Broadcast
Academic Script
First Place – Ebony Christie & Tiye Whitaker, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Emanya Roach, Alani Hamilton & Shailin Tisdale, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Reece Harnett, “The Buzz TV,” Fort Mill HS
News Script
First Place – Will Davidson, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Jeremiah Berry & Gabby Greenley, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Paige Bell, “CRN-TV,” Catawba Ridge HS
PSA
First Place – Tiffany Gaulman, Juliette Maxfield & Christina Foster, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – MyKynzie Bailey & Darius Darby, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Sports Script
First Place – Remedy Pressley, “CRN-TV,” Catawba Ridge HS
Second Place – Jackson Stanton, Matthew Davidson & Eli Clements, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Will Davidson, “RNE-TV,” Richland Northeast HS
Literary Magazine
Drama
First Place – Trinity Hutzler, “Tribe Talk,” Wando HS
Fiction
First Place – Anna Cogbill, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – Josephine Clark, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Third Place – Shea Peters, iliad, Clarke Central HS
Non-Fiction
First Place – Matt Krebs, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – La Escritora, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Third Place – Jessica Mack, iliad, Clarke Central HS
Poetry
First Place – Charlotte Pollack, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – Grace Lang, iliad, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Alexandra Cardona, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Review
First Place – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Megan Bouchard, Voices, Nation Ford HS
Newsprint
Editorial Column
Judge’s comments: I am impressed with the quality of the editorial columns I read. The topics were timely, showed evidence of research. Some were localized, with interviews from teachers and community leaders, and that helped them rise to the top. The winners addressed their high school audiences. The writing was clear and grammatically correct.
First Place – Maura O’Sullivan, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Second Place – Maddy Wagner, Nighthawk News, First Flight HS
Third Place (tie) – Diamante Diaz & Olivia Watts, The Shield, McCallum HS, and Christy Ma, Northwest Horizons, Northwest Guilford HS
Staff Editorial
First Place – Kristen Tibbetts, The Shield, McCallum HS
Second Place – Maggie Kell, The Talon, Nation Ford HS
Third Place (tie) – ODYSSEY newsmagazine staff, Clarke Central HS, and Northwest Horizons staff, Northwest Guilford HS
Entertainment/Feature Column
Judge’s comments: From the lede, the writer draws in the reader with her creative storytelling style. She structures her sentences almost like rhythmic beats that convey an urgent and stressful tone. Her account articulately details the range of emotions – from excitement to fear and sadness – that accompanied her journey, providing valuable insight into the immigrant experience.
First Place – Lia Khachatryan, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Second Place – Robyn Reed, Tiger, Little Rock Central HS
Third Place – Sachio Goodie, Blueprints, Cedar Shoals HS
Feature Story
First Place – Tecoya Richardson, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Maggie Kell, The Talon, Nation Ford HS
Third Place (tie) – Yei Bin Andrews, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS, & Brooke Elliott, Tiger, Little Rock Central HS
News Feature
First Place – Valeria Garcia-Pozo, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Eva Chillura, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Jessie Bates, Tiger, Little Rock Central HS
News Story
First Place – Kelly Wei, The Sidekick, Coppell HS
Second Place – Eva Chillura, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Cade Spencer & Peter Dang, The Dispatch, James Bowie HS
Personality Feature
First Place – Sachio Goodie, Blueprints, Cedar Shoals HS
Second Place – Rosemary Delamater, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Isabella Spuler, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Review
First Place – Aaron Rothkopf, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Second Place – Audrey Kennedy, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Aiden Dowling, Blueprints, Cedar Shoals HS
Sports Column
Judge’s comments: This column is a wonderful mix of fact and opinion, statistics and storytelling. You made me LOL with the line about you and your parents figuring out you were not an athlete! It’s fun that you found your place as a runner, and sharing your story in this way doubtless gave your readers something to think about in their own athletic journeys.
First Place – Bram Mansbach, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Second Place – Kayla Rubenstein, The Patriot Press, American Heritage School
Third Place – Ben Allen, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Sports Feature
First Place – Kailey Cota, The Talon, Nation Ford HS
Second Place – Tristan Lankford, Blueprints, Cedar Shoals HS
Third Place – Tyler Jones, The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS
Sports Story
Judge’s comments: This sports news piece on athletes battling heat advisories included great sourcing, details and quotes from a wide variety of people. Kudos as well for going with a straight news lede about a serious topic. We love writing scene-setters and anecdotal ledes for everything, but sometimes the summary news lede still works best!
First Place – AJ Carr, ODYSSEY newsmagazine, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Julia Kay Smith, The Shield, McCallum HS
Third Place – Megan Harkey, Northwest Horizons, Northwest Guilford HS
Online
Alternative Storytelling
First Place – Maeve Walsh, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Second Place – Pearl Heinley, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Third Place – Lillian Sams & Margaret Keller, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Honorable Mention – Bella Russo, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Blog
First Place – Camila Villareal, Coppell Student Media, Coppell HS
Second Place – Alexander Robinson, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – Maya Amador, The Dispatch online, James Bowie HS
Honorable Mention – Townes Hobratschk, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Features
First Place – Marisa Salazar, The Dispatch online, James Bowie HS
Second Place – Helen Moore, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
Third Place – Roxanne Domizi, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Investigative Story
First Place – Royce Mann, Dana Richie, Lanier Pickren & Katherine Esterl, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
Second Place – Mackenzie Caudill, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Third Place – George Lefkowicz & Tyler Jones, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
News
First Place – Owen Donnelly, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Second Place – Lucia Gravel, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
Third Place – Charlotte Spears, George Lefkowicz and Royce Mann, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
Personality Feature
First Place – Camden Crook, Nighthawk News online, First Flight HS
Second Place – Isabella Abraham, Eagle Nation Online, Prosper HS
Third Place – Anna McClellan, The Shield online, McCallum HS
Reviews
First Place – Payton DiSario, Hoof Print, Ola HS
Second Place – Ashley Edwards, Hoof Print, Ola HS
Third Place – Shea Peters, ODYSSEY Media Group, Clarke Central HS
Sports
First Place – Duncan Tanner, The Southerner online, Henry W. Grady HS
Second Place – Ana Arredondo, Eagle Nation Online, Prosper HS
Third Place – Kennedy Wyles, Eagle Nation Online, Prosper HS
Photo Cutlines
Feature Cutline
First Place – Camille Wilson, The Shield, McCallum HS
Second Place – Ted Fairchild, Tribal Tribune, Wando HS
Third Place – Samantha Powers, The Shield, McCallum HS
News Cutline
First Place – Elisha Scott, The Shield, McCallum HS
Second Place – Bella Russo, The Shield, McCallum HS
Third Place – Stephany Gaona-Perez, Blueprints, Cedar Shoals HS
Sports Cutline
First Place – Lily Prather, The Shield, McCallum HS
Second Place – Tribal Tribune staff, Wando HS
Third Place – Margaret Olson, The Shield, McCallum HS
Yearbook
Academic Copy
First Place – Alexis Kramer, Legend, Wando HS
Second Place – Claire Gaddy, Legend, Wando HS
Third Place – Olivia Watts, The Knight, McCallum HS
Ads/Community Copy
First Place – Laurel Davis, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Brianna Weirick, Legend, Wando HS
Third Place – Bailey Korfhage, Endeavor, Bullitt East HS
Groups Copy
First Place – Emalee Goode, Legend, Wando HS
Second Place – Mira MacLaurin, The Knight, McCallum HS
Third Place – Emma Lambert & Jonnay Perkins, Legend, Wando HS
People Copy
First Place – Merritt Redden, Legend, Wando HS
Second Place – Sophie Ryland, The Knight, McCallum HS
Third Place – Olivia Potter, Legend, Wando HS
Sports Copy
First Place – Laurel Davis, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS
Second Place – Jenna Thrift, Legend, Wando HS
Third Place – Gregory James, The Knight, McCallum HS
Student Life Copy
First Place – Kamryn Frontz, Legend, Wando HS
Second Place – Gabby Sherwood & Ian Clennan, The Knight, McCallum HS
Third Place – Hannah Shimmel & Jamiyah Jenkins, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS
Theme Copy
First Place – Rylie Jones, The Knight, McCallum HS
Second Place – Gracie Boyce and Laurel Davis, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS
Third Place – Kaleigh Mullis, Kaleidoscope, Lugoff-Elgin HS