Note. Two rule changes for 2026-27 that affect how you work, not just what you submit. The New York Times now enforces a strict prohibition on generative AI in contest submissions. And most contests now require students to DOCUMENT THEIR CREATIVE PROCESS, for example through Google Docs version history or similar evidence of development, with judges able to consider the process, the challenges met and the lessons learned alongside the finished piece. Start keeping that record from your first draft; it cannot be reconstructed afterwards. No Learning Network page was reachable for this check, so confirm both rules directly before entering.
NYT Student Podcast Contest
The New York Times Student Podcast Contest
Make a five-minute podcast on any subject, free, judged by New York Times editors.
Run by The New York Times Learning Network
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.The Learning Network sets eligibility by age and school level, not grade.
- Eligible ages
-
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.Reported consistently as middle and high school students aged 13 to 19 worldwide. College students are not eligible, but gap-year students and those in the first year of a two-year CEGEP programme in Quebec are. Not confirmed first-party.
- Individual or team
- Individual or team · Not confirmed
- Where it runs
- Online · International
- Entry cost
- FreeReported as free. All Learning Network contests are consistently described as free to enter.
- Registration deadline
- Set locally, not published as a single national date The 2027 podcast contest window is reported as 31 March to 12 May 2027. For reference, the 2026 contest ran 8 April to 13 May 2026, closing at 11:50 p.m. Pacific. Note the unusual 11:50 p.m. cut-off rather than midnight. Treat these as unconfirmed until the Learning Network publishes them.
- Competition dates
- Submission window in spring, winners published in the summer.
- Difficulty
- Open to beginnersNo prior competition experience assumed. If you can do the school-level material, you can enter and score points.
- Prizes
- Publication by The New York TimesNo cash award. Winners are featured on The Learning Network. Recognition tiers are winners, runners-up and honorable mentions; one guide reports a combined award rate of about 5.3 percent in a recent year.
What NYT Student Podcast Contest is
The New York Times Learning Network runs an annual student podcast contest asking for an original audio piece of up to five minutes on any topic. It is free, open internationally to students aged 13 to 19, requires nothing but a phone to record, and winning entries are published by the Times, which is an unusually visible outcome for a free competition.
How the competition works
You produce an original podcast episode of no more than five minutes on any subject and submit it during the contest window in the spring. Entries are judged by Learning Network editors and Times journalists on storytelling, audio craft and originality. Winners and runners-up are published on the Learning Network.
Eligibility notes
Open to students worldwide aged 13 to 19 who are in middle or high school. Students of Times employees are excluded.
Is NYT Student Podcast Contest right for you?
- Experience needed
- None. Winners regularly record on phones with free software.
- Time commitment
- A few weekends.
- What you actually do
- You find a story worth telling in audio, record it, and cut it to under five minutes. The time limit is the hardest constraint.
A good fit if
- You like audio and storytelling
- You want a free international competition with a visible outcome
- You have a story from your own life or community
Probably not for you if
- Students who want a cash prize
Common mistakes
- Recording a monologue. The strongest entries use tape from real people, and that is what distinguishes winners.
- Running over five minutes, which is a hard rule.
- Recording in a room with bad acoustics. A closet full of clothes genuinely sounds better than a bedroom.
How to register
- Check the Learning Network contest calendar, which lists every contest and its window for the year.
- Listen to previous winners, which are all published free, before you plan anything.
- Record and edit a piece of no more than five minutes. A phone and free software such as Audacity are sufficient.
- Submit through the contest post during the spring window.
What skills you need
- Audio storytelling
- Interviewing
- Scripting for the ear
- Basic audio editing
- Ruthless editing to a time limit
Recommended resources
-
NYT Learning Network
The full annual contest calendar, rules and every past winning entry.
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Audacity
Free open-source audio editor, entirely sufficient for this contest.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- Past winning podcasts
Published free. Listening to five is the best possible preparation.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment do I need?
A phone and free editing software. Judges score storytelling and craft, and past winners have been recorded on phones. Recording somewhere with soft furnishings matters far more than the microphone.
What other contests does the Learning Network run?
Several each year including editorial writing, review writing, photography and profile writing, all free and open internationally. The published contest calendar lists every window for the year.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.
Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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