silenced Cell
Bryant Hu
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Third Place
Sea Angels
Cara Harrington
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

Fourth Place
What’s Your SME Spirit Animal?
Michael Yi
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Fifth Place
Ice Under Trump
Celina Zhou
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

First Place
One of Many
Dashel Chun
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Second Place
Loud and Proud
Dashel Chun
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Third Place
Sister Solidarity
Ava Towner
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Fourth Place
Honor Grad Capp
Gianna Fusco
Oviedo Now
Oviedo High School
Oviedo, Florida

Fifth Place
Ice Out
Dashel Chun
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

First Place
Banding Together
Dashel Chun
The Campanile
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, California

Second Place
In the Spotlight
Susana Sahagun
Raider
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida

Third Place
New Wish Run
Colin Daugherty
Epic
Legend High School
Parker, Colorado

Fourth Place
Glow and Behold
Ava Lucas
Hestia’s Flame
The Archer School for Girls
Los Angeles, California

Fifth Place
Get Schooled
Ty Abel
The Image
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California

Honorable Mention
Exploring the Brain
Tyler Russell
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Bound by Rhythm
Molly McDermed
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Costume Change
Jake Strelitz
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Diamonds in the Sky
Catalina Lopez-Sanchez
Hestia’s Flame
The Archer School for Girls
Los Angeles, California

Feel the Rhythm
Susana Sahagun
Raider
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida

First Place
Beating the Ball
Everett Lemon
The Image
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California

Second Place
Scots Conquer Knights at Oracle Park
Mia Masukawa
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Third Place
Dust Up
Joe Nogalski
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Fourth Place
Daniel Dunks
Gianna Fusco
Oviedo Now
Oviedo High School
Oviedo, Florida

Fifth Place
Goal: Check
Cody Arenholz
The Eyrie
Olathe South High School
Olathe, Kansas

Honorable Mention
Pressure on the Ball
Sophia Cicero
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Last Shot
Evan Hildner
The Image
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California

Basketball
Seth Johnson
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

Hangtime in Motion
Brandon Poust
Epic
Legend High School
Parker, Colorado

Takedown
Cody Arenholz
The Eyrie
Olathe South High School
Olathe, Kansas

First Place
Security Cameras Can Recognize Faces
Maximus Kwan
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Second Place
The Public Individual
Loukya Gillella, Emery Mao, Isaac Zelinske, Angella Zhang
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

Third Place
Celebrate the Music
Mia Ghosh, Isla Iyer, Tsukina Ohashi, Talia Simon, Eleanna Swartz
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

Fourth Place
Students Walk Out to Denounce ICE
Linus Bossardt, Jenny Marquez
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California

Fifth Place
Proposed State Phone Restrictions Won’t Impact Brimmer
Rohan Muni
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Honorable Mention
Students of Color Question Their Place at Buckley
Benicio Abrego, Nylah Mondesir
The Student Voice
The Buckley School
Sherman Oaks, California

Ice in Washtenaw
Daniel Jacob, Sadie Palay
The Communicator Magazine
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

All Girls Group Advances
Celia John
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

Rising Concern Due to School Safety
Desirae Carns, Louise Gaguet, Megan Ramirez
The Pearl Post
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
Lake Balboa, California

Power Outage Causes Class Cancellations
Harry Alig, Angel Huang, Sophia Kim, Henry Kramer, Akshay Pandya
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

First Place
Celebrating Their Cultures
Grace Pei
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Second Place
Inside the Heart of City Coffee & Creperie
Luke Jeans
The Globe
Clayton High School
Clayton, Missouri

Third Place
Blinding Light
Luciana Mendy
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Fourth Place
Parent Recounts Career With USAID
Payton Tu
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Fifth Place
Turning Setback Into Service
Ainsley Bass, Sarah Nguyen, Ailey Takashima
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Honorable Mention
Rolling the Dice
Tiya Kaul
Panorama
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
St. Louis, Missouri

Crossing With Connections
Avni Bansal
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Cook Announces She’ll Author a Cookbook
Allie Hartman
The Trail
McIntosh High School
Peachtree City, Georgia

Advocating for Advocacy
Zanna Allen
The Shield
McCallum High School
Austin, Texas

Artist Burotte Visits Visual Arts Program
Stella Cardoso
The Raider Voie
Gulliver Preparatory School
Miami, Florida

First Place
The Time Is Now
Charlotte Burnap
The Oracle
The Archer School for Girls
Los Angeles, California

Second Place
Cannon’s Journey
Michael Yi
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Third Place
The Weighing Game
Caroline Beal
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Fourth Place
Coffman Tosses ‘Unreal’ No-Hitter
Preston Wu
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Fifth Place
Three Takeaways From Overtime Win
Miles Strelitz
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Honorable Mention
Gators Take a Competitive Step Forward
Gabe Cohen
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

In Her DNA
Kye Streetman
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Inside Student-Athlete Recruitment
Jeffrey Heng, Fryashti Mishra, Nishta Subramanian, Emily S. Wang
The Spoke
Conestoga High School
Berwyn, Pennsylvania

New Coach New Program
Andrew Stout
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Students Invent Favorite Pastimes
Ved Kulkarni, Preston Wu
The Review
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

First Place
Head of School Signs Press Freedom Affirmation
Gabe Cohen, Rachael Rosenberg
The Gator
Brimmer and May School
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Second Place
Our Take: ESOL
Staff
Odyssey Media Group
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Third Place
The UC System Is Failing California
Emi Sim
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

First Place
Thoughts, Prayers, IG
Edie Ash
Odyssey
Clarke Central High School
Athens, Georgia

Second Place
What’s Wrong?
Christopher Long
The Harbinger
Shawnee Mission East High School
Prairie Village, Kansas

Third Place
Daylight Savings Is a Tired-Out Tradition
Nam-Anh Lê
The Charger Account
Dos Pueblos High School
Goleta, California

Fourth Place
Project Hail Mary: New Sci-Fi Adaptation Rocks
Mallory Denis
Oviedo Now
Oviedo High School
Oviedo, Florida

Fifth Place
When Stories Lose Their Soul
Aashka Kancharla
Voice
Vandegrift High School
Austin, Texas

Honorable Mention
Creating Change
Lucy Lowenschuss, Jessica Rothstein
The Communicator Magazine
Community High School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Leaders Are Sacrificing the Future of Younger Generations
Louisa Rich-Gayko
Scot Scoop
Carlmont High School
Belmont, California

The POV of a Protester
Elia Holland
Trail
McIntosh High School
Peachtree City, Georgia

Artemis II Represents More Than Just Space Exploration
Betty Jane Plitt
Trail
McIntosh High School
Peachtree City, Georgia

Snowstorm Wasn’t Just Weather, It’s a Warning
Simon Burke
The Featherduster
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas