Here they are: The best student podcasts in America

"From Hawaii to Maryland and from Illinois to Texas, from investigative reporting to in-depth interviews, thousands of young people have once again turned their thoughts and ideas into audio, and NPR's judges have selected from them the best student podcasts in America. For the seventh year of the Student Podcast Challenge, we received nearly 2,000 entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia."

"Among the topics on the minds of middle and high schoolers this year were: AI and its expanding role in classrooms, immigration and its effects on their own communities, and interviews with family members and loved ones. Some students produced highly journalistic entries: The podcasting club in a Southern California elementary school reported on how the devastating Palisades Fire transformed their community. Two Maryland high schoolers investigated the challenges LGBTQ students face in scouting."

"Other students went all out with creativity, weaving natural sound into their podcasts or scoring their stories with original music. In Oakland, Calif., a group of fifth graders celebrated their favorite monster, Bigfoot, while a young musician in Cicero, Ill., took listeners along with him as he composed a love song. As in past years, our entries spanned the incredible range of backgrounds and experiences of young people in the United States."

Nearly 2,000 student podcasts were submitted to the seventh Student Podcast Challenge from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Entries ranged from investigative reporting and in-depth interviews to creative audio storytelling. Common subjects included AI in classrooms, immigration impacts on communities, family interviews, and local disasters such as the Palisades Fire. Students produced journalistic investigations, original music scores, and sound-rich features. Submissions represented urban, suburban, and rural communities and students from public and private schools. Judges selected 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists, two upcoming Grand Prize winners, and 69 honorable mentions.

Read at www.npr.org