NPR College Podcast Challenge 2025

NPR College Podcast Challenge

Calling all college students and educators! 

Here's everything you need to know about NPR’s College Podcast Challenge!

The college contest is back and now open for entries!

NPR is inviting college students around the country to create a podcast — about anything you want! — and compete for a chance to win a $5,000 cash prize and have your work featured on NPR. 

No prior knowledge or experience is necessary. Many of our contest finalists or even winners have had ZERO PRIOR PODCASTING EXPERIENCE before they made the piece that won them the grand prize!

Key Dates: 

Information Session #1 - Wednesday, Sepetember 10th, 2025

Challenge Opens - Friday, September 19, 2025 

Information Session #2 -  Wednesday, December 10th, 2025. RSVP

Entry Deadline - January 16, 2026

Be sure to check out the official rules, submission guidelines and more below before sending in your work.

Watch the Information Session below

Join the team behind NPR’s College Podcast Challenge to learn about our national podcasting contest. In this recorded webinar, we go over the basics, listen to some of our favorite entries from previous years and share tips for students on how you can take home the $5,000 grand prize.

This info session webinar is best for any college students, educators or audio producers who work with students across all ages. We also have the Student Podcast Challenge for students in grades four through 12, and can answer any questions on that as well!

What you'll learn in this info session recording:

  1. Basics of the College Podcast Challenge: what it is, key dates, how to enter and what the prizes are
  2. Advice on how we evaluate entries and what we are looking for in a winner
  3. General advice on teaching podcasting in the classroom and how you can incorporate the College Podcast Challenge into your curriculum

(This information session was held and recorded on September 10, 2025)

Stay Connected & Learn More

Stay updated on announcements and upcoming sessions at the links below: