Announcing the 2025 NPR College Podcast Challenge Honorable Mentions

Special Series Student Podcast Challenge Contest Website Submissions Form College Contest Rules Middle/High School Contest Rules Podcasting Resources Students’ Podcast Newsletter Announcing the 2025 NPR College Podcast Challenge Honorable Mentions March 5, 20265:00 AM ET By Student Podcast Challenge Mar Hernandez for NPR And that's another year in the books! The fifth annual NPR College Podcast Challenge received roughly 200 entries from students in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Today, we are announcing our 10 finalist entries, and with them, an additional 35 podcasts that caught our ears, and that our team thought had a strong story to tell. Below are the honorable mentions. Congratulations everyone! A city divided: Oakland debates community safety by Brianna SosaStanford University, Stanford, Calif. A Winooski chef finds peace in fly fishing by Dylan Moody A'nessUniversity Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. After the Sentence by Tess BierlyDuke University, Durham, N.C. Blissful Ignorance: The Amateur Boxing Dilemma by Henry NichollsThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. Bread & Butter Farm: A Place to Belong by Cate MacDonaldUniversity Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. Classroom Confessions by Christina MuttavancheryFordham University, New York, N.Y. Connecting routes by Kathleen LeslieUniversity of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nev. Creativity as Currency: How Communities Are Responding to the Hunger Crisis by Cecilia PfliegerEndicott College, Beverly, Mass. Crowned and Proud: More Than Hair by Kitan AroleUniversity of Connecticut, Mansfield, Conn. Deep Dive by Zach Lebowitz, Karina Kafka, Eli Dahmah and Findlay DrabantUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. Deliver U.S. by Krystal GuerraTexas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas Dreams Without Borders by Alondra Nolasco RojasHofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. Dropping In With Mo by Marissa DumaisUniversity Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. Education as a Turning Point by Students of Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA ProgramPitzer College, Claremont, Calif. Elevator Escapades by Jack LynchThomas More University, Crestview Hills, Ky. Finding Family by Ava JohnsonPrinceton University, Princeton, N.J. Friday Night Lights And NIL Rights by Ainsley ElliotKent State University, Portage County, Ohio Hearing My Family by Bunmi OmisoreDuke University, Durham, N.C. it all started with bananas by Leonella Abreu Garcia, Yanelyse Cruz, Hayley Garabitos, Katie Goris and Emily McDougallSUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, N.Y. K-ALL: Big Ocean Interview | First Hard-of-Hearing K-Pop Group Drops Christmas Single "RED-DY SET GO" by Angel PolitoStony Brook University, Stony Brook, N.Y. Khmer Recountings by Kendrah SuPrinceton University, Princeton, N.J. La Chamba Podcast Series by Barbara Flores, Suni Salas and Maria GarciaUniversity of Arizona, Phoenix, Ariz. One Person by Samuel MansiDalton State College, Dalton, Ga. PCCD Alert – how a team of community college reporters investigated a shooting death on campus by Desmond Meagley, Eliot Faine, Ivan Saravia and Erik BrackenLaney College, Oakland, Calif. Rock Bottom by John BarteeSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Ill. Straddling Tints: Raised in the Spaces Between by Sara MoralesFordham University, New York, N.Y. The House That Raised Us by Hannah LoftisSouthern Illinois University of Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Ill. The Next Lost City?: Evaluating How Rising Sea Levels are affecting the San Diego coastline by Michaela Habal, Martha Gonzalez Mejia, Alejandra Guio Perez and Aylen Ojeda LopezUniversity of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif. The Story Behind Stickers by Jessica WattsNorthwestern University, Evanston, Ill. The Truth That Bothers Them by Victoria CuellarMiami Dade College, Miami, Fla. Thief of Potential by Yanser Rodriguez Perez, Jennifer Santos, Soraya Guillet, Kawanza Nelum and Olivia CorreaMiami Dade College, Miami, Fla. Through the Glass by Halee Provost, Daniela Ortiz, Daniel Leon and Valerie WilliamsMiami Dade College, Miami, Fla. Thrown Away: Waiting Outside New Jersey's Largest ICE Detention Facility by Koki OgawaPrinceton University, Princeton, N.J. To Speak or Not To Speak by Sophia MarcianoHofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. Congratulations everyone! Thanks again for sharing your stories with us. We loved listening to every minute of them, and we hope to hear from you again this fall. NPR's College Podcast Challenge will return Fall of 2026. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates. You can reach us at studentpodcastchallenge@npr.org. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor