Students from 42 states and the District of Columbia entered this year's contest. NPR's honorees include a group of fifth graders in Hewlett, New York, a high school student in Ann Arbor, Michigan, an 11th grader in Cicero, Illinois, and a middle schooler in Brooklyn. Their topics ranged from what Americans understand about their own country to what "home" really means, from the lessons a dying father leaves his son to a deep dive questioning whether Andy Warhol was secretly a woman named Patricia.
Landing on the finalist list means the podcasts stood out among a massive field of young reporters and storytellers tackling everything from personal family history to pop culture mysteries. It also means the students' audio work gets heard by an audience far beyond their classroom or hometown.
The recognition shows that serious, original journalism and storytelling can come from a fifth grader in New York just as easily as from a professional newsroom. One finalist may have even proven Andy Warhol was a woman.