2024 High School Contest

Congratulations to the 2024 Julie Hoffman Memorial Best of the Best Award winner - Travis McGinnis, Ethan Bull, Katie Peterson, Yaritzza Montenegro, Ayma Malik, Jianna Aganon, and Kalista Palarca, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada

FOR A LIST OF PREVIOUS JULIE HOFFMAN MEMORIAL BEST OF THE BEST AWARD WINNERS, CLICK HERE. 

PRESS RELEASE - 2024 HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST WINNERS

2024 NFPW National High School Communications Contest winners: 

Editorial

First place -- Fiona Jin, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, Under the Varnish
Second place -- Jack Baker, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, A grave injustice; a step backward
Third place -- Molly Fitzgerald, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, Locking Bathrooms Isn’t Just Inconvenient—It’s Illegal. The Answer is More Security Guards
Honorable mention -- Emmalie Herd, Bellevue West High School, Bellevue, Nebraska, Women’s classic books should be taught in the classroom

Opinion

First place -- Fiona Jin and Ishanvi Chaudhary, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, More Than Barbie
Second place -- Joules Margot, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, The Search for the Holy Grain
Third place -- Julia Gray, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Student journalism is real journalism.
Honorable mention -- Andrew Liu, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, Texas, Rethinking affirmative action: an Asian student’s perspective; Lara Dumanli, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Good Luck; Jasmine Whitfield, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, How Long Will Female Wrestling Continue to be Overshadowed?

News Story

First place – Greyson Imm, Shawnee Mission East. Prairie Village, Kansas, Chasing Strength
Second place –Vee Lewis, Sparkman High School, Madison, Alabama, Getting Fiscal
Third place – Jack Baker, Sybil Curran and Josh McNeil, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, “Blindsided:” AP African American Studies Continues Despite Controversy.
Honorable mentions – Liliana Perez, Addison Ginther and  Charlotte Miksha, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana; Teagan Lynch, Millard North High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Raising Rates: Increasing graduation rate, lowering levels of absenteeism; Campbell Treschuk, FLHS Prospect, Fairfield, Connecticut, Federal Court Sets the Stage for Decision on CIAC Transgender Sports Policy; and Brooke Hudacek and Zeke Morrison, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Artistic Intelligence.

Feature Story

First place –Aanya Bansal, Shawnee Mission East High School, Mission Hills, Kansas, Inspiring Strength
Second place – Claire Steinbrook, Southport High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, Legacy of love
Third place – Kristina Yosypiv, Stamford High School, Stamfold, Connecticut, Ukrainian refugees share their story after unwillingly leaving their home.
Honorable mentions – Molly Kitchens, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Feeding Students, Changing Lives; Zoe Rector, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, 22 years later; Lily Groover, Northern Lehigh High School, Slatington, Pennsylvania, All They Want: The Struggle Being an LGBTQ Student at Northern Lehigh; Emerson Swift, Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, California, Humans.

Sports Story

First place – Jason Deng, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, Texas, Swimmer creates multisports club after international win.
Second place – Brady McGuire, Shaler Area High School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, A look at the unsung job of a basketball referee
Third place – Sriya Mamidanna, Sreeja Muthukannen, and Sona Surya, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, An Hour of Need
Honorable mention – Alexander Bratton, Sparkman High School, Harvest, Alabama, Looking at the Heart of the Matter

Columns or Blogs

First place – Tanatswa Chivero, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, 'Difficult' Names Carry Value.
Second place – Vee Lewis, Sparkman High School, Madison, Alabama, Junior Reflects on Life Before Mother's Death
Third place – Greta Grist, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas, Too Much
Honorable mention – Lara Dumanli, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Terror on the Mind

Review

First place – Mary Jane Kushiner, Gretna High School, Gretna, Nebraska, Review: Give Yourself ‘Goosebumps’
Second place – Kevin Sigrist, Kaneland High School, Maple Park, Illinois, Andor: A Fresh Take on Star Wars
Third place – Khadija Khan, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri, Summer on the big screen
Honorable mention – Gabi Dawson, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, The Pumpkin Latte Chronicles; and Wyatt Harris, Sparkman High School, Toney, Alabama, AI in the News

News or Feature Photo

First place – Vivian Lin, Palo Alto High School, Menlo Park, California, Flying High
Second place – Madeline Petrick, Gretna East High School, Omaha, Nebraska, The Smell of Rebellion
Third place – Amber-Nichole Ledbetter, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Arkansas, New Club Promotes Composting at Heritage
Honorable mention – Riley Scott, Shawnee Mission East, Overland Park, Kansas, Sink or Swim

Sports Photo

Cartooning

Graphics/Photo Illustration

First place – Elizabeth Yuan. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, Plugged In
Second place – Iris Kim, Sunny Hills High School, La Mirada, California, Seasonal Greeting
Third place – Avery Snider, Sparkman High School, Huntsville, Alabama, Writer's Guild
Honorable mention – Leying Yang, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana, On Ice!

Single Page Layout

Double-truck Layout

First place – Ansh Aggarwal, Jennifer Huang, and Veronica Jia, Stevenson High School, Linconshire, Illinois, Black Box
Second place – Lizzy Williams, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Mural with a mission: Social justice artwork honors delegate
Third place – Jessi Hahn, Emmaus High School, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, ADHD Awareness: moving forward with ADHD
Honorable mention – Azalea Bennett-Orsini, Homestead High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana, The Most Meaningless Color?; and Alexa Leiting, Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Clothes and Codes.

Environment

First place – Travis McGinnis, Ayma Malik, Ethan Bull, Yaritzza Montenegro, Jianna Aganon, Kathryn Peterson and Kalista Palarca, Southwest Career and Technical Academy. Las Vegas, Nevada, Thirst for Urgency.
Second place – Avery Carlisle and Helena Wang, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana, While climate change awareness has risen, groups work to help find ways to take action
Third place – Jackson Sneeringer, Carlmont High School, San Carlos, California, Disaster in paradise: the Maui wildfires
Honorable mention – Zoe Rector, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Pollution in North Omaha illustrates environmental racism

Radio or Podcast Prepared Report

Radio/Television Interview or Talk Show

First place – Elaine Jiang, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, People, Politics, and Perspective Ep. 2: Asian Americans, admissions, and the affirmative action debate
Second place – Scarle Mejia, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, Black History Month Feature: An Emotional Interview with Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero
Third place – Jamie Ford, Mount Pleasant High School, Wilmington, Delaware, Anne Frank Play TCC
Honorable mention – Chelsea Jensen, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Interview with State Supreme Court Justice and Tim VanEtten, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Indiana, Redesigning Learning

Best Newscast: Radio or Television

First place – HSETV staff, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, The Royal Rundown: November 9, 2023
Second place – Nevaeh Suit and Chelsea Jensen, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Hornet News Now Episode 4
Third place – Emily Jasa and Carson Kelley, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, November Broadcast
Honorable mention – Karson Hester, Lexi Gemperle, Stillman Brown, Mary Margaret Buck, Taylor Gautney and Katie Shockley, Auburn High School, Auburn, Alabama, Tiger TV, November.

Video News Story

First place – Aneesh Tiwari, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, UC Berkeley to Build $2 Billion Space Center at NASA Ames Research Park
Second place – Angela Zheng and Grace Vidlak, Millard North High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Destination Downtown
Third place – Nevaeh Suit, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Thea Foundation Scholarship
Honorable mention – Stillman Brown, Auburn High School, Auburn. Alabama, Tiger TV | Auburn High School Focuses on Suicide Awareness Month; Reilly Byron, McHenry Community High School, McHenry, Illinois, Key Club Hosts Annual Gift-Wrapping Event; Jacob Bailey, Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, Delaware, How a food worker's Puerto Rican culture inspires the menu at this high school cafeteria

Video Feature Story

First place – Taylor Dischinger, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Flower Farm as a Second Business
Second place – Maximillian Allen, Aiden Jopp, Jaden Gladu, and Darius Jack, Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, Delaware, Love of Food, Italian culture, and family guides owners of pizza shop
Third place – Sylvan Prey-Harbaugh and Nate Anderson, Strath Haven High School. Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Silvertones spread love through song
Honorable mention – Travis McGinnis and Ellie Lakatos, Southwest Career and Technical Academy. Las Vegas, Nevada, ‘Battle Bots Destruct-A-Thon’ Inspires Young Engineers; Samantha Kendeigh and Elaina Kratky, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, The player behind the play: the Caleb Benning feature; Charley Dieringer and Tristan Lewis, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, Bridging the work force skills gap; and Henry Leins, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, The Generative A.I. Revolution

Video Sports Story

First place – Vincent Wong and Henry Leins, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Pickleball: Bringing Together People of All Ages
Second place – Max Arnold and Gabe Fryling, Noblesville High School, Noblesville, Indiana, The Mystery Mascot
Third place – Dalton Heller. Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Pole Vaulters Reach New Heights
Honorable mention – Jasmen Walker, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, HF Field Hockey- Starting Success

Yearbook Layout

First place – Nikolette Murphy, Huntley High School, Huntley, Illinois, They See Me Rollin'
Second place – Eloisa Valelo, Jacob Walczak, and Emily Jian, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, Getting this Started
Third place – Lauren Stallworth, Sparkman High School, Harvest, Alabama, A Life Full of Labs
Honorable mention – Jessie Varnell, Emma Cravey and Presli Sickels, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Arkansas, Into the Spotlight; and Karleigh North, Gretna High School, Gretna, Nebraska, Student Section

Yearbook Photo

First place – Charlotte Horetsky, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Celebrating Culture
Second place – Emma Pearce, Noblesville High School, Noblesville, Indiana, All Thespian State
Third place – Isabel Salazar, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers, Arkansas, Thursday Night Lights!
Honorable mention – Heather Curtiss, Midway High School, Waco. Texas, Powerlifting

Yearbook Copywriting