Announcing the 2020-21 SRL Awards
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) announced the winners of the 2021 SRL Student Awards. The SRL Student Awards honor the work students accomplish each school year. To determine winners, SRL conducted a nomination process with its team of youth media producers who watched all student-produced pieces submitted and published during the 2020-2021 academic school year, followed by a round of final judging by a group of trusted public media professionals. SRL received over a thousand video submissions last school year.
“We are so proud to honor student work after an incredibly tough year during the pandemic. It’s so important to hear young people’s stories, and their voices added depth and needed perspectives to the NewsHour and public media’s programming,” said Elis Estrada, senior director of Student Reporting Labs.
Winners receive a certificate, award poster and gift cards. Learn more about the winners for each category below and watch the winner playlist here.
FALL PROJECTS 2020-2021
BEST COMPOSITION/CINEMATOGRAPHY
This brother helps his special needs sibling navigate remote learning
Produced by Zhenwei Gao
Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California with support from SRL Connected Educator Bernadine Judson and Youth Media Producer Marie Cusick
BEST STORY
How this mom handles 6 distance learning students from her home
Produced by Sammy Johnson
Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA with support from SRL Connected Educator Bernadine Judson and Youth Media Producer Marie Cusick
BEST EDITING
Tricky dynamics of Zoom band class
Produced by Yeonseo Seok, Emily Baik, Thaïs Giraudet
Westview High School in San Diego, California with support from SRL Connected Educator Robert Casas and Youth Media Producer Marie Cusick.
BEST LIGHTING
“I feel like I’m just living the same day, like over and over again.”
Produced by Siddharth Sudan, Avery Van Harte, Kobe Overdevest
West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, CA with support from SRL Connected Educator Jennifer Overdevest
BEST B-ROLL
How does a school choir practice during a global pandemic?
Produced by Elliot Corbin
Frederick V Pankow Center School in Clinton Township, MI with support from SRL Connected Educator Michael Kaufman
WINTER/SPRING PROJECTS 2020-2021:
BEST B-ROLL
A year without shop class: How the pandemic disrupted students’ career opportunities
Produced by Landon Reese, Philip Kvamme, Spencer Garcia, Antonio Santini
Windsor High School in Windsor, California with support from SRL Connected Educator Paul Kinunen.
BEST INTERVIEWS
‘How can I enact change?’ How this teen is working to combat racism in her community
Produced by Jordan Little
Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia with support from SRL Connected Educator Sheri Long and Youth Media Producer Victor Fernandez.
BEST EDITING
Distance Learning and Isolation
Produced by Martin Telles
Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas with support from SRL Connected Educator Jeff Yale
BEST SCRIPT AND BEST MENTAL HEALTH PODCAST
Onivid (Youth Beat) “We are not all in this together”
Produced by Onivid Garzon
Youth Beat in Oakland, California with support from SRL Connected Educators Sagresse Graham and Jake Schoneker
BEST EDUCATION AND BEST RACE AND JUSTICE
Student activists help divert millions in funding away from law enforcement in schools
Produced by Julia Escobar, Natalia Perez Morales
Venice High School in Los Angeles, CA with support from SRL Connected Educators Eli Davidow, Nancy Zubiri, and Youth Media Producer Marie Cusick
BEST HEALTH SCIENCE
Produced by John Barnes with support from Youth Media Producer Eli Kintisch.
BEST PIECE BY A MIDDLE SCHOOL
Students reflect on their modern-day heroes
Produced by Arianna Miller, J’adore Smith, Braelyn Starks
I Promise School in Akron, Ohio with support from SRL Connected Educators Susan Mongold, Angela Whorton, Youth Media Producer Becky Wandel, and Production Assistant Jaylah Moore-Ross
UP AND COMING AWARD FOR RISING LABS
W.B. Saul High School, Philadelphia, PA
McCallum High School, Austin, TX
Howard Blake High School, Tampa, FL
I Promise School, Akron, OH