Skip to main content

NPR Student Podcast Challenge: Home

Email share
Student podcast challenge

HOW IT WORKS / WHERE TO BEGIN / THE RULES / THE JUDGES / SUBMIT / CONTACT US / PODCAST

Updated March 23, 2020: In response to COVID-19, which has caused some schools to close, we will be extending the deadline of the Student Podcast Challenge to May 1. We hope this offers some of you enough time to plan. For more information, read our post here.

We're inviting students around the country to create a podcast, then — with the help of a teacher — compete for a chance to win our grand prize and have your work appear on NPR.

Be a part of the NPR Student Podcast Challenge.

how it works

Here's how it works: Put together a podcast with your class or extracurricular group. Then submit it to us with help from a teacher.

This contest is aimed at students between 5th and 12th grade. Each podcast should be between three and 12 minutes long.

Come back here between Jan. 1, and MAY 1 to submit your podcast. The winning podcast submissions will be featured in segments on Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

Where to begin

We don't expect you to be experts. In fact, we're guessing that most of you are putting a podcast together for the very first time. Don't panic!

Visit our submission guide to find suggested prompts, guidelines for submissions, and a list of questions you might have.

But before you do anything, it's important to read the official rules here.

Sure, this is a competition, but it's also about learning new skills in a fun way. We want to make that learning easier — so we've put together materials to help both teachers and students along the way.

Resources for teachers

Resources for students

The Judges

Our panel of expert judges will be listening for creative work that stands out. You can find a full set of judging criteria here.

Sarah Gonzalez, Sam Sanders, Ailsa Chang, Claudio Sanchez, Kaari Pitkin, Anya Kamenetz, Leah Donnella, Chuck Holmes, N'Jeri Eaton, & Kenya Young

Questions? Read through our frequently asked questions here. If you're still looking for an answer, send us an email at studentpodcastchallenge@npr.org.