From Hawaii to Maryland and from Illinois to Texas, from investigative reporting to in-depth interviews, thousands of young people have once again turned their thoughts and ideas into audio, and NPR's judges have selected from them the best student podcasts in America.
For the seventh year of the Student Podcast Challenge, we received nearly 2,000 entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Among the topics on the minds of middle and high schoolers this year were: AI and its expanding role in classrooms, immigration and its effects on their own communities, and interviews with family members and loved ones.
Some students produced highly journalistic entries: The podcasting club in a Southern California elementary school reported on how the devastating Palisades Fire transformed their community. Two Maryland high schoolers investigated the challenges LGBTQ students face in scouting.
Other students went all out with creativity, weaving natural sound into their podcasts or scoring their stories with original music. In Oakland, Calif., a group of fifth graders celebrated their favorite monster, Bigfoot, while a young musician in Cicero, Ill., took listeners along with him as he composed a love song.
As in past years, our entries spanned the incredible range of backgrounds and experiences of young people in the United States. We heard from urban, suburban and rural communities. From students in public and private schools, and from different homes and families.
NPR's education team spent the last three months listening to all of our entries, and presented them to our panel of judges. Later this month, we'll announce our two Grand Prize winners, in grades five through eight, and nine through 12.
In addition to our 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists, our team recognized 69 standout podcasts for Honorable Mention awards. You can read about and listen to them here.
Thanks again to all the students, and their teachers, parents and sponsors, who participated, and congratulations to our winners.
Below are the middle and high school finalists of the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, listed in alphabetical order.
Middle School Finalists
Students: Saniyah Alam, Aria Palmisano, Anthony Puglise and Elijah Ver Hoven
Teacher: Sasha Freger, Mount Olive Middle School, Budd Lake, N.J.
NPR Member station: WNYC, WBGO
At a middle school that bans cellphones during school hours, students wonder what it would be like if they could use their phones: "Should we restrict apps? Would phones at lunch cause problems or would it ease problems?" They interview their classmates, teachers, and the vice principal for their thoughts.
Far From Home - Shikata Ga Nai
Student: Ameya Desai
Teacher: Melissa Gallo, Williams Elementary School, San Jose, Calif.
NPR Member station: KQED, KAZU, KALW
One sixth grader in San Jose discovers that her home town played a significant role in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Ameya sits down with her neighbor's 84-year-old grandmother, who was forced out of California and sent to an internment camp in Wyoming as a young girl.
Student: Juliana Nelson
Teacher: Daniel Lago, Casa Ranch Montessori, Miramar, Fla.
NPR Member station: WLRN
"Follow me as I talk about moving from here to there." Through conversations with friends, teachers and family, middle schooler Juliana reflects on what it was like when her family moved far away from her Maryland home, to Florida.
Mind and Machine - AI Magical Maker or Machine Menace!
Student: Benjamin Shimano
Teacher: Jenny Chio, Presidio Middle School, San Francisco, Calif.
NPR Member station: KQED, KALW
"Is AI a magical maker or a machine menace?," a middle schooler in San Francisco asks in his podcast. Benjamin talks to people in different professions about how they use AI in their work, and explores the complicated feelings they have about generative AI.
Students: Abby Dutra and Oryan Navarrete
Teacher: Rebecca Carnahan, High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, Calif.
NPR Member station: KPBS
How can you learn and hold on to your culture when you come from multiple distinct backgrounds? Two high schoolers discuss the challenges – and the joys – of growing up in a multiracial family.
Students: Ryan Betts-Ng and Marshall Betts-Ng
Teacher: Lyndsay Schaeffer, Mills College Children's School, Oakland, Calif.
NPR Member station: KQED, KALW
Using creative sound effects, Ryan and Marshall share their research on none other than … bigfoot! Are the creatures real? What do we make of recent sightings in Washington State? Well, listen to Monster Madness for their findings.
Student: Grant Haubenreich
Teacher: Emily Deegan, Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Mo.
NPR Member station: KCUR
Immigration has been a contentious topic in the news lately, but sixth grader Grant felt like he barely knew his own family's immigration story. So he sat down with his mom, an immigration lawyer, and grandma, who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran.
Students: Henry Snyder, Itzel Mas, Kenley Taylor, Lucy Luria, Molly Ward, Olivia Christensen, Quinn David, Remy Gunn, Sadie Boyle, Sophie Weenig, Vivi Oziel, Cian Lawlor, Eivan Wheyland, Eliana Bentley, Elin Lough, Everly Dudley, Gabby De Sa, Lincoln Hern, Noah Rivera, Cruz Bradshaw, Jimmy Beaman, Mirabel Madson, Nora Haslam and Rowan Jendrusina
Teacher: Andrew Luria, MagTV at Magnolia Elementary School, Carlsbad, Calif.
NPR Member station: KPBS, KCLU
An elementary school broadcasting club in Southern California documents the aftermath of the Palisades Fires, and spotlights the hope, kindness and community that can rise from the ashes of tragedy.
Students: Anastasiia Koshyk and Ashley Yang
Teacher: Alysson Olsen, Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington, Conn.
NPR Member station: Connecticut Public, WSHU, NEPM, WAMC
From two student journalists in Connecticut, this Russian-Ukrainian War podcast discusses the history and impact of the war through conversations with people currently living in Ukraine.
The Anti Conformist Guide to Conforming
Students: Kinsley Glassel and Wynnona Mattison
Teacher: Gina Luber, Rocky Heights Middle School, Lone Tree, Colo.
NPR Member station: Colorado Public Radio
"Are you raging to rebel?" In this how-to podcast, teenagers Kinsley and Wynnona teach you "how to conform in the most non-conformist way possible." That's how to blend in, while still being just different enough.
Students: Vedika Shivi Patel and Maya Shah
Teacher: Jill Stedronsky, William Annin Middle School, Basking Ridge, N.J.
NPR Member station: WNYC, WBGO
What really makes a good teacher? A good degree or certification? More years of experience? Two middle schoolers in New Jersey survey their classmates, and ask their favorite teachers how they get the job done.
High School Finalists
Student: Ayah Al-Masyabi
Teacher: Anne Hellman, Branson School Online, Branson, Colo.
NPR Member station: KENW
Ayah (a former middle school finalist) documents her journey to finding the right treatment for mental health. But after doctor's appointment after doctor's appointment, the high schooler learns that "finding the one" is harder than she could've ever imagined.
It Took A War To Make Us Ukrainian
Student: Maya Ellenbogen
Teacher: Mary Wiltenburg, Friends School of Baltimore, Baltimore, Md.
NPR Member station: WYPR
Growing up, Maya would watch her mom and grandmother introduce themselves as Russian immigrants, because it felt unnecessary and too complicated to explain their Ukrainian heritage. But that changed in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. In her podcast, the high school senior grapples with her family's history and questions her own national identity.
Kindness Served One Cup at a Time
Student: Lily Boyum, Naomi Jeske, Kate Ruane and Maddie Margulis-Ohnuma
Teacher: Molly Earle, Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
NPR Member station: WNYC, WFUV, WBGO, Connecticut Public, WSHU
In a cozy coffee shop in the suburbs of New York, four high schoolers learn what they can do to make their community a more inclusive, welcoming place for disabled people. They sit down with employees and the owner of Sleepy Coffee, a workplace that's committed to hiring and training people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Student: Kimimila Beetso
Teacher: Mariah Driggs, Horizon Honors Secondary School, Phoenix, Az.NPR Member station: KJZZ
For many Native families, frybread serves as a connection between generations, and a food that brings people together. In this podcast, Mariah discusses its historic and cultural significance and asks her grandmother, who was born and raised on the Navajo reservation, to cook up some frybread and share her memories.
Students: June Kepka and Lark Jeffers
Teacher: Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.
NPR Member station: WAMU
In Queer Scouts, two friends in Maryland explore the intersection between scouting and the LGBTQ community. They interview transgender classmates on how they're trying to make space, but struggling within the constraints of Girl Scouts.
Students: Anna Myers and Jimin Park
Teacher: Andy Arellano, New Tech High @ Coppell, Coppell, Texas
NPR Member station: KERA
"A straight white guy who is either non-verbal or a genius … like Sheldon from 'The Big Bang Theory.'" High schooler Anna wants everyone to know that that's not the only way autism presents itself. In an interview with her friend, Anna explores the range of experiences and treatments autistic people go through.
Student: David Reyes
Teacher: Joel Ruvalcaba, Morton East High School, Cicero, Ill.
NPR Member station: WBEZ, Illinois Public Media, WBAA
"When we're older and you've grown up, will we still be friends?" That's the musical question that David, a high schooler in Illinois, asks as he plays his guitar and sings in his podcast. He shares his love of music and walks listeners through how he composed his love song, "Grown Up."
Struggling with A Cleft Palate
Student: Owyn Aaberg
Teacher: Clare Miller, Delta High School, Richland, Wash.
NPR Member station: Northwest Public Broadcasting
High schooler Owyn was born with a bilateral cleft palate, a facial deformity that not only brought challenges for him but also his mom. Owyn interviews her about what it was like learning about his condition, and how she made the difficult decision to have him and continue to support him.
Student: Avani Yaltho
Teacher: Timothy Nesser, St. Agnes Academy, Houston, Texas
NPR Member station: Houston Public Media
Higher schooler Avani grew up hearing countless stories about her grandparents' village in Kerala, India. But by the time she got older and visited her family's hometown, so much had already changed. In The Things We Buried, the high schooler discusses the sense of loss that comes with losing a version of home.
Students: Wyatt Brantaus, Jett Jarrett, Jenna Nguyen, Emi Nishimura, Maximos Spheeris and Emma Wittig
Teacher: Kathy Shigemura, Kalaheo High School, Kailua, Hawaii
NPR Member station: Hawaii Public Radio
What makes it worth living in Hawaii? A group of high schoolers report on the high financial cost of living on the islands. They interview their teachers and community members on the culture and connection to the land that keeps them there.
Thanks again to students, teachers and educators for being a part of our annual contest! Please share your experience, send us photos and give us feedback at studentpodcastchcallenge@npr.org.
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