The Julie Hoffman Memorial Best of the Best Award recognizes the most outstanding first-place entry across all high school contest categories. It celebrates not only exceptional skill and creativity, but also the passion and commitment we see in the future generation of communications professionals. The NFPW Education Fund is proud to present the 2026 Julie Hoffman Best of the Best Award to Aiden Caddell (top left), Max Arnold (top right), Rebecca Garber (bottom left), and Jude Naville (bottom right) for their Sports Story, "Perils of Parlays". The students are from Noblesville High School in Noblesville, Indiana.
 
FOR A LIST OF PREVIOUS JULIE HOFFMAN MEMORIAL BEST OF THE BEST AWARD WINNERS, CLICK HERE.
2026 NFPW National High School Communications Contest winners:
Editorial
Second Place: Campanile Staff, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Advanced Diploma rewards privileged, harms the rest.
Third Place: Saatvik Kailash, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, Are We There Yet?
Honorable mention: Andra Veleta, Center Grove High School, Greenwood, Indiana, The protest was peaceful. The community was not. This was never about a walkout.;
Honorable mention -- Fajr Abdeldayem, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Silenced by Violence.
Opinion
Second Place: Cassandra Schneck, Shaler Area High School, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Not a Stereotypical Family: Growing up adopted in a White Community.
Third Place: Angela Jia, Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, California, UN should stop normalizing Taliban relations, do more to protect women.
Honorable mention: Nicholas Sutin, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut, A Great Place to Learn, A Hard Place to Live: How Far Some Stamford Teachers Go Just to Show Up.
Honorable mention: Makiah Perkins, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, New Year, Same Me.
Honorable mention: Mahdi Abdallah, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, The Innocent Casualties of War.
Honorable mention: Shawn Feng, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana, It’s time to fix the club commitment crisis.
News Story
Second Place: Lailyah Duncan, Bellevue East High School, Bellevue, Nebraska, Former Bellevue East student cured of sickle cell disease.
Third Place: Elena Winterson, Madilyn Shoop-Gardner, Naomi Hsu, Andrew Liang, and Caitlin Stehr, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, San Mateo students rally against ICE.
Feature Story
Second Place: Riva Jain and Ryan Sharp, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana, Immigrant students, teacher reflect on struggles, future goals in the United States amid recent changes in immigration policy.
Third Place: Ava Davenport, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Sparking Thought.
Honorable mention: Mary Jane Kushiner, Gretna High School, Gretna, Nebraska, Ruth’s Religion: Senior Navigates Her Faith in Suburban Gretna.
Sports Story
Second Place: Chris Jeon and Julie Yang, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Gently down the stream.
Third Place: Michael Yi, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Powering the Offense.
Honorable mention: Lauren Hicks, Marian High School, Bennington, Nebraska, Athletes-utilize-nsaa-transfer-portal
Columns or blogs
Second Place (tie): Alex Duhon, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Make the Change.
Second Place (tie): May Lin, Carlmont High School, Redwood City, California, Breaking the ice 2.
Third Place: Edward Cheung, The Haverford School, Haverford, Pennsylvania,The hidden message of the Hong Kong apartment fires.
Honorable mention: Lucy Len Dim, Southport High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, Love letters from Lucy.
Honorable mention: Bella Broce, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Organs, Not an Ornament.
Reviews
Second Place: Theodore Kinsella, Venice High School, Los Angeles, California, ‘SIX’ Gets a Royal Welcome at Venice High School.
Third Place: Sloan Austin, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, An Animated Allegory.
Honorable mention: Niharika Kandari, Elkhorn North High School, Omaha, Nebraska, The Unfairest of Them All.
Honorable mention: Eli Graves, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, George Clooney’s ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ more than just a riveting performance.
Environment
Second Place: Asha Carter and Isabella Wall, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Coming Together for Community.
Third Place: Patrick White, The Haverford School, Haverford, Pennsylvania, Between heat and hope: confronting the reality of climate change.
Honorable mention: Kristina Gevorkova, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln, Nebraska, When the Storm Strikes.
Honorable mention: Jessica Li, Carlmont High School, San Carlos, California, Winner, winner, chicken keeper.
News or Feature photo
Second Place: Matthew Ramirez, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Marching band performs at Eagles game.
Third Place (tie): Lili Perez, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, Ice Protest; and Asha Carter, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, No Kings.
Honorable mention: Kevin Zhao, Southwest Career & Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, BREAKING NEWS: Southwest CTA Students Walk Out to Protest ICE.
Honorable mention: Syra Qureshi, Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska, High in the sky
Sports Photo
First Place: Carson Trotter, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, Close Shot!
Second Place: Molly Scott, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Struggle on the Mat.
Third Place: Kensie Pao, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Sentimental Send-off.
Honorable mention: Bryce Chrsitian, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, Vaulted.
Honorable mention: Asha Carter, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Celebrate Football.
Honorable mention: Regina Ho, Millard South High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Spotlight on the Mat.
Honorable mention: Elizabeth Gebhardt, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Girls basketball ends losing streak on senior night.
Honorable mention: Ian Vick, Glasgow High School, Newark, Delaware, The Denial
Cartooning
Second Place: Carter Hunt, Southwest Career & Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nevada, Extinction of the Penny.
Third Place: Saer Hollingsworth, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Conrad vs. Jeremiah
Honorable mention – Netra Nalubolu, Metea Valley High School, Aurora, Illinois, Breaking Down the Rules.
Honorable mention – Skylin Lui, Carlmont High School, Belmont, California, Superman is an immigrant.
Honorable mention – Norah Lipsky, Northern Lehigh High School, Slatington, Pennsylvania, "6-7 Will Still Baffle Years From Now"
Graphics/photo illustration
First Place: Izumi Huang Fujiwara, Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Nebraska's Food Insecurities.
Second Place: Sophia Brockmeier, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Honoring Veterans Day.
Third Place: Cindy Liang, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Lights, camera, action!
Honorable mention: Graham Toner. Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, Boys Basketball '25-'26 Schedule.
Honorable mention: Anushkka Dhawan and Shriya Batra, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, Hashtag Overload.
Honorable mention: Carsyn Coleman, Heritage High School, Rogers, Arkansas, Gameday vs Bentonville.
Honorable mention: Isaac Lothrop, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Public media memories left defunded
Single Page Layout
First Place: Bri Taliaferro, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, Morning Energy.
Second Place: Caroline Baker and Sharlotte Davis, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas, Lattes and Biscoff.
Third Place: Matthew Ramirez, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania. About the Box (Front Page).
Honorable mention: Maria Fuenmayor-Mora and Meryem Yildirim, Noblesville High School, Noblesville, Indiana, Endgame For The Genre.
Honorable mention: Evangeline Ahern . Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln, Nebraska, Spooky Movies to Sink Your Teeth Into.
Double-truck Layout
Second Place: Alice Sheffer, Talia Boneh, Ria Mirchandani, and Amalia Tormala, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, Rewind: Paly's Comfort Classics.
Third Place: Katherine Dietz, Eleanor Thibodeau, and Izumi Huang Fujiwara, Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Going Analog in 2026.
Honorable mention: Naomi VanDyne, Riley Jensen and Lennon Sharp, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, Housing is Healthcare
Radio or Podcast Prepared Report
First Place: Maddie Shoop-Gardner and Caitlin Stehr, Carlmont High School, San Carlos, California, The light in the dark: The life of Keith LaMar.
Second Place: Maggie Stapleton, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, Flag Football.
Third Place: Dylan Surbrook-Bowers, Mount Pleasant High School, Wilmington, Delaware, DOE Funding PAS.
Honorable mention: Hunter Veylupek and Lucas Boyer Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Warrior Weekly: Episode 2
Radio / Television Interview or Talk Show
First Place: Radhika Dharmapurikar and Meghna Dixit, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California, 10 frequently asked sex education questions.
Second Place: Aidan Klauk, Bryce Barnett, Brycee Christian, and Laila Dyer, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, 2 Bs in a Pod.
Third Place: Gianna Carozza, Franklin Regional High School, Murrysville, Pennsylvania, Daybreak with Gianna.
Honorable mention: Ross May and Tate Barnes, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Bulldog Buckets Coaches Show
Honorable mention: Jordan Farmer, Westview High School, Bennington, Nebraska, Fireside Chats with Jordan Farmer - Wolfes & Lyons
Honorable mention: Jeremiah Chancey, Natasha Amaya, Sashaine Howell, Jaxon Baptiste, and Ke'Mad Brown, William Penn High School, New Castle, Delaware, Jeremiah Chancey Interviews Senator Chris Coons.
Best Newscast
First Place: Declan Klyn, Laila Dyer, and Sofia Bilgi, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, The VTV Show.
Second Place: Matthew Anderson, Mady Calhoun, Kaitlyn Ridgell, and Isai Perez, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, The Bryant Buzz - November 2025.
Third Place: Adam Taylor, Sydney Kjeldgaard, Sofia Bunch, Jenna Steinke and Cory Nguyen, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln, Nebraska, Knight Pride News: Dec. 5 Episode
Honorable mention: Camden Blair and Vanessa Ng, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, Knightly Show
Honorable mention: Keaton Wagner. Hannah Richmond, Rylie Michael, Casey O'Brien, Jake McConnell, Cayden Brassell, Ethan Amici and Nick Brunner, Lower Dauphin High School, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, FBC Weekly (Nov. 13)
Video News Story
First Place: Amaya Rambel, Elvis Carpenter, Valentina Huynh and Mairen McNeill, Castro Valley High School, Castro Valley, California, CVHS students walk out to protest ICE.
Second Place: Aidan Klauk, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, Witches Night Out.
Third Place: Mady Calhoun, Isai Perez and Carson Jones, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, Construction Update.
Honorable mention: Kate Efaw, Marian High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Government Shutdown.
Honorable mention: Vanessa Ng and Sophia Johnson, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, Missouri Cell Phone Ban Changes Communication in Public Schools.
Honorable mention: Natalia Honko, Franklin Regional High School, Apollo, Pennsylvania, Shrek the Musical.
Honorable mention: Natasha Amaya and Sashaine Howell, William Penn High School, New Castle, Delaware, William Penn's New Bathroom Policy.
Video Feature Story
First Place: Megan Dyberg, Lakeside High School, Hot Springs, Arkansas, The Making of Xandu.
Second Place: Will Mahan, Westside High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Driven by Heart: Westside Golf Team Takes State Runner-Up Amid Coach’s Personal Battle.
Third Place: Alina Begg and Natalia Honko, Franklin Regional High School, Apollo, Pennsylvania, Maker Club.
Honorable mention: Lili Perez, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, A Legacy Defined.
Honorable mention: Laila Dyer, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, The Barkary.
Honorable mention: Vanessa Ng, Oliver Bosanquet and Jakob Walker, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri. The Plylers Provide a Safe Space for All Ages Through Bear Ridge.
Honorable mention: Jasper Veer Tuteja and Derek Chen, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California, 50 years of float building: From rivalry to community.
Honorable mention: Kaden Howard and Aibhlinn Hall, Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, Delaware, Rider Country Store
Video Sports Story
First Place: Kane Manfull, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri, 0-Counting: Stuck in a Bad Dream
Second Place: Raj Thapliyal, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, California, Junior Cameron Polidoro finds a lifelong passion and hobby in mountain biking.
Third Place: Colton Blank, Caden Beringer, Morgan Blank and Anabella Daniele, Freedom Area High School, Freedom, Pennsylvania, Wrestling team earns 4th consecutive section title.
Honorable mention: Adian Klauk, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Illinois, Veterans Salute.
Honorable mention: Mady Calhoun and Taylor Lease, Bryant High School, Bryant, Arkansas, #DoItForE.
Honorable mention: Cory Nguyen and Mason Sheehan, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln, Nebraska, Rolling Toward Victory: The LSE Bowling Team brings focus, fire, and team chemistry to every frame.
Honorable mention: Gavin Johnson, Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, Delaware, CR Athletes Heading to College.
Yearbook Layout
First Place: Sarah Mesfin, Bryan High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Homecoming.
Second Place: Brooke Anderson, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, Arkansas, Making the Grade.
Third Place (tie): Jayla Bailey and Paola Ramirez, Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, Friday Night Lights.
Third Place (tie): Caden Beringer, Freedom Area High School, Freedom, Pennsylvania, Sharp shooters.
Honorable mention: Kaylee Coleman, Huntley High School, Huntley, Illinois, Touching New Bases (Baseball)
Yearbook Photo
First Place: Jayden Gribble, Bentonville West High School, Centerton, Arkansas, Landon Price.
Second Place (tie): Addilyn Nikodym, Gretna East High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Straight from the Heart.
Second Place (tie): Isaac Lothrop, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Spring Divider,
Third Place: Morgan Beedle, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Rainy Spirit.
Honorable mention: Jasa Triplett and Sceptre Yearbook Staff, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana, Fall Sports Divisional.
Yearbook Copywriting
First Place: Charlotte Wissel, Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kansas, Line of Trust.
Second Place: Parker Neville, Millard North High School, Omaha, Nebraska, Quacking the code.
Third Place: Ethan Lin, Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Rebuilding confidence
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