Fourth Graders Shine in NPR's 2025 Student Podcast Challenge Winners
NPR's Student Podcast Challenge has once again included fourth graders in its annual competition. The contest highlights outstanding student-made podcasts across different age groups. This year, five young creators received top honours for their work.
The challenge welcomed entries from students in grades four through twelve. A panel of judges selected three winning podcasts and two honourable mentions from the 2025 submissions.
Noah Brown, a student at Jefferson Elementary School in Union City, N.J., claimed a top prize with Will AI Take Over Hollywood?. His podcast explored the growing role of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. Meanwhile, Alana Burwell from The Waldorf School of Philadelphia won for Zero Technology Whatsoever!, a piece examining life without modern devices.
Emma Chayon, Emma Perez, and Ella Elraviv—students at Acton Academy of Bergen County in Closter, N.J.—also secured a win. Their podcast, Kids vs Adults, compared perspectives between different generations. Ameya Desai of Williams Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., made history as the competition's first-ever returning champion.
Two honourable mentions went to Finley Pritchard and Kennedy Abramowitz. Pritchard, from Byron Kibler Elementary School in Enumclaw, Wash., created Shelter Pets, while Abramowitz, from Eva Marshall Magnet Elementary School in Flagstaff, Ariz., produced The Times Are Changing and Math Is Too. The 2025 Student Podcast Challenge showcased creativity from young voices across the US. Winning entries covered topics from technology to generational differences, proving the contest's ability to inspire diverse storytelling. NPR has not released figures on how many schools took part this year.
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