podcasting

Announcing the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for 2026 — and a very special prize!

The annual contest for students in grades four through 12 is back for its eighth year — this time with a special prize for a podcast that marks the 250th anniversary of the United States.

NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge: Here are our fourth grade winners!

We heard fun and engaging podcasts on topics including how math teaching has evolved, what its like to disengage from technology, and, who has it better: kids or grownups?

A student’s winning podcast looks back to a way of life she never knew

Avani Yaltho, this year's high school winner in NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, brought three generations of her family together to talk about their shared history.

NPR’s middle school champion: A moving podcast about Japanese incarceration

For the first time, NPR's Student Podcast Challenge has a returning champion: a California fifth grader who explored a dark chapter in U.S. history during World War II.

Here they are: The best student podcasts in America

For the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, we've listened to nearly 2,000 entries from around the U.S., and narrowed them down to 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists.