2023 Annual Contest winners announced

2023+Annual+Contest+winners+announced

Congratulations to the winners in our Annual Contest. Links to the winning entries were accurate at the the time of the contest and individual entries may be disabled at any time.

Best of the WestDigital Media | Diversity | Environment/Health/Science | News Publications
Press Freedom | Service | Yearbook | Video

PUBLICATION AWARDS

BEST OF THE WEST

Broadcast

1st Place InFocus Palo Alto High School
2nd Place ScotCenter Carlmont High School

Feature Magazine

1st Place Highlander Magazine Carlmont High School

Newsmagazine

1st Place El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Verde Palo Alto High School
3rd Place The Shield Archbishop Riordan High School

Newspaper

1st Place The Campanile Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Bear Witness Branham High School
3rd Place The Epic Lynbrook High School

Website

1st Place El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Scot Scoop Carlmont High School

Yearbook

1st Place: Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Pegasus Homestead High School
3rd Place The Olympian Henry M. Gunn High School

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SPECIAL AWARDS

CASEY NICHOLS SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD

Jameson Datoc The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

NICHOLAS FERENTINOS MEMORIAL PRESS FREEDOM AWARD

Sonia Verma and Lillian Wang Rising up for Roe El Estoque Monta Vista High School

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INDIVIDUAL & GROUP AWARDS

DIGITAL MEDIA arts & entertainment package

1st Place Sam Kimball From clay to the kiln: Eli Grandy, Kevin Castro and the power of ceramics The Redwood Bark Redwood High School
2nd Place Ananya Chaudhary, Nameek Chowdhury, Krish Dev, Manas Kottakota, Aditya Shukla and Eshika Tiwari Homecoming 2022 El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM Audrey Guo, Lily Daniel and Siena Dunn Before We Graduate C Magazine Palo Alto High School

DIGITAL MEDIA arts & entertainment video

1st Place Vincent Wong The Expanding Medium of Short Films InFocus Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Torii Kaleba Radium Girls InFocus Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Eleanor Kinder and Caroline Clack Dance Concert Preview The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Seoyoung Hwang Musicians at Homestead The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Sydney Tao Carlmont’s Heritage Fair promotes inclusion through cultural celebration Scot Scoop Carlmont High School

DIGITAL MEDIA audio story

1st Place Aditya Shukla Consent in Fiction El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Annabel Chia Exploring the city Season 1 Ep. 1: The stories of Chinatown Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
3rd Place Drew Paxman, Maya Wong, Erika Sun and Zoe Dorado College application tips, new bell schedule, and sleep deprivation The Olympian, Trojan Horse Podcast Castro Valley High School
HM Lizzie Freehill, Tatum Herrin and Alea Marks Late Knight Talking, Episode 4 The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Faith Watters The history and uses of meditation The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Maddie Newman, Drew Paxman and Wyatt Franklin CV Spotlight, Thespian Society, and Lynee Sims The Olympian, Trojan Horse Podcast Castro Valley High School
HM Megha Mummaneni Behind the notes El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM Chloe De Leon Climate change education Woodside Paw Print Woodside High School

DIGITAL MEDIA feature package

1st Place Sagnik Nag Chowdhury, Abha Dash, Taryn Lam, Kripa Mayureshwar, Aashna Patel, Jiya Singh, Manas Kottakota and Eshika Tiwari From farm to table El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Rori Anderson, Elsa Block and Lili Hakimi Concerning trends and evolving interactions: A new social media reality The Redwood Bark Redwood High School
3rd Place Katrina Tran, April Nguyen and Lena Nguyen You’re Hired! Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Lorenzo Almario and Olive Luong Right on Cue Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Chesney Evert and Oliver Fichte Beyond the Stars Scot Scoop Carlmont High School  

DIGITAL MEDIA feature video

1st Place Amy Liu and Catherine Zhou 37 Questions with the Epic the Epic Lynbrook High School
2nd Place Drew Paxman and Zoe Dorado Broadway actress visits CVHS The Olympian Castro Valley High School
3rd Place Jacob Reich Meeting the New Faculty, Pt 2 The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Seoyoung Hwang Gamers at Homestead The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Sydney Tao High school jazz band connects communities for a greater good Scot Scoop Carlmont High

DIGITAL MEDIA breaking news story

1st Place Haylie Yee UPA Launches Universal Meals Program Aquila University Preparatory Academy
2nd Place Christina Chang Atmospheric river brings heavy winds, fallen trees and destruction to campus facilities The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
3rd Place Samita Golla Students Petition for Advanced Courses at UPA Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Cayden Gu and Jerry Xia Timothy Alexander returns to address seniors, challenges students to succeed under pressure The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Sam Kimball and Ben Choucroun Larkspur structure fire erupts Friday morning The Redwood Bark Redwood High School
HM The Paly Voice Staff Heavy rain brings flooding; new storms pending The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
HM Jason Chu and Lauren Chuu BREAKING: MVHS students and staff evacuated following second bomb threat El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM Jackson Spenner and Elise Spenner Racist, Anti-Semitic graffiti discovered on campus The Burlingame B Burlingame High School

DIGITAL MEDIA breaking news stream

1st Place The Paly Voice Staff Spirit Week breaking news coverage The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Viking Staff Girl’s Basketball Beats Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School
3rd Place The Paly Voice Staff Breaking news coverage of sheriff candidates from in-person press conferences during the 2022 election cycle The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School

DIGITAL MEDIA news web site design

1st Place Brennen Ho The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Shaan Sridhar and Carolyn Wang The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
3rd Place El Estoque El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM The Epitaph Staff The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Hudson Fox and Staff Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM Erik Feng The Campanile Palo Alto High School

DIGITAL MEDIA opinion package

1st Place Crystal Cheng, Melody Cui, Sarah Liu, Jisha Rajala, Yash Thapliyal, April Wang and Alex Zhang Bandaids for bullet wounds El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Abha Dash, Arjun Dhruv, Sarah Liu, Gauri Manoj, Jisha Rajala and Eshika Tiwari Protecting ourselves El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Gil Ladetzky Must the show go on? The Redwood Bark Redwood High

DIGITAL MEDIA opinion video

1st Place Delaney Ball, Tommy Butler and Sam Papp Ep. 1: How Smart are PALY Students InFocus Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Joss Broward, Brevin Reed and Emma Yu Trying low rated restaurants The Epitaph Homestead High School
3rd Place Carina Tong and Spencer Wu-Chin History of the WORST Statue in Palo Alto InFocus Palo Alto High School 

DIGITAL MEDIA live coverage

1st Place Adelaide Reinshagen, Piper Diehn and Gracia Shao-Xue Scotsland Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Shun Graves Live updates: Branson wins D-I state championship The Blazer The Branson School
3rd Place Kristie Kim Water Polo Live Coverage The Burlingame B Burlingame High School

DIGITAL MEDIA multi-platform coverage

1st Place Ananya Chaudhary, Nameek Chowdhury, Krish Dev, Manas Kottakota, Aditya Shukla and Eshika Tiwari Homecoming 2022 El Estoque Monta Vista High School
1st Place Ananya Chaudhary, Lauren Chuu, Krish Dev, Yash Thapliyal, Lillian Wang and Alex Zhang The economy in Cupertino El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Jason Chu, Lauren Chuu, Minjae Kang, Sonia Verma, Mira Wagner and Lillian Wang Making a Change El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Inaaya Omer, Kiana Hinkson, Gabrielle Shore and Adelaide Reinshagen Fanning the flames: d.tech administration’s response to rebellion ignites controversy Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM Jason Chu, Lauren Chuu, Minjae Kang, Sonia Verma, Mira Wagner and Lillian Wang Protecting our privacy El Estoque Monta Vista High School

DIGITAL MEDIA news video

1st Place Aneesh Tiwari and Spencer Wu-Chin PAUSD School Board Candidate Runs a Controversial Campaign InFocus Palo Alto High
2nd Place Drew Paxman and Zoe Dorado Coverage of Rally and Action for Abortion Rights and Community Safety The Olympian Castro Valley High School
3rd Place Henry Leins Students Are Using ChatGPT to Do Their Schoolwork – Is it Cheating? InFocus Palo Alto High School
HM Jacob Reich Celebrating First Day of School The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Sydney Tao Crowds gather for food and culture at Belmont Greek Festival Scot Scoop Carlmont High School

DIGITAL MEDIA sports feature video

1st Place Bennett Hardy and Uri Ponte 8 O’Clock Ball: Paly’s Underground Basketball Collective InFocus Palo Alto High
2nd Place Henry Leins and Vincent Wong Dan the Superfan InFocus Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Manya Girivasan, Macy Li and Mackie Vu Q&A with the girls water polo co-captain The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Seoyoung Hwang Dancers at Homestead The Epitaph Homestead High School

DIGITAL MEDIA sports news video

1st Place Henry Leins and Vincent Wong PALY Student-Athletes Time Management InFocus Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Chase Katcher The Rise of Pickleball InFocus Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Jacob Reich Students Compete in Spirit Activities on Workout Thursday The Coat of Arms Menlo School

DIGITAL MEDIA sports package

1st Place Arianna Zhu and Zara Hai Tackling America’s football fetish Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Crystal Cheng, Arjun Dhruv, Anna Jerolimov, Lily Jiang, Sameer Maheshwari, Gauri Manoj and Michelle Zheng Age in Sports El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Mikaylah Du, Kathryn Foo, Anna Jerolimov, Riya Murthy, Kalyani Puthenpurayil, Dahlia Schilling and Mira Wagner Out of Line El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM The Epitaph Staff Track and Field Guide The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Alyssa Bish and Isabella Rice Where the money goes Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM Haylie Yee and Vidya Achar Hanging out at new heights Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Angel Froumis, Samira Madden, Sneha Madan and Kyla Ulug Sorry, I have practice Aquila University Preparatory Academy

DIGITAL MEDIA photo slideshow

1st Place Minjae Kang, Vincent Zhao and Michelle Zheng Varsity Boys Basketball ends historic season losing 78-55 to first-seeded Saint Francis High El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Anna Feng, Lauren Wong and Annelise Balentine Final rally closes out Spirit Week The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Amy Liu, Neha Ayyer and Chelsea Lee Abortion Student Protest the Epic Lynbrook High School
HM Shun Graves and Jeffrey Huang Football defeats Calistoga at homecoming The Blazer The Branson School
HM Aidan Ruan and Lillian Wang MV Dance Team hosts “Santa’s Workshop El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM Sonia Dholakia Behind the Curtain of ‘The Learned Ladies’ The Coat of Arms Menlo School

DIGITAL MEDIA social media post

1st Place Cayden Gu and Justin Gu Meet Regeneron Finalist Ryan Lee, aka “Lord of the Flies” The Campanile Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Shreya Rallabandi The Fabelmans’ puts spotlight on antisemetic abuse directed at school’s most famous alumnus The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
3rd Place Lia Choi, Jiyoon Choi, Carissa Takaki and Shantala Muruganujan Winter Wishes: Honoring a campus icon Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Jiyoon Choi, Lia Choi, Shantala Muruganujan, Carissa Takaki and Nolan Zills Winter Wishes: Sharing Love and Awareness Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Joss Broward, Parth Dhaulakhandi and Nathan Gu Battle of the Classes Rally The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Raagni Krishna Devaki and Sophie Wang FHS Winter Formal 2023 The Phoenix Fremont High School
HM Adelaide Reinshagen, Piper Diehn and Gracia Shao-Xue Scotsland Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM Luca Vostrejs Boys basketball mounts 15-point comeback to defeat rival Gunn The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Vivien Chen Technique Tuesday: Ceramics teacher Katie Schroeder The Oracle Gunn High School

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DIVERSITY COVERAGE: Yearbook, digital media or newspaper/newsmagazine

1st Place Dhatrisi Tummala, Angela Choi, Aresema Agdie, Ava Stark, Lauren Gernale, Alli Wang and Ziv Galpaz The Power of Words (page 1-8) Bear Witness Branham High School
2nd Place Gabrielle Shore Juvenile (in)justice: girls in the system Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
3rd Place Chris Lee Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program attempts to address education inequality, serve minority groups The Oracle Gunn High School
HM Lauren Gernale, Aresema Agdie and Ryan Walters Switched on Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Kathy Wang Racial tensions flared in the ’90s as Asian students gained prominence The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Victoria Hu and Beverly Xu Cultural grocery stores: an essential for Bay Area residents The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Chloe Bishop Coasts divided: Redwood sees promise in AP African American Studies following Florida shut down The Redwood Bark Redwood High School
HM Sonia Verma, Alyssa Yang and Angela Zhang Reflecting on the Iran protests El Estoque Monta Vista High School

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ENVIRON/HEALTH/SCIENCE: Any format

1st Place Emma Goldman When gut intuition fails Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Henry Leins, Eddy Miao People Plates Planet: Working to Eliminate Food Waste InFocus Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Sophie Bucker Student discovers invasive insect: European Firebug The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School
HM Kylie Tzeng, Kaila Chun and McKenna Rausch The Place We Call Home C Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Jackson Sneeringer Eat Twinkies, be healthy Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM Lucy Li Out for blood The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Eddy Miao and Vincent Wong The Rise Of Electric Bikes InFocus Palo Alto High School
HM Ananya Chaudhary and Lillian Wang In the face of fentanyl El Estoque Monta Vista High School

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NEWSPUB column writing

1st Place Ariana Delabra Some students can’t read whatever they want. Be grateful that you can. and Farmworkers deserve our support The Eastside Panther Eastside College Preparatory School
2nd Place Allison Tan Much-needed tips for Falcons with no game when it comes to love and Advertising Commit Day as an official day contributes to hyper-academic culture The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
3rd Place Molly Phan Student-athlete mental health deserves more attention and ChatGPT poses ethical challenges in education The Catalyst Notre Dame High School
HM Dani Brito Holiday cheer leaves some of us un-cheerful and Tutorial: Convos are important, let us talk The Eastside Panther Eastside College Preparatory School

NEWSPUB editorial cartoon

1st Place Sophie Fang The Lurking Variable The Coat of Arms Menlo School
2nd Place Urvi Kulkarni We’ve been ‘schooled’ by the education system Highlander Magazine Carlmont High School
3rd Place Alexandra Zak ChatGPT The Blazer The Branson School
HM April Wang and Lillian Wang Study session El Estoque Monta Vista High School

NEWSPUB editorial writing

1st Place Rachel Lee We should ban the internet/We should ban AI The Campanile Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Bear Witness Editorial Board When it’s your turn to vote, don’t throw it away Bear Witness Branham High School
3rd Place Nilay Mishra Reject private counselors for free school resources The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Shaan Sridhar A vote of no confidence in the school board The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM The Eastside Panther Editors Hey, let’s respect school property The Eastside Panther Eastside College Preparatory School
HM Gabrielle Shore We need to turn the page on assigned readings Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
HM The Campanile Staff PAUSD should adapt to ChatGPT The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM The Burlingame B Editorial Board It’s time to stop writing about hate The Burlingame B Burlingame High School

NEWSPUB general feature story

1st Place Annabel Chia The streets of the city: a rising residence for youth Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Melody Cui and Kathryn Foo The virtual glass ceiling El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Shayna Tran The Other Face of Burnout Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Tatum Herrin In the English Classroom The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Luis Ochea Pride Murals Spark Protests The Olympian Castro Valley High School
HM Palina Kuzmina and Asha Kulkarni Polio in Palo Alto Verde Palo Alto High School
HM Ash Mehta Conflicting cultures Anthro Palo Alto High School
HM Michelle Moshkovoy and Jeannine Chiang Panther Bowl: A promising first glimpse at girls’ flag football The Burlingame B Burlingame High School

NEWSPUB illustration

1st Place Andrew Shu The not-so-impossible reality of shooting forecasts Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Chinyoung Shao Illustrations The Oracle Gunn High School
3rd Place Sasha Kapadia Conflicting cultures Anthro Palo Alto High School
HM Jeslyn Chen The Stain of Ignorance C Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Haylie Yee The L-Word Aquila University Preparatory Academy

NEWSPUB infographic design

1st Place Avi Srinivasan and Evelyn Zhang The Tate rage Anthro Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Gauri Manoj Romance by the numbers El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Esther Xu Getting to your gate 101 Verde Palo Alto High School
HM Michele Hratko Sexual Assault & Harassment The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Ivan Ijzerman Formula One Carbon Footprint Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School

NEWSPUB feature photo

1st Place Susanna Tang Senior homecoming the Epic Lynbrook High School
2nd Place Helen Tam Impact of inflation on students The Epitaph Homestead High School
3rd Place Jeffrey Huang Fiona Tran dances during “Fresh Tracks” late last month The Blazer The Branson School
HM Akhila Ayyadevara Not Just a Hairstyle Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Areeshah Farooq Family ties deeply rooted in Crusader community The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School
HM Aashna Patel From the kitchen El Estoque Monta Vista High School 

NEWSPUB news photo

1st Place Anna Jerolimov Stand up for your rights El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Sam Kimball and Ben Choucroun Larkspur structure fire erupts Friday morning The Bark Redwood High School NEWSPUB news photo
3rd Place Saanvi Garg Earth Day rally calls for change Anthro Palo Alto High School NEWSPUB news photo
HM Joss Broward Senior Lena Masoumi and her family watch an Iranian news broadcast The Epitaph Homestead High School NEWSPUB news photo
HM Betsabeth Cacho-Lopez On Dec. 9, a car drives through the new roundabout at Pulgas St. and Beech St. The Eastside Panther Eastside College Preparatory School
HM Anna Jerolimov Rising up for Roe El Estoque Monta Vista High School

NEWSPUB photo illustration

1st Place Sophia Ma and Eric Zhou Write an article about OpenAI’s ChatGPT El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Lucille Sanders Bay Area begins to phase out gas-fueled furnaces and water heaters Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
3rd Place Irene Hong Ice dancer in black The Oracle Gunn High School
HM Chinyoung Shao Photo illustrations The Oracle Gunn High School

NEWSPUB news story

1st Place Geoffrey Franc Affordable Housing and Teachers The Coat of Arms Menlo School
2nd Place Zainab Shaikh Art generating,,, Aquila University Preparatory Academy
3rd Place Charlotte Qian and Michael Zhang Funding disparities lead to PAUSD facility differences The Oracle Gunn High School
HM Jiyoon Choi Left holding the bag Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Saachi Jain and Kathy Wang At SUFC rally, trauma becomes central focus The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Stella Heo, Marisa Guerra Echeverria and Erin Hambidge To Mask, or Not to Mask Blueprint Acalanes High School
HM Ari Jaboneta Hay una nueva alguacil en la ciudad – Bay Area counties elect Latina sheriffs The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

NEWSPUB newsmagazine cover design

1st Place Aquila Staff Issue 3 Aquila University Preparatory Academy
2nd Place Mikaylah Du, Sophia Ma and Aditya Shukla February Issue El Estoque Monta Vista High School
1st Place Aquila Staff Issue 3 Aquila University Preparatory Academy
2nd Place Mikaylah Du, Sophia Ma and Aditya Shukla February Issue El Estoque Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Esther Chung Chinese New Year C Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Elizabeth Fetter and Grace Gormley Issue Two Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Alex Yan and Owen Bittinger Issue One Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Nastia Grits Fear the Deep Blue: Acalanes “Dons” the Megalodon Blueprint Acalanes High School

NEWSPUB newspaper front page design

1st Place Dhatrisi Tummala and Angela Choi The Power of Words Bear Witness Branham High School
2nd Place Dinu Deshpande, Lucy Li and Jerry Xia The CAASPP crisis The Campanile Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Jiyoon Choi Find the Funds Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Tiffany He and Brianna Zhou Climbing out of debt The Campanile Palo Alto High School

NEWSPUB sports photo

1st Place Chelsea Lee Newly promoted to the highest league, boys’ varsity water polo faces fierce opposition the Epic Lynbrook High School
2nd Place Seoyoung Hwang Annual Bell game (fifth photo) The Epitaph Homestead High School
3rd Place Grace Gormley Diving into States Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School
HM Annelise Balentine Paly v. Gunn Football Game The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
HM Hana Wadlow Team checks in for first lacrosse home game The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

NEWSPUB spread design (newspaper or newsmagazine)

1st Place Makayla Wu and Shantala Muruganujan A campus scourge Bear Witness Branham High School
2nd Place Olivia Atkinson and Nidhi Thummalapalli Are you ready? The Campanile Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Lucy Li Out for blood The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Lauren Gernale, Aresema Agdie and Ryan Walters Switched On Bear Witness Branham High School
HM Sophie Au and Catherine Zhou Defining America the Epic Lynbrook High School 
HM Zeinab Rakhshandehroo, Rajiv Venkatesh and Annabelle Yip Movies The Epitaph Homestead High School
HM Ajin Jeong and Carlota Blanco Wildseed Verde Palo Alto High School
HM Carly Liao and Amann Mahajan Diversity The Oracle Gunn High School
HM Matthew Marotto Concerning trends and evolving interactions: A new social media reality The Bark Redwood High School

NEWSPUB sports story

1st Place Jami Lim and Kalyani Puthenpurayil Playing the period game El Estoque Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Shun Graves In NCS semifinal, Snipes sisters face each other for final time The Blazer The Branson School
3rd Place Saylor Mullarkey We had to battle’ The Blazer The Branson School
HM Anika Kapasi Boys’ soccer disappointed with a tie on their long-anticipated senior night The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Alec Bonnard and Julian Hong Injuries harm mental health, motivation of student athletes The Campanile Palo Alto High School

NEWSPUB review writing

1st Place Maxwell Zhang and Ketan Altekar-Okazaki Does expensive always mean delicious? A review of Arya Steakhouse The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Patrick Van Hoven Contented with “Liberalism and its Discontents” Woodside Paw Print Woodside High School
3rd Place Erik Feng ‘Andor’ reflects mature tone with refreshing, powerful themes The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Nadia Hines Everything I Wanted Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Maya Wong In “Midnights,” Swift is a mastermind The Olympian Castro Valley High School
HM Lucas Guan ‘The Crown’ powerfully captures narrative of Queen Elizabeth II The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Matthew Marotto Explore your wanderlust with Marin’s state parks The Bark Redwood High School
HM Jiya Singh “I’m Glad My Mom Died” reveals the harsh reality of childhood stardom El Estoque Monta Vista High School

NEWSPUB profile feature story

1st Place Alessandra Tremulis Astrophysicist makes astronomical difference for women in STEM Scot Scoop Carlmont High School
2nd Place Madison Yue What’s in a name: Mispronunciation of names compromises underlying meaning, traditions The Oracle Gunn High School
3rd Place Tara Natarajan Colleagues, alumni reflect on longtime football coach’s Benny Pierce’s life and legacy The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Taryn Lam and Aashna Patel Students for change: Erin Handelsman El Estoque Monta Vista High School
HM Susanna Tang Reaching the pinnacle with Pinnacle Hoops the Epic Lynbrook High School
HM Abigail Becker Anonymous Survivor Story The Coat of Arms Menlo School
HM Tyler Wong Athletic trainer enhances performance The Campanile Palo Alto High School
HM Ajin Jeong and Asha Kulkarni Trailblazer Verde Palo Alto High School
HM Elise Spenner At Burlingame, Fong belongs The Burlingame B Burlingame High School

NEWSPUB op-ed

1st Place Maya Mukherjee Sorry I don’t own a sari Anthro Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Nadia Soberg Opting out: High school life without social media Verde Palo Alto High School
3rd Place Lauren Fitzgerald Buckle up, NDB community. We need to drive safer. The Catalyst Notre Dame High School
HM Christopher Park Could “Nope” be a nope? Aquila University Preparatory Academy
HM Tara Natarajan Superscoring exacerbates existing inequity in the SAT The Saratoga Falcon Saratoga High School
HM Alexis Chiu Would you get a BBL?: Big butts, cheugyness, society and unattainable images Verde Palo Alto High School
HM Ashton Chow Linsanity, not just a basketball phenomenon The Paly Voice Palot Alto High School
HM April Wang White supremacy is pitting minorities against each other El Estoque Monta Vista High School

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VIDEO On Camera Talent newscast anchor

1st Place Makena Locsin Makena Locsin Talent Reel WCTV19 Whitney High School

VIDEO On Camera Talent field reporter

1st Place Noah Reed Noah Reed Talent Reel WCTV19 First place

VIDEO School Promo

1st Place Anderson Picone, Evelyn Wang and Veronica Zhao Tour of the A-Building The Epitaph Homestead High School

YEARBOOK academic spread

1st Place Joyce Lui Rewind the Decline El Valedor Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Ashil Shao Comedy Central El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Abby Berwick and Emilia Diamantidou Media Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Shriya Wagholikar and Jesus Hernandez Tornez Social Studies Pegasus Homestead High School

YEARBOOK advertising spread

1st Place Emilia Diamantidou and Avery Woodman Senior Ads Pegasus Homestead High School

YEARBOOK chronological spread

1st Place Grace Wang and Amanda Wong Night to Remember El Valedor Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Chihiro Niki October Monthly Coverage Aerie Los Altos High School
3rd Place Melanie Contreras February Monthly Coverage Aerie Los Altos High School
HM Jezlyn Sotelo and Alyssa Folmer March life spread Details Whitney High School
HM Hannah Huang Blown Away Madrono Palo Alto High School

YEARBOOK clubs/organizations spread

1st Place Lykos Clubs 2 Lykos Woodcreek High School
2nd Place Lykos Clubs 1 Lykos Woodcreek High School
3rd Place Jezlyn Soleto and Izzy Soto Join Us Details Whitney High School
HM Katherine Alvarez and Shaurya Prayag Clubs and Organizations Pegasus Homestead High School

YEARBOOK cover design

1st Place Francheska Pontillas Next Level Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Sophia Cheng In Our Own Ways El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Lykos Guess what I could tell you cover Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Staff Oak Leaves front and back cover 2023 Oak Leaves Menlo School

YEARBOOK endsheet/divider/colophon

1st Place Abby Berwick and Mikaela Kwan Academics Divider Pegasus Homestead High School
2nd Place Kaitlyn El-Sayegh Next Level Details Whitney High School
3rd Place Chihiro Niki Aerie Colophon Aerie Los Altos High School
HM Iris Bao and Saira Naqvi Academics Divider Aerie Los Altos High School
HM Lykos Front Endsheet Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Lykos Fall Term Divider Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Brigitte Peterson Front endsheet, fall divider, colophon, back endsheet The Olympian Gunn High School

YEARBOOK feature photo

1st Place Quinn Carbery Winter Formal Aerie Los Altos High School
2nd Place Ashil Shao Crossing the Line El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Yoochan An Night rally main photo The Olympian Gunn High School
HM Melanie Contreras Pink Out Aerie Los Altos High School
HM Paula Stephens Once Upon A Mattress Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Megan Murakami English dominant photo The Olympian Gunn High School

YEARBOOK feature story

1st Place Kaitlyn El-Sayegh Get On My Level: The Scholar Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Ashil Shao Making the Call El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Katelyn Pegg Flippin’ to the Top Madrono Palo Alto High School
HM Lydia Mitz Hitting the Road Madrono Palo Alto High School

YEARBOOK headline design

First Place Mikaela Kwan and Alambra Perez Campus Activities Pegasus Homestead High School
Second Place Eric Jaramillo and Suri Yau Boys Golf Pegasus Homestead High School

YEARBOOK index spread

First Place Lykos Index 1 Lykos Woodcreek High School
Second Place Lykos Index 2 Lykos Woodcreek High School

YEARBOOK theme/concept development

1st Place Kaitlyn El-Sayegh, Francheska Pontillas and Julia Cuyos Next Level Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Chihiro Niki and Barali Kitiyakara Face to Face Theme Aerie Los Altos High School
3rd Place Abby Berwick and Mikaela Kwan Renaissance Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Brigitte Peterson Theme concept: Architects of tomorrow The Olympian Gunn High School

 YEARBOOK infographic design

1st Place Arti Gnanasekar Jurassic Park El Valedor Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Laureline Troin How Do You Face the Day? Aerie Los Altos High School
3rd Place Shriya Wagholikar and Alambra Perez HHS Facts and Figures Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Brigitte Peterson TEDx infographic–lower right corner of spread The Olympian Gunn High School

YEARBOOK mini-mag or specialty/non-traditional spread

1st Place Melanie Contreras College Apps & Acceptances Aerie Los Altos High School
2nd Place Joyce Lui and Mia Tsuchida Growing Up El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Ashil Shao and Reeya Sawhney 2025 + 2026 Homecoming El Valedor Monta Vista High School
HM Kaitlyn El-Sayegh Level With Us Details Whitney High School
HM Ayla Su, Racxel Domingo and Francheska Pontillas Next Thing I Knew Details Whitney High School
HM Lykos Staff Senior Special Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Caitlin Kato Drive Time Spread Lykos Woodcreek High School

YEARBOOK people spread

1st Place Julia Leveron Exceptional Humans, Sophomores Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Tatiana Yoo Kickin’ It El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Francheska Pontillas Exceptional Humans, Staff Details Whitney High School
HM Grace Wang Freshmen Spread El Valedor Monta Vista High School
HM Eric Jaramillo and Abby Berwick Staff Portraits Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Shriya Wagholikar Staff Portraits Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Hope Van Riesen The Season for Skiing Madrono Palo Alto High School
HM Scarlett Cummings Just Keep Rowing Madrono Palo Alto High School

YEARBOOK photo illustration

1st Place Elias Whitehead Senior Feature Details Whitney High School
2nd Place Chihiro Niki Faces Aerie Los Altos High School
3rd Place Lykos Minos Kim Profile Lykos Woodcreek High School
HM Desiree Montejano and Isabella Tomasini Levels Of Details Whitney High School

YEARBOOK sports photo

1st Place Quinn Carbery Winter Sports: Wrestling Aerie Los Altos High School
2nd Place Hyein Kim Breathe Easy Pegasus Homestead High School
3rd Place Abigail Waterman Football Freefall Lykos
HM Ashil Shao Get In Formation El Valedor Monta Vista High School
HM Saira Naqvi Cheerocracy Aerie Los Altos High School
HM Lucy Shark Football dominant photo The Olympian Gunn High School

YEARBOOK sports spread

1st Place Arti Gnanasekar Head in the Game El Valedor Monta Vista High School
2nd Place Alexanda Bosano and Natalie Deeble Spring sports specialty Details Whitney High School
3rd Place Vidya Bharadwaj and Reeya Sawhney A New Position El Valedor Monta Vista High School
HM Emerson Kibby, Rose Derby and Sofia Dunmore Winter sports spread Details Whitney High School
HM Emilia Diamantidou and Anna Kwon Girls Golf Pegasus Homestead High School

YEARBOOK student life spread

1st Place Hannah Huang Caution Seniors Crossing Madrono Palo Alto High School
2nd Place Arti Gnanasekar Bring on the Boba El Valedor Monta Vista High School
3rd Place Avery Woodman, Mikaela Kwan and Gaia Sumner Trends Pegasus Homestead High School
HM Ayla Su and Racxel Domingo January life spread Details Whitney High School
HM Maya Gomez and Lily Galdarisi September life spread Details Whitney High School

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