The William Randolph Hearst Foundation has announced the 29 journalism students representing 17 universities from across the country who will compete in the 66th annual National Championships, held in San Francisco May 30 – June 5, 2026.
These finalists’ monthly competition entry submissions were selected as the best from the 1,353 entries received in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program this year and qualified them for the Championships. During the Championships, the finalists will fulfill spot assignments selected by our media professional judges, vying for scholarship awards of $1,500 to $10,000 in each category. We congratulate the 2026 National Championship Finalists!
Writing Finalists
Claire Bernard, University of Montana
Gregory Finberg, Pennsylvania State University
Jessica Garcete, University of Florida
Claire Huss, University of Maryland
Grace Lewis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Michael Reo, University of Southern California
Gage C. Wellman, Kent State University
Livia Ziskey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Photo Finalists
Blake Fagan, California State University, Northridge
Annie George, University of Missouri
Maddie McCuddy, University of Montana
Ben Pennington, Ohio University
Ari Saperstein, Michigan State University
Audio Finalists
Julia Boboc, University of Oregon
Evan Fay, Syracuse University
Boone Kilpatrick, Syracuse University
Erika Konig, University of Memphis
Maddie Policastro, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Television Finalists
Juan Carlos Chaoui, University of Florida
Charlotte Cicero, University of Missouri
Abigail Klinkerman, University of Missouri
Bernie Montás, University of Florida
Lauren Morris, Temple University
Multimedia Finalists
Nicole Borman, University of Florida
Amelie Fawson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Myah Griffin, Western Kentucky University
Nithya Sunkara Indlamuri, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aayas D. Joshi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Podcast
Phoebe Gulsen, Syracuse University
Presently, 104 colleges and universities with accredited undergraduate journalism schools are eligible to participate in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Funded and administered for 66 years by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the Journalism Program awards up to $700,000 in scholarships, grants and stipends annually.
