Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: Problematic ‘confessions’ shared Entry Credit: Taariq Ahmed Judge Comment: Very well-written story about an issue of obvious relevance to your school community. Great lede -- really sets the scene. Good use of sources and quotes from students and admin. Excellent job!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: Lab adapts to reality of tighter budget Entry Credit: Taariq Ahmed, Jaya Alenghat, Clare McRoberts Judge Comment: A great approach to a budget story, focusing on the impact on school programs. Your first sentence is well crafted but a bit longer than a lede should be. Great quotes and details. Very well written and organized. Excellent job!
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Walter Payton High School Entry Title: Democrats warn DNC attendees of Project 2025’s threat to society Entry Credit: Madeleine Spanbauer Judge Comment: What an opportunity for a student to attend and cover a national political convention! A bit too much background at the outset before getting to the first-hand account of the speakers. I would have also liked to see you tie the significance of these issues to your school community, to personalize this for your audience. Overall well written, nicely done!
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kaneland High School Entry Title: Financial Struggles Force Cuts Entry Credit: Carli Filek Judge Comment: There's plenty of good information here but more careful organization would make for a more compelling story. Because of the time lag, you should be leading with the impact of the plan, not the vote -- your lede's your second graf (the "when" is rarely the most important part of a story). Good quotes and sources. A generally decent job -- more strategic organization will make it better.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: St. Viator High School Entry Title: Food trucks, new classes, small projects Entry Credit: Cassie Martinez, Magdalena Mokrzycki Judge Comment: There are a lot of details and information here, but it could be better organized for a news presentation. For example, the details about new classes in your 2nd graf could be more powerful as your lede. Still, lots of great insights that should be important to your local school readers. Avoid editorializing, as in your last graf.
