NPR has announced the winners of its Student Podcast Challenge, honoring the best student-produced podcasts from middle and high schoolers across the United States.
The contest, now in its sixth year, drew thousands of entries from students in all 50 states. A panel of NPR journalists judged the submissions on storytelling, production quality and originality.
Winners were selected in two divisions: grades five through eight and grades nine through twelve. Each winning team receives a cash prize and a chance to have their work featured on NPR programs.
"These students are telling stories that adults often miss," an NPR spokesperson said in announcing the results. "Their work shows that powerful journalism doesn't require a big budget, just curiosity and a microphone."
The Student Podcast Challenge began in 2018 as a way to bring audio storytelling into classrooms. Teachers use the contest to teach research, writing and editing skills. NPR provides free lesson plans and technical guides for participating schools.
Past winners have covered topics including immigration, mental health, school lunch quality and local history. Several former contestants have gone on to study journalism or work in audio production.
This year's entries reflected a similar range. Students tackled climate change, social media pressure, family separation and the war in Ukraine, among other subjects.
Judges said the strongest entries combined personal stories with larger issues. One middle school entry examined a student's experience learning English in a new country. A high school entry investigated how a local factory closure affected a small town.
NPR publishes the winning episodes on its website and shares them through its podcast feed. The organization also hosts a virtual ceremony where students can hear from NPR hosts and producers.
The contest is open to any student in the United States, including those in homeschool programs. Entries must be original work, between three and twelve minutes long, and produced by students with minimal adult help.
Submissions for the next cycle open in the fall. NPR says it expects another record number of entries as more schools add podcasting to their curriculum.
