The annual Student Podcast Challenge is will accept entries for college through January, 2025 (Professor and school involvement is not required for the college challenge). The middle school – high school contest will accept entries through Spring, 2025. The national judges will choose winners in three categories: grade four, grades five through eight, and grades nine through 12. Read more about it!
While you wait for the 2025 contests details and entry forms, enjoy listening to some of the podcasts from past contests and from 2024 middle school-high school finalists. Go the Special Series NPR Podcast Challenge Page.
As in the past, entries must be submitted by a teacher, educator, or mentor who is 18 years or older. And don’t forget all the tips, advice and lesson plans we’ve compiled over the years – more on that below. Especially the rules around the maximum length of eight minutes, and about the use of music. (You can find the contest rules here.) After years of listening to student podcasts, we’ve learned that shorter is better.
Getting started? Check out these resources: