What do Americans really know about their country? What do we mean when we think of “home”? When a father dies, what lessons does he leave for his son? And, was Andy Warhol a woman named Patricia?

These topics – from fifth graders in Hewlett, N.Y., a high school student in Ann Arbor, Mich., an 11th grader in Cicero, Ill., and a middle schooler in Brooklyn – make up just a few of the many questions that students around the country turned into audio stories and sent us this year. Their answers to those questions are among our 2026 honorees as the best student podcasts in America.

In its eighth year, the NPR Student Podcast Challenge received nearly 1,500 podcasts from students in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Our education team spent the summer listening to each of them, and from all those entries we’ve chosen the very best.

So here are this year’s finalists in our two main categories – grades five through eight and grades nine through 12. We’ll send these finalists to our team of judges, and in the coming weeks we’ll announce our grand prize winners. Those podcasts will air on Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other NPR programs.

Among the big themes this year was our special challenge to students: In this year marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, explore what it means to be an American.

We also heard a lot about technology in school – AI, cell phone bans, and concerns about screen time. Another big theme was memory. Why do some memories stick and others don’t? How do you process the loss of memory? And can you keep a memory alive?

And, a consistent thread over the years, many students were interested in learning from their elders – everything from family histories to intergenerational advice and tough conversations about grief.

Thanks again to the thousands of students, and their teachers, parents and sponsors, who participated, and congratulations to our finalists and honorable mentions!

Here are the middle and high school finalists of the 2026 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, listed in alphabetical order. You can find the list of honorable mentions here.

Winners and honorable mentions in the fourth grade category will be announced at a later date.

Middle School Finalists

Andy Warhol Was a Woman Named Patricia
Student: Ike Anolik
Teacher/Sponsor: David Khoury, Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, N.Y.
NPR Member Stations: WNYC, WFUV, WBGO and WNYE