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 Sosa
Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
A Winooski chef finds peace in fly fishing by Dylan Moody A’ness
University Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
After the Sentence by Tess Bierly
Duke University, Durham, N.C.
Blissful Ignorance: The Amateur Boxing Dilemma by Henry Nicholls
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Bread & Butter Farm: A Place to Belong by Cate MacDonald
University Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
Classroom Confessions by Christina Muttavanchery
Fordham University, New York, N.Y.
Connecting routes by Kathleen Leslie
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nev.
Creativity as Currency: How Communities Are Responding to the Hunger Crisis by Cecilia Pflieger
Endicott College, Beverly, Mass.
Crowned and Proud: More Than Hair by Kitan Arole
University of Connecticut, Mansfield, Conn.
Deep Dive by Zach Lebowitz, Karina Kafka, Eli Dahmah and Findlay Drabant
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
Deliver U.S. by Krystal Guerra
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
Dreams Without Borders by Alondra Nolasco Rojas
Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.
Dropping In With Mo by Marissa Dumais
University Of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
Education as a Turning Point by Students of Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA Program
Pitzer College, Claremont, Calif.
Elevator Escapades by Jack Lynch
Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, Ky.
Finding Family by Ava Johnson
Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
Friday Night Lights And NIL Rights by Ainsley Elliot
Kent State University, Portage County, Ohio
Hearing My Family by Bunmi Omisore
Duke University, Durham, N.C.
it all started with bananas by Leonella Abreu Garcia, Yanelyse Cruz, Hayley Garabitos, Katie Goris and Emily McDougall
SUNY 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 Polito
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, N.Y.
Khmer Recountings by Kendrah Su
Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
La Chamba Podcast Series by Barbara Flores, Suni Salas and Maria Garcia
University of Arizona, Phoenix, Ariz.
One Person by Samuel Mansi
Dalton 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 Bracken
Laney College, Oakland, Calif.
Rock Bottom by John Bartee
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Ill.
Straddling Tints: Raised in the Spaces Between by Sara Morales
Fordham University, New York, N.Y.
The Cost of Being Served by Riley White
Dalton State College, Dalton, Ga.
The House That Raised Us by Hannah Loftis
Southern 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 Lopez
University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
The Story Behind Stickers by Jessica Watts
Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
The Truth That Bothers Them by Victoria Cuellar
Miami Dade College, Miami, Fla.
Thief of Potential by Yanser Rodriguez Perez, Jennifer Santos, Soraya Guillet, Kawanza Nelum and Olivia Correa
Miami Dade College, Miami, Fla.
Through the Glass by Halee Provost, Daniela Ortiz, Daniel Leon and Valerie Williams
Miami Dade College, Miami, Fla.
Thrown Away: Waiting Outside New Jersey’s Largest ICE Detention Facility by Koki Ogawa
Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
To Speak or Not To Speak by Sophia Marciano
Hofstra 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.
Student Podcast Challenge 2026-03-05 10:00:00
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