Kirkwood Call Students Earn Top Spots in Global Competition

Kirkwood High School (KHS) journalism students earned international recognition from Youth Journalism International, a global organization recognizing excellence in student reporting. 

Three entries from KHS students received top honors in the 16th annual competition, which drew entries from student reporters, photographers, editors and artists aged 19 and under from around the world.

Award Highlights:

Nicholas Copeland, senior – 2nd Place, Sports Opinion for “Yes (-100) or No (+100)”
Judges’ comments included: “Nicholas provides good detail on the ups and downs of the gambling issue in Missouri.  Please also congratulate the artist for clever packaging.”

Grace Volz, senior – 2nd Place, Columns for “Blocking our Education”
Judges’ comments included: “The way Volz interweaves different approaches in an opinion piece is impressive. She does a stunning job of addressing the current issue of online censorship, dissecting it with historical context, including administrative considerations, and illustrating how it disrupts both students and teachers. This piece carries a researched and authoritative voice, presenting potential impacts while also imparting the author’s concerns.” 

Sanchan Khanuja (junior), Jane Roy and Mason Heller (2024 graduates) – Honorable Mention, In-Depth Reporting by a Team for “In-Depth: Drug Abuse”
Judges’ comments included: “This story offers an interesting, multidimensional exploration of the impacts of drug use, effectively using quotes and a visually engaging layout. However, the story could benefit from better organization. A clearer central finding or main message would have given it more direction and purpose. As it stands, the narrative provides compelling details and emotional perspectives but primarily conveys the general idea that drug abuse is harmful and widely damaging, rather than offering a distinct or deeper insight.”

The Youth Journalism International award recognizes student journalists who demonstrate outstanding work in one or more areas of journalism — news, feature and opinion writing, photography and art. The contest recognizes some of the great work done by the world’s best young reporters, editors, photographers, artists and cartoonists in dozens of categories ranging from cartoons to sports photography. 

An international panel of about three dozen judges evaluated the hundreds of entries. For more information about the contest, visit the Youth Journalism International website.