Fall 2020 Best of Show
National Scholastic Press Association’s Best of Show competition honored student journalists and their organizations during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, produced virtually Nov. 19-21, 2020.
Students registered for the convention were eligible to enter their work for consideration.
Winners were announced in a convention awards ceremony on Nov. 21.
Fall 2020 NSPA Pacemaker Awards
Broadcast • Newspaper/Newsmagazine/Specialty Magazine
2020 Individual Awards
Broadcast • Cartoon • Design
Digital Story • Photo • Portfolio • Story
Social Justice Reporting • Local Climate Change Reporting
Best Use of Social Media • COVID-19 Coverage
Middle School
WATCH the awards presentation.
Staff recognition
Newspaper
1. Eagle Edition, Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
2. The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
3. The Prospector, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
4. The Chronicle, Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California
5. The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
6. Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
7. The Edge, Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas
8. The Huron Emery, Ann Arbor Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
9. The Little Hawk, Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
10. The Tribal Tribune, Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Newsmagazine
1. Comet, Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana
2. The Eagle Eye, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
3. El Estoque, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California
4. West Side Story, Iowa City West High School, Iowa City, Iowa
5. The Kirkwood Call, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
6. The Express, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
7. The Orange & Black, Grand Junction High School, Grand Junction, Colorado
8. The Standard, Blue Valley Southwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
9. Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, Missouri
10. Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
Newspaper (Junior High/Middle School)
1. The Occurrence, Bryant Junior High School, Bryant, Arkansas
Newspaper/Newsmagazine (Special Edition)
1. The Kirkwood Call, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
2. The Print Newsmagazine, Heritage High School, Frisco, Texas
3. The Standard, Blue Valley Southwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
4. The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, California
5. Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
6. NCHS Live!, North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana
7. The Boiling Point, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles, California
8. North Star, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri
9. The Standard, The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
10. Image, Lafayette High School, Wildwood, Missouri
Website (less than 1,500 students)
1. The Boiling Point, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles, California
2. The Rubicon Online, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
3. The Oracle, The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
4. Echo, St. Louis Park High School, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
5. DartNewsOnline, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, Missouri
6. U-High Midway, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
7. The Orange and Black, Grand Junction High School, Grand Junction, Colorado
8. The Pearl Post, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Lake Balboa, California
9. The Hawkeye, Mountlake Terrace High School, Mountlake Terrace, Washington
10. Tonka News, Winnetonka High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Website (1,500 or more students)
1. The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
2. The Little Hawk, Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
3. Scot Scoop, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
4. The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
5. The Budget Online, Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas
6. Coppell Student Media, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
7. PDL Lamplighter, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, Kentucky
8. Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
9. The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
10. The Huron Emery, Ann Arbor Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Broadcast News Program (High School)
1. RNE-TV, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina
2. VATV, Van Alstyne High School, Van Alstyne, Texas
3. Coyote Nation TV, Heritage High School, Frisco, Texas
4. ECSN, East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
5. Mustang News, Fulton Science Academy Private School, Alpharetta, Georgia
6. MHS1, McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
7. JNN, Joseph Gregori High School, Modesto, California
8. KnightTV, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
9. JAG TV, Claudia Taylor Johnson High School, San Antonio, Texas
10. Tower Broadcast News, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
Broadcast News Program (Junior High/Middle School)
1. WSMS TV News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas
Literary Arts Magazine
1. Artifex, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
2. Iris: Art + Lit, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul, Minnesota
3. Ingenium, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Mobile, Alabama
4. Iliad Literary-Art Magazine, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
5. Inkslinger, Darlington School, Rome, Georgia
6. Silhouette, Sparkman High School, Harvest, Alabama
Yearbook (608-352 pages)
1. The Pilot, Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach, California
2. Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
3. Black and Gold, Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
4. The Lion, McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
5. Horizon, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
6. The Dragon, Carroll Senior High School, Southlake, Texas
7. Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
8. Ledoian, Aledo High School, Aledo, Texas
9. Aerie, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
10. Etruscan, Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois
Yearbook (349-296 pages)
1. Indian, Shawnee Mission North High School, Overland Park, Kansas
2. Tesserae, Corning Painted Post High School, Corning, New York
3. Odyssey, University High School, Orange City, Florida
4. Marquee, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida
5. Fusion, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
6. Aftermath, Palm Harbor University High School, Palm Harbor, Florida
7. Wingspan, James Enochs High School, Modesto, California
8. Kodiak, Bridgeland High School, Cypress, Texas
9. Carillon, Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
10. Lykos, Woodcreek High School, Roseville, California
Yearbook (288-224 pages)
1. Reflections, Brighton High School, Brighton, Colorado
2. The Tribute, Heritage High School, Frisco, Texas
3. Red and Black, Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas
4. The Knight, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
5. Mountaineer, Rogers High School, Rogers, Arkansas
6. Spur, Parkway Central High School, St. Louis, Missouri
7. The Lair, Leander High School, Leander, Texas
8. Lion’s Roar, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tennessee
9. Details, Whitney High School, Rocklin, California
10. The Wildcat, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, Arkansas
Yearbook (223-110 pages)
1. Munhinotu, Gresham High School, Gresham, Oregon
2. The Bard, Hill Country Christian School, Austin, Texas
3. The Hawk, Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas
4. Paragon, Munster High School, Munster, Indiana
5. Maverick, McNeil High School, Austin, Texas
6. The Clipper, Kearney High School, Kearney, Missouri
7. Priam, Longmont High School, Longmont, Colorado
8. Washingtonian, Washington High School, Washington, Missouri
9. The Pirateer, Platte County High School, Platte City, Missouri
10. Daedalus, Northeastern High School, Manchester, Pennsylvania
Yearbook (Junior High/Middle School)
1. The Prowl, Powell Middle School, Littleton, Colorado
2. The Round-Up, Woodland Junior High School, Fayetteville, Arkansas
3. Oro, Cactus Canyon Junior High School, Apache Junction, Arizona
4. Panther, Ridgeview Middle School, Round Rock, Texas
5. Crusader, Castle Rock Middle School, Castle Rock, Colorado
6. Eagle Eye View, Sierra Middle School, Parker, Colorado
7. Ingenium, Greenfield Junior High School, Gilbert, Arizona
8. Blue and White, Bryant Junior High School, Bryant, Arkansas
9. Crusaders, Salem Academy Christian/Middle School, Salem, Oregon
10. Surfer, Coronado Middle School, Coronado, California
Individual recognition
Editorial Leadership
1. Emma Johnson
The Express, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
2. Ethan Willick
Panorama, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri
3. Grant Johnson
Hill Top News, Rock Hill High School, Frisco, Texas
4. Savannah Hernandez
The Pitchfork, Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia
5. Cade Spencer
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
6. Naomi Hendershot
Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
7. Elizabeth Keane
The Prospector, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
8. Alexandra Rozmarin
Aquila, University Preparatory Academy, San Jose, California
9. Seunghyun Kim
Mustang News, Fulton Science Academy Private School, Alpharetta, Georgia
10. Emily Rutledge
Prospective, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas
Blog
1. Tate Larsen
Tate’s Car Corner
Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
2. Sal Cerrell, Cameron Spurr
Politics Update
The Standard, The American School in London, London, United Kingdom
3. Lucciana Choueiry
Beirut explosion survivor tells her story
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
4. Brendan Burke
Prospector Political Publish Week #30
The Prospector Now, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
5. Casey Chang
My Experience Testing for COVID-19
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
6. Ellen Fox, Madelynn Niles, Grace Nugent
N&N at the Movies
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
Podcast
1. Trisha Khattar, Nina Moothedath
Back to School: Tips, Tricks and Advice for Distance Learning
Anchor, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
2. Nina Moothedath
Beneath the Surface: Disney’s Past with Queer Representation
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
3. Evelyn Griffin, Theo Roe, Alysa Spiro
The Feedback Loop
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
4. Maddie Moats, Christi Norris, Caroline Wilburn
History’s Forgotten: Episode 1
Eagle Nation Online, Prosper High School, Prosper, Texas
5. Nina Moothedath, Trisha Khattar
Beneath the Surface: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Most Influential Cases
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
6. Nina Moothedath, Trisha Khattar
Back To School: How It’ll Work
Anchor, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
7. Anna McClellan, Grace Nugent, Theo Roe, Elisha Scott, Alysa Spiro
The S Word Podcast
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
8. Sevak Harutyunyan, Lou Pendergrass
Two Cents Podcast Episode 4
The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
9. Colin Barnes
Living in a Pandemic and the 2020 Election
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
10. Jaydev Pant, Alex Amster, Kyle Reims
3 and Out – 2020/21 Episode – Ep. 3
Chronicle Podcast Network, Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California
Literary Magazine Design
1. Beatrice Acheson, Owen Austin-Totty, Andrew Robinson
Doodles/The Search
Iliad Literary-Art Magazine, Clarke Central High Shcool, Athens, Georgia
2. Bianca Diaz
Ample Ablution
The Lost Art, McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
3. Cheyenne Brown, Ruth Estrada, Elizabeth Payton, Matthew Payton, Daniel Smith
Celebrate the Moment
Griffin Rites, Winnetonka High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Newspaper/Newsmagazine Design
1. Courtney Krebs
A Minute’s Influence
The Express, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
2. Ella Rosewarne
Proust Questionnaire: Leah White
The Communicator Magazine, Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
3. Marandah Mangra-Dutcher
Let the Dragons Roar
The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
4. Antony Nepeyvoda, Andre Rodas, Ani Tutunjyan
Fight to the finish: Gentle Joe vs. the Donald
The Mirror, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys, California
5. Conor Daly, Luke Goodwin, Sarena Wilkerson
Front page issue 2
The BluePrint, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
6. Eliot Klus
Black Death: When we die in America, it’s different.
The Communicator Magazine, Community High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
7. Payton Blahut
Sweater Weather
The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
8. Faith Lawrence
In-Depth: The importance of character in politics
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
9. Hannah Flint, Audrey Kelly, Graham McAlister
The Future of Fashion
The Tribal Tribune, Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
10. Tate Larsen
Car Culture
The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
Yearbook Design
1. Rachel Lane, Hannah Mefford, Reagan Petersen
Like & Comment
Ledoian, Aledo High School, Aledo, Texas
2. Ella Hutnick
For You Page
Horizon, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
3. Zoe McGilton, Natalie Roche
Unfinished Business
Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
4. Taryn Mock
Divided but United
The Dragon, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
5. Fiona Wilton
2020 Trends
Pioneer, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
6. Hannah Jetton
April-July Divider
Hornet, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas
7. Mariah Barsotti, Marin Scholz
Order Up
Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
8. Noelle Moody, Charli Reed
Flying Colors
Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
9. Zach Conlan, Taj James
Set Mindset
Lone Star, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
10. Paige Fuhrman
The Game of Graduation
Hornet, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas
Photojournalism
1. Luna Reichert
NoNo Mack breaks out
Odyssey Media Group, Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
2. Jordyn Cimmiyotti
Butterfly
The Dragon, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
3. Joel Kellar
Run in the Fog
The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
4. Graham McAlister
Hanging on the Edge
The Tribal Tribune, Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
5. Caleb Melville
Knights out, lights out
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
6. Grace Randall
TIMBER! High winds cause 30-foot branch to crash
Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
7. Noah Gilbert
Bring us Back
The Black and White, Johnston High School, Johnston, Iowa
8. Amal Hasan
Signing by Handprint
Drops of Ink, Libertyville High School, Libertyville, Illinois
9. Trevor Paulus
Finding Strength Through Scripture
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
10. Casey Chang
News student takes the extra mile for social media during a quarantine Halloween
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
Broadcast News Story
1. Emma Donald, Mollie Gallagher, Conner Loftice
New Coffee Shop Comes to Downtown Van Alstyne
VATV, Van Alstyne High School, Van Alstyne, Texas
2. Logan Schiciano
Dobbs Ferry businesses fight to stay afloat
Tower Broadcast News, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
3. Emma Letzig
Outdoor Dining Becomes the New Normal at Arlington Alfresco
KnightTV, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
4. Grant Johnson, Madison Wells
Beyond Belief
Hill Top News, Rock Hill High School, Frisco, Texas
5. Breize Brown, Ebony Christie
State fair
RNE-TV, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina
6. Lauren Burden, Skyler Dallas, Riley Fernandez, Thomas Gahagen, Josue Sanchez
GHS Band Plays On In COVID
Gaither Television (GTV), Gaither High School, Tampa, Florida
7. Sumner Herold
Live Stream Camera Installed
Husky Headlines, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park, Kansas
8. Mia Reaugh, Chloe Smith
Challenges of teachers with blended virtual and face to face learners
WSMS TV News, Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Texas
9. Ben Hughes
AFJROTC Stocks MHS Food Pantry
MHSNews, Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
COVID-19 Reporting
1. Noura Jabir, Abigail Poag, Grace Randall
A sense of collective loss
Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
2. Riley Atkinson
Faded and Feverish
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
3. Rick Lytle
Friday night lights out
The Prospector, Prospect High School, Mount Prospect, Illinois
4. Ellie Monday, Ella West
Athletes struggle with mental health amidst pandemic
Review, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas
5. Julia DePasquale
COVID-19 impacts schooling
The Pitchfork, Marietta High School, Marietta, Georgia
6. Stephanie Lei, Waha Siddiqui
Peer Pressure in an Isolated World
The Marquette Messenger, Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri
7. Breize Brown, Ebony Christie, Brennan Davis
RNE-TV: October 7, 2020
RNE-TV, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina
8. Logan Schiciano
Students and faculty reflect on school’s reentry decision as remote start looms
Tower, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York
9. Josie Bradsby, Alice Scott
Students battle stress, fatigue, apathy as they adjust to virtual classes
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
10. Arushi Sharma, Cade Spencer
Reopening Phase 2 allows limited students and staff to return to campus
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
Election Reporting
1. Lauren West, Riley Atkinson, Natalie Scholz
East & The Election
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas
2. Staff
The Hill News 2020 election coverage
The Hill News, The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania
3. Elijah Jhee, Hannah Kim, Tyler Pak
Election Coverage
The Accolade, Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, California
4. Faith Lawrence
The importance of character in politics
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
5. Kristi Perez
Voting in 2020
RNE-TV, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina
6. Louis Auxenfans, Jack Hurst, Meena Lee, Téa Tamburo, Sahana Unni
As trailblazer for multiple identities, Harris inspires students
U-High Midway, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois
7. Sonali Carumbaya
Alex Lee: California’s first Gen Z legislator
Amador Valley Today, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California
8. Samantha Powers
These Knights are major players on Election Day
The Shield, McCallum High School, Austin, Texas
9. Natalie Cullen, Izzy Rejino
Young voters reflect on the upcoming election
The Dispatch, James Bowie High School, Austin, Texas
10. Jennie Gidal
Teens Who Can’t Vote Make an Impact by Protesting and Encouraging Others to Vote
The Little Hawk, Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
Social Justice Reporting
1. Maddie Proctor, Rhiann Johnson, Victoria Tuffour, Sabrina Vizurraga, Ruth Woldemedhine
Rooted In Love: Racial Justice Feature Section
Elevate Magazine, Regis Jesuit High School, Aurora, Colorado
2. Kylie Clifton
Learning together: district commits to cultural responsiveness
Portage Northern Light, Portage Northern High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan
3. Alyssa Garcia, Janessa Ulug, Kyla Ulug, Tyler Yuen
San Francisco holds Women’s March during pandemic
Aquila, University Preparatory Academy, San Jose, California
4. Olivia Silvey
KSD, You Have Failed Us
The Kirkwood Call, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri
5. Shreya Beldona
The ramifications, realizations of racial inequality
The Sidekick, Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas
6. Ebony Christie, Alani Hamilton
Black Voices
RNE-TV, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina
7. Aala Basheir, Jesse Hausknecht-Brown, Shoshie Hemley
Black Lives Matter: The Fight for Equality in Iowa City
The Little Hawk, Iowa City High School, Iowa City, Iowa
8. Bennie Chang
From Harvard to Proposition 16
The Epic, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, California
9. Grace Sandman
@Dearmayfield Reveals History of Unchecked Racism
The Mayfield Crier, Mayfield Senior High School, Pasadena, California
10. Ella Beiser, Nicky Edwards-Levin
Students publish stories of discrimination, call for administrative action
U-High Midway, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Chicago, Illinois