The 2026 Student Podcast Challenge Honorable Mentions
NPR has announced the honorable mentions for its 2026 Student Podcast Challenge. The list highlights creative audio projects from middle and high school students across the United States.
Why it matters
This initiative encourages media literacy and storytelling skills among youth, fostering the next generation of journalists and content creators.
Enlarge this image LA Johnson/NPR LA Johnson/NPR Here are the honorable mentions from the 2026 NPR Student Podcast Challenge. You can listen to our middle school and high school finalists here .
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 . And if you haven't already, check out our newsletter for the latest updates.
Congratulations to all these outstanding podcasts! Hope to hear from you again next year!
A Step Ahead Students: Alfred Cash Anderson, Amber Jan, Anna de Koning, Daphne Dalton, Fuller Phillipy, Harmony Guzman, Jax Freitag, Kalia Nabours, Kirra Drude, Lottie Wickham, Oliver Tait, Ryan Wilson, Lucy Luria, Wyatt Thompson, Olivia Chilingirian, Noah Cowell and Trey Adamson Teacher/Sponsor: Andrew Luria, Thrive School in Encinitas, Calif.
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