(BLOOMINGTON) – The NPR Student Podcast Challenge is back for its third year, with a big new addition: the contest is now open to college students.
Last year’s contest brought in more than 2,200 podcasts from high school and middle school students in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
Ever since the project began in 2018, college podcasters from all over the U.S. have been eager to be involved. So this year, NPR will host two contests: the traditional Student Podcast Challenge with two categories: grades five through eight and nine through 12; and the new SPC: College Edition.
All students, regardless of age, pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, can apply.
For collegiate podcasters, there are separate set of rules and procedures,
available here. And the rules for the middle and high school contest are here.
In both contests, the basics are the same: Students will create a podcast about a topic they want to explore, which can be just about anything. Past podcasts have ranged from climate change to racism to what it’s like to be a kid.
As in the past, entries from middle and high school students will come from a teacher or a student leader who’s a grown-up.
College students — as long as they are 18 years or older — can enter on their own.
However, there is one big change this year: Each podcast should be between three and eight minutes long, as opposed to the previous maximum length of twelve minutes.
As always, NPR has a host of training materials, guides for sound recording and audio production and lists of do’s and don’ts. They’ll be lots of updates, training materials, along with more tips and advice, which will be available on NPR’s newsletter.
The winning podcast submissions will be featured in segments on NPR’s Morning Edition or All Things Considered.
Entries for the Student Podcast Challenge: College Edition will open on December 1, with a final deadline of February 15, 2021.
For middle and high school students, entries will open on January 1, and close on March 15.
