The 2023 PSJA/Quill and Scroll Portfolio Contest awards will be presented Saturday, April 21 during the National Scholastic Journalism Association Convention in San Francisco, California.

Join us for the ceremony at 8:00 a.m. in the Hilton Union Square’s Grand Ballroom B, located on the Grand Ballroom Level. If winners are unable to attend, PSJA/Quill and Scroll will mail awards.

The PSJA Journalism Contest, co-sponsored by Quill and Scroll, honors the best journalism produced by private and independent school students. It is a “portfolio” contest, one that seeks not to reward single stories, but a pattern of excellence over the course of a year.

Other than Editorial Leadership, work produced for the contest was published in a news publication — in print or online — or a yearbook between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.

Individual first-place winners will receive plaques, while second- and third-place winners will receive certificates. Quill and Scroll tabulated points of all students who place in the competition and award the Blue and Gold Award plaque to the school that compiles the most points.

The top school earned free memberships to Quill and Scroll for its winning students, provided they meet the organization’s academic standards (3.0 GPA or top-third in one’s class: sophomore, junior or senior).

Contest judges will came from the ranks of professional journalists and professors of journalism.

Results

The PSJA Journalism Contest, co-sponsored by Quill and Scroll, honors the best journalism produced by private and independent school students.

It is a portfolio contest that honors a pattern of excellence over the course of a year.

Continuous Team Coverage

First Place
Alexandra Beracha, Riley Del Sesto, Aaron Horowitz, Margaret Hutt,
Tommy Kenneally, Lucinda Mencimer, Solana Torres, Anya Weller,
Marissa Wilson, Jacob Zuckerman
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

Second Place
Staff: Mackenzie Duncan, Rowan Wallin, Bernadette Whitely
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Third Place
Gisele Cestaro, Carlos Heredia, Oliver Kreeger
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

Editorial Leadership

First Place
Ed Board
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Second Place
Maia Barantsevitch, Ellie Yang
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

Third Place
The Spectrum Staff
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Features Writer of the Year

First Place
Eden Leavey
The American School in London
London, England

Second Place
Annie Jones
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Third Place
Lily Feather
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Honorable Mention
Lee Monistere
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Honorable Mention
Lily Zuckerman
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

Freshman of the Year

First Place
Zoe Karibian
The American School in London
London, England

Second Place
Faith Zhao
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Third Place
Scarlet Gitelson
Latin School of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Junior of the Year

First Place
Madison Wuu
Flintridge Sacred Heart
La Cañada Flintridge, California

Second Place
Rudi Chamria
The American School in London
London, England

Third Place
Annie Jones
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Honorable Mention
Xavier Rolston
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

News Writer of the Year

First Place
Elizabeth Hu
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Second Place
Avery Holzer
Pine Crest School
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Third Place
Amelia Alexopoulos
Harpeth Hall
Nashville, Tennessee

Opinions Writer of the Year

First Place
Evan Michaeli
Brimmer and May
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Second Place
Marlie Kass
Brimmer and May
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Third Place
Rowan Wallin
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Photographer of the Year

First Place
Curtis Craig
Minnehaha Academy
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Second Place
Ezra Victor
Minnehaha Academy
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Third Place
Laila Taraporevala
The American School in London
London, England

Social Media Journalist of the Year

First Place
Ellie Taylor
The American School in London
London, England

Second Place
Cleo Kilpatrick
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sophomore of the Year

First Place
Aleena Gilani
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Second Place
Sofia Grimm
Latin School of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Third Place
Anna Tao
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sports Writer of the Year

First Place
Katharine Yao
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Second Place
Nico Jaffer
Brimmer and May
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Third Place
Pierce Downey
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Versatile Journalist of the Year

First Place
Grace Hamilton
The American School in London
London, England

Second Place
Wilson Bailey
St. John’s School
Houston, Texas

Third Place
Xavier Rolston
The Master’s School
Dobbs Ferry, New York

Honorable Mention
Lyla Granich
The Latin School of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois