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— Steve Drummond, executive producer of NPR Education
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Hey there, Happy New Year! It’s Janet Woojeong Lee, producer on NPR’s education team, back with everything you need to know about the 2026 NPR Student and College Podcast Challenge!
💻 We are hosting a webinar to answer your questions about the Student Podcast Challenge! Teachers, educators, students, we would love to hear from you: Feedback on what is or isn’t working, stories on how you’re incorporating podcasting into your curriculum, any other comments. Please come ready to chat – we are all ears!
We have two dates for you to join us from wherever you are. You can sign up below:
Send us podcasts that explore what the phrase, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" means to you! Our judges will be listening for stories that look back at historical events, take us to historic places, or that explore what it means to be an American. Stories of innovation, of rights and protest, arts and culture, civic engagement and governance, or personal narratives or beliefs.
So really, the full range of the American experience, however you choose to define that.
⏰ And last but not least: You still have TWO MORE WEEKS (!!) to enter the College Podcast Challenge, which means you’ve got plenty of time to make a podcast NOW and submit something by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 16. Don’t be nervous. We would love to hear from you, give you feedback and celebrate your work!
Good luck everyone! Excited for another year of student podcasting. Can’t wait to listen to what you share with us this year.
Warmly,
Janet Woojeong Lee, producer, NPR Ed
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In other news …
Amid fraud claims, the Trump administration announced more changes to federal child care funding.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that it would rescind a series of Biden-era rules governing one of the largest federal funding sources for child care. The move comes less than a week after HHS confirmed it was freezing all federal funding through that same program.
If you’re looking to read more books this new year, or learn something new, here are 12 books to add to your 2026 reading list, selected by our wonderful books team at NPR. There’s really something for everyone: Research on Spotify and how playlists transformed how we listen to music, a guide on looking at images and even a true crime novel! Dig in, enjoy!
Until next time. Take care.
— The NPR Education Team
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