NBCU Academy announced the winners of its annual contest encouraging middle and high school students to develop journalistic skills and gain hands-on production experience.
In its third year in the U.S., The Edit is an annual national initiative led by NBCU Academy and Adobe. Students collaborate with their classmates to produce 90-second video news reports on mental, physical, financial and social well-being.
Participating teachers lead instruction with support from NBCU Academy videos and Adobe creative apps, while students write scripts, report on camera, interview subjects, and shoot and edit video.
First Place Middle School Winner
Mr. Gonzalez’s TV Production Class at Somerset Oaks Leadership and Innovation, Homestead, FL
A report from Carlos Gonzalez’s TV Production class at Somerset Oaks Leadership and Innovation in Homestead, Florida, won first place this year in the middle school category for its examination of social media and technology’s effect on social well-being.
Five students, including anchor Kaylani Calderon, completed the project under the guidance of Gonzalez, Somerset Oaks’ TV production coordinator and dean of students. Gonzalez, whose students also won the first-place title in 2024, said seeing a new group participate in another winning project makes him feel proud.
“This is the most successful year we’ve had so far to date,” he said. “They like the challenge.”
Yvette Miley, executive vice president of inclusion at the NBCU News Group and head of NBCU Academy, said the program is fueled by U.K. broadcaster Sky, Adobe and NBC News “coming together to support teachers in developing future content creators and storytellers.” Sky, which is owned by NBCU Academy’s parent company Comcast, launched The Edit in the U.K. in 2020 and expanded the program to the U.S. four years later.
“It is a powerful partnership that continues to have an impact on students,” she added.
First Place High School Winner
Mr. Russell’s Broadcast Journalism Class at Wellington C. Mepham High School, Bellmore, New York
A report from Matt Russell’s Broadcast Journalism class at Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore, New York, won this year’s first-place high school title. The news package features student reporter Maddy Hunter’s coverage of open mic night, an artistic in-school event that promotes students’ mental health through poetry and music.
Russell, a broadcasting teacher at the school, said he’s noticed “big leaps” in his students’ abilities.
“They were really hitting a stride of working together and understanding how to tell a story,” Russell said. In a written testimonial, he added, “It was rewarding as a teacher seeing the students take statistics, learning materials, and a new insight of production from NBC and watch them put it all together without my direct involvement.”
Students in Russell’s program relied heavily on Adobe Creative Cloud tools for post-production — including Adobe Premiere to edit, Adobe After Effects to create graphics, and Adobe Express to finalize their reports. Adobe partners with NBCU Academy to ensure students have access to the company’s industry-leading tools for creating and editing their projects.
“When young creators have access to the same tools as working journalists and producers, they don’t just learn a skill, they gain real experience in how technology can be used to tell stories that matter,” said Charlie Miller, vice president of education at Adobe. “The exceptional caliber of work we’ve seen this year is a testament to what’s possible when students have that opportunity to share their voices and their creations.”
The schools that submitted first-place winning reports received prizes to support their students’ continued development as digital storytellers, including GoPros, backpacks, notebooks, microphones and ring lights.
“They were ecstatic,” Gonzalez said of his students after learning about the prizes. “They love all the gadgets. This gives them something individually that they could have with them at home, for them to do their filming. This is something that is part of the makeup of who they are — the digital world that they’re in.”
Watch this year’s second and third-place winning submissions below:
Second Place Middle School Winner
Mrs. Hanssens’s Global Innovations Class at Upper Moreland Middle School, Hatboro, PA
Second Place High School Winner
Mr. Heenan’s 12th Grade Communication Academy Students at Egg Harbor Township High School, Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Third Place Middle School Winner
Ms. Krambuhl’s 8th grade Digital Media Arts Class at James Denman Middle School, San Francisco, CA
Third Place High School Winner
Ms. Porter’s Dragon TV Video Production Class at District of Columbia International School, Washington, DC
Watch the winning reports from The Edit 2025 contest and The Edit 2024 contest.
