Auburn, Maine, U.S.A. – Young writers, photographers and artists from 14 countries earned prizes for their work through Youth Journalism International’s 2024 Excellence in Journalism contest.
An 18-year-old high school senior from Athens, Georgia won top honors as Student Journalist of the Year.
“Journalism is very important for making change and connecting communities,” said Isabella Westrich, who plans to attend the University of Georgia in the fall.
Westrich, a senior at Clarke Central High School, listened along with youth around the globe who tuned in to the contest’s online awards ceremony on Saturday.
Teacher Tom Gayda of North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, won the Journalism Educator of the Year prize based on heartfelt letters from many of his students.
Winners this year – the 15th annual competition – included youth from Japan, Brazil, Czechia, Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Mexico, among other places.
“I was really inspired to hear about all the amazing work student journalists are doing while at the award ceremony,” Westrich said.
The organization awarded six crystal trophies as prizes in the top categories and custom award certificates to all winners. Categories include newswriting, sports, art, photography, commentary and reviews.
“The YJI contest is an incredible opportunity to recognize student journalists and programs across the globe,” said Mitch Eden, a retired journalism teacher who now serves as a contest judge. “Never has there been a greater need to promote the great storytelling of these young adults. They are doing important work, and sometimes overcoming major obstacles at the same time.”
Trophy winners included Nicole Luna of Brazil, who captured the Frank Keegan Award for News for political reporting that included a confrontation with supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president.
Norah Springborn of Pekin, Illinois won the Jacinta Marie Bunnell Award for Commentary for a piece about her hometown’s racist history.
McKenzie Andersen of Albany, Oregon won the Special Award for Courage in Journalism for her forthright first-person piece about living with a severe physical disability.
Spotlight, the student newspaper at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, won the First Amendment Award, presented in partnership with the First Amendment Museum in Augusta, Maine.
Contestants aged 19 and under submitted work published or broadcast in English during the calendar year 2023.
An international panel of about three dozen judges evaluated the hundreds of entries.
“Every year, we’re surprised and happy to see students journalists from all over the world tackling many of the biggest issues of the day, from the climate crisis to the wars whose impact reaches people far from the front lines,” said journalist Steve Collins, board president at Youth Journalism International. “We’re glad we can honor some of the best work done in 2023 by student reporters, photographers and artists – the people who are the future of the news profession. We’re glad they’re already working hard to deliver the news.”
The nonprofit Youth Journalism International has been educating the next generation of news professionals since 1994. It is a 501(c)(3) educational public charity. Its website can be found at youthjournalism.org.
A complete list of winners – with comments by judges in italics – is below.
Student Journalist of the Year
WINNER: Isabella Westrich of Clarke Central High School, Athens, Georgia
Four years ago, Isabella Westrich entered high school at the height of a pandemic, when isolation was the norm and opportunities limited. Isabella, though, jumped at the chance that writing for the Odyssey Media Group presented: exposing her to ever more of her lovely hometown. From the start, she took seriously the bedrock pillar of journalism: to seek the truth and report it.
“To do this, I had to learn more about Athens, even the uncomfortable parts,” Isabella wrote.
She learned to ask the right questions: “Why were only 44% of students at my school, Clarke Central, proficient at reading, when we are literally right down the street from one of the top public universities in the nation? Why had Linnentown, a thriving Black community, been displaced, and why did most people not know about it? Why did some of my classmates have to deal with food insecurity issues that I, as the granddaughter of a restaurateur, had never even considered?”
As she wrote stories that sought the answers, Isabell learned much more about her community than she’d ever experienced growing up. And through her, her community learned more about itself, too.
“I had to come to terms with the fact that my community was complicated. There were – are – some really ugly parts to the town I love and am proud to call home,” Isabella said.
Isabella is a natural storyteller with the requisite curiosity to shine as a journalist. We hope she’ll never stop asking questions, never stop seeking answers and never cease trying to tell an ever wider community what it needs to know about itself.
FINALISTS:
Advika Gupta of the Raha International School, Gardens Campus, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Aina Marzia of Young Women’s STEAM Research, El Paso, TX
Salsabil Qaddoura of North Central High School, Indianapolis, IN
Danielle Shumar of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana
Journalism Educator of the Year
WINNER:
Tom Gayda of North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Reading the comments by current and former students whom Tom Gayda has taught over the years makes it obvious that he’s managed to create a superb journalism program that’s also a big family, where North Central High School graduates always feel welcome and newcomers are readily embraced.
Abel Flessner, one of his students, called Gayda “the best journalism teacher in the world,” which is a tough thing to prove, but his students made a good case. Flessner is one of a handful who explained how her teacher guides one of the nation’s top scholastic journalism programs. Flessner said he “sets us up for success” and “gives us the opportunities that we need to make ourselves better.”
Two former editors of The Northern Lights, Sophia Grueninger and Davis Olson, said they learned a lot about journalism from Gayda, but that’s not all. They said they also absorbed from him that “dedication, hard work, and most importantly, kindness are the key factors to success.”
But journalism was the heart of it all as Gayda “built up the North Central journalism program into one of the most renowned in the country,” the two former editors said. Gus Osborn, another former editor, said he developed “real connections with his students” and created “an enjoyable environment to go to work in every day.”
Gayda has been honored often in his career, a sign that his scholarship, teaching and warmth has been recognized by not just by his students but by his peers around the nation. We are happy to add to the acclaim by naming him YJI’s Journalism Educator of the Year.
FINALIST:
Kristi Rathbun of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Frank Keegan Award for News
WINNER: Nicole Luna of State University of Maringá, in Maringá, Brazil for “Brazil acts against riots, YJI reporter gets hostile reception at Bolsonaro encampment.”
Nicole did an excellent job reporting a dangerous and very complicated situation. Challenged to deal with being pulled into the story, she still was able to maintain objectivity as much as humanly possible since Nicole is the “reporter” she refers to in her story. The best solution would have been to step back and have a colleague write about her covering the story. When that is impossible, one solution is for her to break out a first person sidebar. The fact is, she is a young reporter in a difficult situation who was able to get the job done. We’re sure we don’t have to tell her that some of Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters are dangerous. Please be careful.
Finalists:
Aina Marzia of Young Women’s STEAM Research, El Paso, Texas, for“Texas Bans Civics Lessons Involving Student Interactions With Elected Officials.”
This is a good assay of local and state governments’ twisting intent of laws and regulations for political purposes. It’s happening all over America. The editor’s note and bracketed clarification should not have been necessary in the first place, but we were glad to see it. Overstating the facts is a serious inaccuracy and undermines credibility. By the way, courts at every level have set precedents on public schools being special places where there are allowable limits on the Bill of Rights.
Cali Groenewold of John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport, Tennessee, for“New research suggests social media use can alter teenagers’ brains.”
Cali’s story is a good synopsis of “the truth is more complex” quandary humanity faces: how we deal with this massive exponential multi-dimensional leap in technology. People are writing big books about it and don’t shed much more light than Cali does in this brief story.
Colin Nichols of Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Missouri, for “Board of Education rescinds curriculum standards for Black History and Literature classes.”
Colin maintains objectivity while accurately reporting how evil people in power can distort truth. This is happening all across America.
McKenzie Andersen of Albany, Oregon, for “Oregonians with disabilities struggle amid homeless crisis.”
McKenzie focuses a revealing light on one of America’s hidden plagues: The failure of social safety nets in preventing what too often becomes a monstrously expensive death spiral. McKenzie found a compelling story, well told, that reveals the problem and at the same time shows one effective way out, hopefully.
Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Missouri, for “Students reflect on Constitution, rights in digital age.”
This is an excellent explanation of the new and uncharted territory our Republic finds itself adrift. We hope he stays on this issue and we hope he reads Aina Marizia’s story, too. Judges and lawyers can be astoundingly ignorance about First Amendment law. But judges get to be wrong. Reporters get to go to jail.
Isabelle Grace Ballard of Avenues New York school in New York City for “The Case of the Stolen Paintings: A Study of Nazi Looted Art.”
Isabelle takes us on meaningful art tour and exposes the dark side in this story. Well told and well illustrated and still unresolved. Egon Schiele’s works always seemed to foreshadow the future in some mystical way. Thanks, Isabelle, for including images of some of his paintings.
Jacinta Marie Bunnell Award for Commentary
Winner: Norah Springborn, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, for “Pekin, a place of pride and prejudice.”
A brilliant opinion piece on a lesser-known, but still important topic. Jacinta Bunnell would be proud of Norah Springborn.
Finalists:
Anjola Fashawe of Woodhouse College, London, for “Palestinian suffering is a global concern.”
A strong and bold piece on the importance of standing for the causes you care about.
McGlauthon Fleming IV, Midlothian Heritage High School, Midlothian, Texas, for “Hypocrisy from the Stands.”
McGlauthon isn’t afraid of showing his opinion. A good piece of journalism showing how to take a stand on a topic from a fisanterce perspective.
Special Award for Courage in Journalism
WINNER: McKenzie Andersen of Albany, Oregon, for “With a rare, paralyzing disease, you must advocate for yourself.”
The judges selected McKenzie for her remarkable dedication and courage. Despite battling a rare, paralyzing disease, she fearlessly advocates for herself and pursues her passion in journalism. McKenzie’s commitment to produce outstanding articles and her passion in journalism truly embody the spirit of this award.”
FINALIST: Nicole Luna of State University of Maringá, in Maringá, Brazil for “Brazil acts against riots, YJI reporter gets hostile reception at Bolsonaro encampment.”
It’s never comfortable to know you’re not wanted, and Nicole learned that quickly when encountering threats from a hostile group of political supporters. She persisted and wrote the story anyway.
First Amendment Award
WINNER: Spotlight, the student newspaper at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This newspaper’s content and overall presentation was focused on a specific theme, the U.S. Constitution. The highly readable descriptions of our founding documents benefit of all Americans. By including the “Six Big Ideas,” you furthered our understanding of democracy. You communicated the core of our foundational documents in a concise and readable way, respecting your busy students’ time. The discussion of our First Amendment’s freedoms was notable for including comments of students and teachers. The layout, art and graphics were particularly compelling. Your work is outstanding. Congratulations!
FINALISTS:
Nicole Luna of State University of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil, for “Facing attacks and threats from Brazil’s president, she kept reporting.”
Compelling and focused content.
Raj Jaladi of The Pathfinder at Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Missouri for “Students reflect on Constitution, rights in digital age.”
Commendable.
Damian Hanool, Ryeokyeong Kwon, Jiyun Kang, Dahmeun Jeong, Minseo Kang, Seoyeon Ku, Hyunsoo Kim, Hwarim Mun, Rian Yoo, Doyoung Kim, Minjun Hwang, Sihyang Mun, Seunghee Ko, Dahyun Seo, Junghyo Oh, Hyeyoung Kim, Heesu Lee, Seojoon Yun and Seungju Lee, who work on the Amaranth school paper at Seoul Global High School in Seoul, South Korea, for “The Amaranth 28th Edition.”
Commendable.
News Categories
Enterprise reporting by an individual
First Place: Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri, for “Algorithms of students’ digital world.”
Excellent coverage of media literacy meeting your audience where they are at–social media. Clearly written with nice flow. Would love to see a social media expert added as an interview source.
Second Place: Annamika Konkola of West Lin High School, West Lin, Oregon, for “Four part series on Japan.”
Honorable Mention:
Angela Jia of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “San Mateo County Overwhelmed by Domestic Abuse.”
McGlauthon Fleming IV of Midlothian Heritage High School, Midlothian, Texas, for “Literacy Litigation.”
Enterprise reporting by a team
First place: Joleth Herrera, Lynden Johnson, Danielle Shumar, Yaretzy Lopez, Anthony Ramirez, Mark Zackery, Jayden Atkins and Lucas Allison of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Music — The Gift that Keeps on Giving.”
A thorough, deep dive into music history, offering something for everyone in your genre coverage. Historical musical timelines coupled with a “who’s next,” cinema, records and concerts. The reporting stays true to its audience and has a wonderful, consistent tone throughout.
Second place: Evelynn Lin, Sasha Binder, Claire Salera and Lavanya Dixit of Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, for “Homework vs. Everything Else.”
Honorable mention: Joleth Herrera, Danielle Shumar, Yaretzy Lopez, Maddie Sterret, Caitlin Merrill, Anthony Ramirez, Devin Wallace, Kelsi Edwards and Arianah Bacon of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Video Games.”
Feature writing by an individual
First Place: Isabelle Grace Ballard of Avenues, New York School, New York City, for “The Case of the Stolen Paintings: A Study of Nazi Looted Art.”
This is a masterpiece of feature writing! It is incredibly well-researched and makes excellent use of multiple sources. Like a true reflection of the topic, the article reads like a mystery novel from start to end. It captivated us and left us yearning to delve more into this unique and intriguing subject. We thoroughly enjoyed reading this feature and looking at the pictures of the relevant art pieces which the writer included. Congratulations!
Second Place: Libby Marsh, Shawnee Mission East high school, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “A Sister’s Push.”
This feature provides a perspective on Down syndrome by introducing us to a loving caregiver and her education about the condition through living with a brother with a severe version. Often the people we see with Down can speak and move and understand their surroundings with some limitations. But Crosby is not like that. He is an example of a person who can only communicate by pushing buttons on a computer or signing with a few sign language gestures. He has difficulty eating due to muscular issues.
The author unveils the education of Crosby’s older sister who at first is sorry for her brother’s deficits and later becomes his best friend. She reads about his illness and becomes a volunteer at a related event and then helps her family operate a counseling support and fund-raising group for Down syndrome parents. She understands that her brother can grow and develop by being stimulated with nonverbal messages of affection. Many are tempted to look away when they see a person with the syndrome in public. This journalist shows us the power of a loving look.
Honorable mention: Rahil Punshi, The American School in London, for”Indian partition survivors, South Asian community reflects on impact 75 years later.”
This feature delves into a significant piece of history that has had enduring ramifications to this day. The writer transports the reader back through time, through the eyes and personal experiences of interviewees who survived the horrific events of the partition. But despite their experiences, there is a clear message of hope from the survivors for peace and resolution to the conflict. Thank you for the wonderful read!
Feature story by a team
First place: Kara Kim and Katherine Zhang of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “The global chessboard: international influence on the Israel-Hamas war.”
This piece was very informative, with superb interviewing and organization regarding a timely global issue.
Second place: Owen Spiegel and Ian Reno of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, for “Charity Issue: Building foundations back home.”
An inspiring reminder about the importance of giving back.
Honorable Mention:
Christina Chang & Martin Xu of Saratoga High School, Saratoga, California, for “Melodies of friendship: from elementary school piano buddies to college roommates.”
A feel-good story about friendship.
Sophia Bateman, Tara Behbehani and Giulia Scolari of the American School in London for “Where ASL meets St. John’s Wood: How students and locals interact.”
A neat story about high school students intersecting with the community.
Claire Bauer & Sanaa Sow of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” Takes the Stage by Swarm.”
The beautiful photography and story make the reader appreciate the play.
Anvi Talyan and Elliot Jorgensen of Marquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri, for “The Year was 1993.”
A feel-good story about multiple generations.
Kian Bhatt and Franklin Kuo of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Breaking out of the prison cycle.”
Excellent topic and analysis.
In-depth reporting by an individual:
First place: Brighten Vincent of Cape Tech, Harwich, Massachusetts, for “Admissions Policy Up For Debate.”
Judges want to reward work that’s most useful to the audience. We thought Brighten did a great job tackling that task from the start of this story, telling her readers it was a topic that everyone in her community cares about — the application process. The story quickly gets the reader to what they need to know: there is an effort at the state level to make the admissions process for technical schools solely based on a lottery. The story fully explores the issue with good quotes and details. Well done.
Second place: Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri, for “Algorithms of students’ digital world.”
Raj’s story quickly gets to the heart of the matter, inviting his readers to think more deeply with him on a phenomenon that matters to everyone — how social media apps suggest content. It highlights concerns about the potential for algorithms to manipulate users’ views and preferences, underscoring the importance of understanding and critically engaging with the digital environment. A thoroughly interesting piece.
Honorable mention: Amiyah Singleton, of West Brook High School, Beaumont, Texas, for “Students believe Beaumont ISD is blocking cell phone service in school.”
Another story chosen for its usefulness to its audience. It’s a real service when student journalists can bust conspiracy theories. With any hope, Amiyah put to bed the urban myth that her high school is jamming cell phone signals. We like the direct approach in this story, as with the top two finishers.
In-depth reporting by a team
First place Elaine Jiang and Rachel Alcazar of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Pro-Palestinian protest demands cease-fire in Gaza.”
Elaine and Rachel’s story on a group of protesters in the U.S. demanding a cease-fire in Gaza represents in-depth reporting. They begin in a manner that attracts and keeps the readers glued to the story. It makes you want to read till the very end. They were careful to capture necessary facts that make it easy for the reader to understand the essence of the story, including figures that represent the implications of the war with her simple use of words and narrative storytelling. For a story of this nature, it is necessary to capture different opinions. The writers did exactly that, showing how the protesters felt about the war and how it affected them. The writers’ use of data, represented on infographics, makes a story easily understandable. Also, their use of multimedia; images, video and audio, beyond text makes the story a lot more captivating. If a reader is not interested in the text, they can simply click on the video or tell what the story is about from the images or the audio in the story.
Second place: Kara Kim and Elaine Jiang of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “A national labor movement: The journey towards better working conditions.”
Kara and Elaine focus on workers from the United Automobile Workers Labor union who are demanding improved working conditions in a manner that takes the reader to the scene of the protest. They keep the reader in suspense with narrative storytelling. Beyond capturing the voices of the protesters, the writers also spoke to workers who have been fired or treated unjustly by their companies. They were careful to also present a balanced report by speaking to the organizations who are being accused – to hear their side of the story. They spoke to workers across different organizations and establishments to capture the extent of suffering. They also spoke to unions who are working to change the narrative. The writers’ choice of words and use of images for a graphic representation of the story makes it interesting to read.
Honorable Mention: LinaKöksal, Naz Mergen, Ipek Eser, Sena Naz Ekşi and Deniz Öcek of Istanbul, Türkiye, for “Teacher Shares Turkish Earthquake Rescue Experiences.”
We like how the writers were able to build their story around the teacher who shared his Turkish earthquake rescue experiences. Although they tried to talk about those affected by the earthquake, they still found a way of weaving it around the teacher, their main subject. The writers’ use of images to capture the devastating impact of the earthquakes makes it even more enthralling. We also love how the writers used data to talk about the impact of the earthquake. What is also interesting about the story is the flow, beginning from how the writers were able to move from when the teacher accepted the call to help following the devastating February earthquakes to his experience in the field and how he went on to acquire more emergency response training.
News story by an individual
First Place: Greyson Imm of Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas, for “A Smokeless Buzz: A rise in oral nicotine pouch use raises health concerns for high schoolers.”
“A strong story about a complex, emerging problem. Impressive storytelling using peer sources to explain a phenomenon of which many readers may be totally unaware.”
Second Place: Eshaan Mani of The Kinkaid School, Houston, Texas, for “What Will It Take to Solve the Youth Mental Health Crisis?”
“A big swing at an incredibly important issue on which it is difficult to report.”
Honorable Mention:
Colin Nichols of Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Missouri for “Board of education rescinds curriculum standards.”
“A strong story on an issue impacting many communities and school systems. Gets at the emotion of the struggle but also the meat of arguments. Great quotes throughout and a terrific kicker.”
Paizley Swaney of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “CCSD Faces Critical Teacher Shortage.”
News story by a team
First place: Rachel Alcazar and Elaine Jiang of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Pro-Palestinian protest demands cease-fire in Gaza.”
A phenomenal opening that leads to a strong foundational lead. A great use of a spen approach and different forms of journalism through writing and photojournalism. This piece was fantastically put together and an impressive effort in journalistic form. Authors Alcazar and Jiang have put forth a clear story of importance, a world-wide story told both through aggregating reports and embedding local perspective.
Second place: Viktorie Goldmannová of Czechia, Usraat Fahmidah of Bangladesh, Lyat Melese of the United States and Anjola Fashawe of the UK for “A carousel of dreams on Prague’s Petřín Hill.”
Excellent blend of photos and prose; we love that the pictures show the image of the carousel while the words are used to illustrate the feelings around the scene. This is an amazing example of journalistic instincts, that a happenstance can easily turn into a great story with some digging and an impromptu interview. Additionally, we really appreciate that this article outlined how each contributor aided the piece.
Honorable mention: Saira Ahmed and Rajiv Venkatesh of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “FUHSD to replace turf fields districtwide.”
This piece shines as a strong example of local journalism. It takes a measured approach to a wide-ranging issue, brings it to the single-school level for emphasis, gives both sides of the matter a voice, and does a great job at remaining impartial to allow the reader to understand the current event while being free to come to their own conclusion. This was expertly done and exactly the kind of reporting we love to see in a school paper.
Multimedia news, individual reporting
First Place: Nanaka Takahashi of Miyagi University of Education Junior High School, Miyagi, Japan, for “High School Students Meet in Hiroshima.”
Solid news story anchored with excellent interviewing and reporting. Clear and concise, the package is engaging, informative and easy to follow.
Second Place: McKenzie Andersen of Albany, Oregon, for “Mark Ruffalo tells what he learned by portraying a journalist.”
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Kruger of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “War in Ukraine: a timeline of tragedy.”
Multimedia news story, by a team
First Place: Zoe Karibian, Inez Stephenson and Isabella Gibson of The American School in London for “Shift to digital note-taking prompts discussion.”
Professionally done and interesting insights into the topic, with engaging segments from individuals as well as filmed content.
Second Place: Elaine Jiang, Emma Goldman, Ben Romanowsky, Audrey Finigan, Daniella Smit and Kian Bhatt of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Celebrate the Music 2023.”
Enjoyable article with engaging companion photographs
Multi-media feature story by an individual
First Place: Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri, for “Pathfinder Debates: Gun Control.”
The debate was a nice format with inquisitive and balanced questions and debaters.
Second Place: Ally Kelleyof Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Odds and Ends: Screaming Sirens or Soft Speech?”
This was a good topic for the school to explore and video helped explain things well.
Honorable Mention: Norah Springborn, University of Illinois, for “Prague at Golden Hour.”
The sunset in the video and Norah’s enthusiasm made the audience want to learn more.
Multi-media feature story by a team
First Place: Maggie Kissick, Aanya Bansal, Caroline Gould, Larkin Brundige, Mary Gagen and David Allegri of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “Leading Ladies: Students nominated five influential female faculty members in honor of Women’s History Month.”
This story is very interesting because teachers play a very important role in imparting knowledge to their students. But sadly, in many societies, they are the unsung heroes. We think it was a great idea to profile those amazing women who are making a difference in the lives of their students and their community as a whole. It’s a story that may encourage other teachers who are not as passionate about their profession to pull up their socks. The story was told in a clear, straightforward manner, making it easy for readers to follow. It also struck a chord because many of us have had teachers who were impatient and rude to students for being slow in grasping concepts. It can make students dread those classes. So kudos to the writers for coming up with that great story!
Second Place: Travis McGinnis and Ellie Lakatos of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Los Vegas, Nevada, for “Battle Bots Destruct-a-thon Inspires Young Engineers.”
The story is about something new and educational in Las Vegas which we found really nice. In this age of smartphones and iPads and all their addiction, it was refreshing to see a story by young journalists about people teaching kids practical engineering skills in a fun and innovative way. It is a kind of story that can help youngsters facing difficulties understanding some science subjects to put in more effort and excel.
Honorable Mention:
Rhys Hals, Sylvan Prey-Harbaugh and Nate Anderson of Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennyslvania, for “Silvertones spread love through song.”
It’s a nice human interest story that was well done. We liked the whole idea of spreading love and good cheer by the Silvertones! Bravo!
Maggie Kissick and Aanya Bansal of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “Objects of Connection: The current art gallery exhibition features works of art and personal artifacts from Latino students and local artists.”
A good piece about culture and tradition.
Profile story by an individual
First place: Ava Torres of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “Mechanic, Navy Sailor, Motorcyclist: Meet Janitor Darryl Bryant.”
Vivid writing and great use of quotes. This story captured my attention from the first line and by the end of it We felt like weI really got to know the subject of the profile.
Second place: Kya Merriman of Ritenour High School, St. Louis, Missouri, for “Terrence Clark creates a path for his future.”
A very interesting subject and the writer manages to keep the reader interested from start to finish.
Honorable mention:
Gray Barranco of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “Dedicated arcade game renovator: Meet Nicholas Arone.”
The writer’s engaging descriptions really pulled us into the narrative and helped bring the subject to life.
Nala Rose of Ritenour High School, St. Louis, Missouri, for “Growing up far from home.”
The writer does a great job of using the subject’s past experiences to explore what can be learned from living in a different country
Gemma Christie of The King’s School Chester, Chester, UK for “On the Afghan border, Pakistani teacher strives to educate children, especially girls.”
The writer does a great job of using the profile to help readers understand how political issues impact regular people.
Multimedia profile story
First place: Elaine Jiang of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Getting on track: Michele Abbate ‘brakes’ through barriers in racing.”
Professional and informative, interesting and inspiring.
Second Place: Eshaan Mani of The Kinkaid School, Houston, Texas, for “The Seeker.”
Really well executed combination of interviews and images. Eshaan’s interviews give personal and vulnerable insights.
Honorable Mention:
Salsabil Qaddoura of North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “NCHS Live! Dr. Mendez Interview.”
Enjoyable interview, professional technique – both multimedia and interviewing. Both interviewer and interviewee come across really well.
Hannah Halterman of Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Missouri, for “Writing, Romance, and Vampire Bats – an Interview with Lynn Painter.”
Informal, conversational and interesting. Really felt the interviewer’s enthusiasm.
Dana Kim of St. Mary’s Academy, Portland, Oregon, for “For sculptor Joe Bun Keo, everything is art.”
Insightful and well-pitched. The text is really well combined with illustrative photography.
Tech journalism by an individual
First Place: Isabella Zarzar of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Unlocking potential: How AI is revolutionizing healthcare.”
A well-sourced examination of an important issue that deserves more public attention.
Second Place: Kelsey Baker of Cape Tech high school, Harwich, Massachusetts, for “Tech – ChatGPT.”
This submission on AI captures the opinions and experiences of both students and teachers. The section on ChatGPT in the classroom raises important questions of great interest to teachers, students, and our larger society.
Honorable Mention: Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri, for “Algorithms of students’ digital world.”
An important exploration of how social media algorithms work, with suggestions on countering risks of embracing misinformation or falling down rabbit holes
Travel writing by an individual:
First Place: Annamika Konkola of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “Japan Series.”
An excellent reflection on place and person, evoking the atmosphere of Japan and displaying personal growth.
Second Place: Anjola Fashawe of Woodhouse College in London for “Lufthansa delayed my flights and twice lost my luggage, but YJI was worth it.”
The author’s nervousness and excitement is tangible, and makes for a great, relatable piece of writing.
Travel writing by a team
First place: Viktorie Goldmannová and Renata Pernegrová of Czechia; Anne van Mill of the Netherlands; Gemma Christie and Anjola Fashawe of the UK; Ana Fadul of Colombia; Regina López of Mexico; Norah Springborn and Lyat Melese of the U.S.; Naz Mergen of Türkiye; Erin Timur of Cyprus; and Joanne Yau of Hong Kong for “Postcards from Prague.”
In their project, “Postcards from Prague,” these students captured the beauty and history of Czechia’s famous city, but also dug deep to examine their own ideas and feelings and how the experience of travel – or hosting others in their home country – had changed them.
Commentary
Columns
First place: Cailan Wooten of Ritenour High School, St. Louis, Missouri, for “Beware the lure of rugged individuality.”
The writer explains in a precise manner and backs it with facts an issue not just in America but many parts of the world: individual performance and hard-work does matter, but external influences such as inequality and elite capture also affect how far one can go in life.
Second place – Ethan Bull of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “We Should Reconsider our College Applications.”
There is always a demand for prestigious universities as they somehow guarantee “success.” But the writer rightly explains that students ought to seek not only grades and top-ranking colleges, but other aspects such as the overall environment where one can grow as an individual when making a decision for higher studies.
Honorable Mention:
McGlauthon Fleming IV of Midlothian Heritage High School, Midlothian, Texas, for “Reading is Fundamental.”
Ayma Malik of Southwest Career and Technical College, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “How the Cookie Crumbles.”
Annamika Konkola of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “Youth in Crisis?”
Editorials
First place: The Panther Press, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, for “Reconsider Sexual Education at Strath Haven.”
This outstanding effort contained robust factual and statistical support and laid out its position in a well-organized and clear way, using matter-of-fact language. It ended the way every editorial should: With strong, practical and clearly stated solutions. This is a controversial topic, but even a reader highly opposed to the paper’s position would have a difficult time arguing against this well-written piece’s findings and conclusions.
Second place: The Kirkwood Call, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, for “Call Ed: Too Close to Home.”
This editorial opens with a gripping, news-like lede, but transitions quickly into abundant, dispassionate facts, all in service to a robust final graf on solutions and calls to action. It’s the rare editorial that grabs the reader’s attention immediately and doesn’t let go until the last word is read.
Honorable Mention:
The Crusader, Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Open gradebooks create increased anxiety for students.”
A strong piece that sets up the stakes high in the editorial and offers careful consideration of the opposing view before systematically dispatching it with meaty arguments and a simple, practical call to action.
The Sequoyah Scribe, John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport, Tennessee, for “Uniforms Have No Place in Modern Classrooms.”
Good supporting data and food for thought on uneven enforcement of the dress code. What could have pushed it into first or second place? Incorporating data higher in the piece, and an additional paragraph or two on the opposing side’s viewpoint,-to explain why the editorial’s position is stronger.
Southwest Shadow of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “CCSD Must Respect the Right to a Living Wage.”
Strong use of support facts, lots of important and informative information. Where it fell slightly short of placing was its weakness in considering the other side (their position is “unknown”), and in its call to action, which was a passive request that readers stop doing something (“stop evading the issue”) rather than a proactive set of ideas or solutions.
First person essay
First Place: Isabel Shen of Head-Royce School, Oakland, California, for “She’s at home among the jackfruit and chicken feet.”
Wonderful descriptive writing and scene building. We loved the way this writer brought Ranch99 to life in the context of identity, whether that’s Californian or Asian.
Second Place Annamika Konkola of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “A little lost, but finding myself in Tokyo.”
We loved how personal this essay felt, and the writer’s descriptions of the specific challenges and rewards of traveling alone. We really felt the tension, and loved these lines toward the end: “In Tokyo, there was no one big revelation, no “magical” turning point. Instead, it was filled with thousands of moments. The fragments of experiences I hope to always remember are complex, varied and – a lot of the time – really random.”
Honorable mention:
McGlauthon Fleming IV of Midlothian Heritage High School, Midlothian, Texas, for “Eat Away My Emptiness.”
Wonderful opening lines and we loved how this writer was open and vulnerable about his complex relationship with food.
Gemma Christie of The King’s School Chester, Chester, UK, for “Newcomer finds self-confidence at YJI conference in Prague.”
We loved the arc in this essay, and the way the writer clearly set the stage for the story in the opening lines.
Opinion writing by an individual
First Place: Annamika Konkola, of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “Education transforms with artificial intelligence.”
We found this entry exceptionally well-written. The word choice was very effective, as was the structure of the piece. It was quite thoughtful. There is a lot written these days about AI, and it is hard to find a unique or new spin, but we thought this touched on the topic in a way unlike other pieces we’ve read. The sentence that really stuck out and was one of the best single sentences we read in this category, was this: “I have found that the iterative nature of AI responses given by tools like ChatGPT encourages me to delve deeper, ask for explanations and seek alternative perspectives. This process fosters curiosity and cultivates critical thinking — qualities that make us uniquely human.”
Second Place: Luciana Mendy of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “More Than Just A Comment: Microaggressions are a big issue and they should be recognized and responded to always, instead of being overlooked and disregarded.”
The structure of this piece is what really stuck out to me, and what separated it from other entries. Luciana was able to effortlessly shift between the experience and her internal dialogue in a way that really emphasized the larger points she was making. We found her use of words, and structure, very effective.
Honorable Mention:
Isabella Zarzar of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Opinion: Schools are failing young readers.”
An area that stuck out in this piece was how Isabella weaved in research and quotes. If done incorrectly, this can be clunky and disrupt the flow for the reader. Isabella did it very nicely, and it added texture and perspective.
Mario Perez de Leon of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “San Jose Flea Market feels effects of urbanization.”
This was a deeply personal piece from Mario on the flea market and the effect it has on the community. It can be difficult to write these types of pieces, talking about the loss of an institution and how it affects the surrounding area. We thought Mario did that very well here, giving the piece a touch of nostalgia while also outlining the very clear effect to the area and the people.
Nicole Luna of State University of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil, for “Brazilian mining interests trample on Indigenous lives.”
Nicole did very nice work in this piece, walking through the history of the Yanomami people, while also including strong language on the personal impact of mining and hurtful government action. The piece shed light on an important issue.
Opinion writing by a team
First place: Claire Bauer, Elly Brooks and Sanaa Sow of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Make or Break Vote Takes Place This Tuesday.”
This endorsement of voting in favor of measures to support local education is solidly written with convincing arguments. It conveys a true sense of urgency and helpfully puts the proposed tax increase into perspective by comparing it to common teen purchases.
Second place: Thomas Ramos and Hannah Halterman of Francis Howell Central High School, St. Charles, Missouri, for “Foul or Fair?”
Playful banter about whether sports are valuable, or just dumb.
Reviews
Book reviews
First Place: Isabel Shen of Head-Royce School, Oakland, California, for “Novella upends ‘Little Mermaid’ story.”
Held our attention until the very last word. The author seamlessly integrates commentary and perspective within their review, reflecting not only on the reading experience, but the importance thereof.
Second Place: Danielle Shumar of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Blake has hit with unlikeable characters.”
The author piques the reader’s interest by highlighting how writing unlikeable characters adds to, rather than detracts from, the success of this novel. This acts as a useful hook to keep the reader engaged and has the book itself stand out in their memory.
Honorable Mention:
Annamika Konkola of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “100 Years of Solitude, a book worth reading again and again.
General reviews
First Place: River Brown of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Do or Donut: the Best Donut in the Neighborhood.”
This piece contained everything we’re looking for in a review – it was a comprehensive and mouth-watering assessment of the question at hand (where can we find the best donut?) from all possible angles – presentation, price, flavor, and feel of the bakery. We also loved the writer’s sense of humor sprinkled throughout the piece.
Second Place: Regina López of the Iberoamericana University in Mexico City, for “Mexico’s Palace of Fine Arts is an eye-opener.”
This piece described a fun yet appropriately meditative jaunt through Mexico’s Palace of Fine Arts; we felt as though we were walking through the museum ourselves. We loved the accompanying photography, which gave us a sense of the author’s experience of awe and wonder.
Honorable mention:
Leila Meilman of the American School in London for “Ai Weiwei’s ‘Making Sense’ exhibition presents changing values through design.”
Venice Jingco of the Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “Improve your Bedtime with Pokemon Sleep.”
Anton Barrera of John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport, Tennessee, for “Risk of Rain 2.”
Music reviews
First place: Malar Raguraman of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “Sid Sriram’s Career Comes to a ‘Standstill’ with Latest Album.”
Malar provides strong context around where Sid sits in the pop landscape, and where this album sits in the context of Sid’s work. Malar’s particular strength here is in separating the songwriting from the production, and considering how these two elements work together (or don’t) in producing the album’s overall effect on the listener. That’s a sign of a solid and mature critical ear.
Second place: Kylie Dacquel of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “Fall Into the Mysterious ‘Cabin Fever.'”
Kylie’s ability to unpack the arrangements and instrumentation in these songs makes her assessments feel authoritative and grounded.
Theater and film reviews:
First Place Yasmine Rivera of The American School in London for “‘Barbie’ movie represents joyful step forward in feminist filmmaking.”
Yasmine’s incredibly perceptive and thoughtful consideration of the blockbuster film Barbie is not just a film review; it is also an assessment of women’s representation in film and a feminist manifesto in its own right. Although I am not a big fan of the film, Yasmine’s review made me reconsider my own viewpoints and prejudices, the sign of a persuasive and provocative writer. She rightfully acknowledges the ways in which the movie succeeds and the giant step forward the film has made for female filmmakers.
Second Place: Lucas Allen for “Scorsese’s Latest Worth the Time” for Ben Davis High School’s Spotlight
Lucas’s review of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is substantive, nuanced, and looks at the epic in a multifaceted way. Taking into consideration our nation’s regrettable history when it comes to indigenous populations, the bestselling book that served as the source material, and the complexity of the director’s artistic choices, Lucas paints a vivid portrait of a film worth seeing. I would have liked a little more of a spotlight on the performances and a punchier title to the piece (which may have been an editor’s choice), but otherwise it is a terrific job.
Honorable Mentions:
Eshaan Mani of The Kincaid School, Houston, Texas, for “Eshaan M. Explores the Supernatural Side of Venice in ‘AHaunting in Venice.’”
Eshaan!!! You were so close to achieving a hat-trick this year after coming out on top the past two years. As always, no one can fault Eshaan on his professional delivery, relaxed manner on video, and comprehensive knowledge of filmmaking. His review of the latest Hercule Poirot film hits all the right notes when it comes to assessing performances, plot, and technical aspects of filmmaking. With meatier subject matter (ie. the aforementioned Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon, Eshaan may have flexed more and ended up in the winner’s circle again.
Photography
Feature photo
First place: Mason Sajna of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for
“Uplifting Spirits.”
This image really showed emotion and told a story. Looks like it might be the boy’s first dance. We really liked this picture.
Second place: Molly Miller of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “Cheer or go to jail.”
What made this picture stand out was that the photographer caught the person on the left cheering.
Honorable mention: Kelsey Baker of Cape Tech, Harwich, Massachusetts, for “Mike Ready.”
The main image made us smile. Kelsey captured the subject’s feeling for retirement.
News photo
First place: : Regina López of Universidad Iberoamericana of Santa Fe, Mexico, for “Women raise their voices in Mexico City.”
Great timing and composition
Second Place: CarolineMartucci of Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, for “We Don’t Feel Safe.”
Honorable Mention: Sanaa Sow of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “A Golden Rerun.”
Sports photography
First Place: Audrey Webb of Francis Howell Central High School, Cottleville, Missouri, for“Acing Their Way to the Quarterfinals.”
With all of the talk about fans storming the court we find it interesting that this image tells that story so well. The photographer did an excellent job capturing fans and players what seems to be a victory right after the game.
Second Place: Julia Yamsuan of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Purple Reign: the state of Riordan Football.”
Not only did the photographer capture the football still in the air but also the scoreboard in the image. Because of the location of the ball, we’re left wondering if it was caught, intercepted, or knocked down. That is what a sports image should do.
Honorable Mention:
Faith Oluwamuyemi of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Final game.”
We really like the two players thinking about their careers after their last game.
Winston Lin of St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, for “Lift-Off and Touchdown.”
We had a tough time choosing between this image and the picked as first place. They both did an excellent job with players and fans, but this image is an honorable mention because the first place picture was taken from the court.
Photo essay by an individual
First Place: Tess Hubbard of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, for “Turkey Day game.”
The images in this photo gallery were beautiful. The artistry of the photographer is evident, as the emotions of both players and spectators were captured as well as many moments and an overall “feel” for the event. The images were bright and clear, colorful and well-framed, many technical photography “rules” were met and the images were quite professional and engaging. The images tell a complete tale of the day’s highs and lows, and truly capture the emotional experience and translate it for the viewer. Well done!
Second Place: Annamika Konkola of West Linn High School, West Linn, Oregon, for “Discovering the beauty of Japan.”
This is the second-place winner in the Photo Essay category, as the images and accompanying text were well-rounded, diverse and caught the viewers attention. The essay gave a sense of what it would be like to visit Japan, the text was poetic and descriptive, the images telling a full story as well, themselves. The variety of perspectives and variation in color and calm through the essay kept engagement high.
Honorable Mention:
Laila Taraporevala of The American School in London for “Students Perform High School Musical: ‘Anything Goes.’”
Theater and stage photography can be very difficult, with hot spots and colored lights creating many challenges for the photographer. In this essay, the challenges were used to benefit the images, turning the light and shadow into a more interesting image. The way the images were framed and cropped is very artistic, and the talent of the photographer is evident.
Claire Bauer of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Boys Wrestling Faces Chaparral High School.”
The lighting in this photo essay was great. The expressions on the wrestlers’ faces showed a lot of emotion and brought the viewer onto the mat with the participants. The light and shadow was very flattering and gave a soft feel to the collection.
Photo essay by a team
First Place: Claire Bauer, Elly Brooks and Elsa Swanson of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “A Production in Quotes, “9-5: The Musical”
Wonderful theatrical images. The photographers did everything right, focusing on active scenes and capturing the emotion and joy of the performers. They took advantage of the lighting to create strong images that convey the 9-5 story!
Second Place: Julia Yamsuan, Sean Reyes, Arman Mander of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Graduation 2023”
The joy of high school graduation! So many images expressed the complete elation of students, faculty and family. We could feel their glee! Great job!
Honorable Mention: Saira Ahmed, Nicole Kim and Rajiv Venkatesh of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “Sapnay photo gallery.”
Sports
Sports feature story by an individual
First place: Areeshah Farooq of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Student scores a spot on El Salvador U-18 soccer team.”
Short and sweet, a nice feature on 16-year old Alyssa Jurado making El Salvador’s under-18 soccer team, then being invited to try out for its U-20 squad. Great quotes – one each from her current high school coach and teammate – filled out the story, which included a heart-warming twist: Alyssa‘s late grandfather played on the El Salvador national team.
Second place: Carson White of John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport, Tennessee, for “Sporting goods store Action Athletics closes its doors.”
Slow burner that told the narrative of a local sporting goods store from its birth through its success and to its eventual closing. Historical perspective was provided with quotes from the store owner, a high school athletic director, a student-athlete and a coach.
Honorable mention:
Elly Brooks of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Climbing Her Way to the Top.”
Great lede is truly exhausting, and photos by Jason Chang and Phuc Nguyen really illustrate a rock climbing story.
Maxim Ivanov of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Memories of The ‘Stick endure in fans’ hearts.”
Opinions from two fans, along with Bay Area ballpark facts, present the perspective that Giants and 49ers fans enjoyed a home-field advantage.
Sports feature, team reporting
First Place: Andrew Fekete, Parth Dhaulakhandi and Alice Liste of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “Double trouble hits the court.”
Multi-media sports news
First Place: Elaine Jiang of Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, for “Getting on track.”
A thorough look at motorsports presented with terrific visuals. Words, pictures, video and sound were effectively used to provide an insightful look.
Second Place: Raj Jaladi of Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri, for “Athletes of West.”
Well-thought out questions helped us get to know these athletes
Honorable Mention: Jonas Walker of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “BD Neon Football Recap.”
Music and video were well matched to capture the intensity of a football game.
Multimedia sports news, team reporting
First place: Rue Siddiqui, Owen DeArmond and Parker Brandt ofMarquette High School, Chesterfield, Missouri, for “Students Organize Annual Special Olympics.”
The students captured the event well with a concise written story, crisp photo selection and two well-edited videos.
Second Place: Saira Ahmed, Ella Chan, Parth Dhaulakhandi, Seoyoung Hwang and Lia Klebanov of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “Tryingsports we have never tried before.”
This video gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into three sports they may be interested in participating in.
Sports news story
First Place: Claire Bauer of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Photo Recap: Varsity Girls Soccer Takes Second at State.”
Excellent job bringing quotes into many of the captions. They helped merge pertinent information with the story told by the photos themselves. We loved the different perspectives to your storytelling. You even got a look at the fans and had some quotes to support it!
Was there an opportunity to get a photo or quote from the winning team? Clearly you wanted to focus on your team, yet a input from the winners would have been a nice addition.
Second place: Madison Evans of Sartell Middle School, Sartell, Minnesota, for “Women’s golf is changing history and young fans are noticing the fun.”
Madison did a really nice job of setting the Pebble Beach scene, bringing the place to life for the reader. Good work integrating quotes from a couple pros, plus one junior parent – that all added to the story. We’re curious about the results for the “Would You Rather” game you told the reader that you got the pro players to play. You might consider adding some background facts about what makes Pebble Beach so special.
Honorable mention:
Jessy Siegmann of Jericho High School, Jericho, New York for “Underage Sports Gambling Could Rise after Legalization of Mobile Sports Betting.”
Strong use of anonymous quotes give the reader important insights from an industry leader. The integrated the quotes from the students and the Rutgers professor really added great perspective. Excellent job of integrating facts and figures to support the narrative. The reader could have benefited from some explanation about boys vs. girls trends and reasons for those trends.
Jackson Thornton of John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport, Tennessee, for “Major renovations set for both school gyms.”
Jackson did a really good job getting multiple reactions about the new gym from different leaders, coaches and teachers. Getting the students’ point of view was an important element to tell the complete picture – well done! We liked how Jackson shared the history of the gyms, plus the detail about the repair timeline and the company assigned to the work. Are there certain things that can be done to prevent the need for future renovations, in terms of care or upkeep? That detail could have been an interesting addition.
Joleth Herrera of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Giants complete the goal.”
Joleth’s chronology of how the game unfolded was detailed and informative, providing a strong summary for the reader. The “Mission Accomplished” closing line was an excellent exclamation point to the story. Mixing in some reaction quotes within the story during the step-by-step summary could have added some perspective and helped with flow.
Sports commentary
First Place: Anna Newland of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, for “ ’Man’ Made Uniform.”
This was a unique topic that opened readers’ eyes to something that is right in front of them. Anna uses strong examples and her own passion to make a good case.
Art
Cartoons
First place: : David Gaither of Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, for the Issue 2 cover of The Kirkwood Call.
Amazing textures, mature color palette, crisp line work.
Second place: Ally Kelley of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “Odds and Ends: Left Lunch-less.”
Clever integration of animation.
Honorable mention:
Arcade Encarnacion of Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, for “The Danger of Feminist M&Ms.”
We enjoyed the mixed media usage of found imagery and original line work.
Luke Campbell of Edmond Santa Fe High School, Edmond, Oklahoma, for “Random Randy.”
Illustration
First Place: İpek Eser of Istanbul, Türkiye, for “The pain of Türkiye’s earthquakes.”
Excellent work with light and shadow, and not shying away from drawing all of those hands. Powerful piece. Great job.
Second Place: Lynden Johnson of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Music – the Gift that Keeps on Giving.”
We love this piece, which is reminiscent of a wonderful, traditional inky collage. You can hear this illustration.
Honorable Mention:
Kianna Hwang of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Diggin’ the Derby: Iconic SF jacket introduces the Royal Purple Derby.”
Nice use of realism and design. Keep up the good work.
Vee Chen of Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, for “Scientists flutter with moth wing technology for soundproofing.”
Excellent use of texture and softness to your work. Keep experimenting.
Photo illustration, individual entry
First Place: River Brown of Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for “The Worst Mistake Humanity Has Made.”
A breathtaking image.
Second Place: Nicole Luna of State University of Maringá, in Maringá, Brazil for “Barbie is fun, dazzling, empowering.”
A fun change from the typical illustration used in a movie review.
Photo illustration by a team
First Place: Erin Loh and Nicole Pimenta Innecco of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “In a world of parents and kids.”
Second Place: Joleth Herrera and Allison Lucas of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, for “Video Games.”
Honorable Mention: Saira Ahmed and Nicole Kim of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California, for “Cavetown’s ‘Bittersweet Daze’ tour comes to Bay Area.”
Youth Journalism International’s 2025 Excellence in Journalism contest will open for entries in February, 2025, with awards announced in May 2025. Non-professional journalists aged 19 and under are eligible to submit work published or broadcast in English.
