2026 Regional Contest Winners
2026 State Contest Category Winners:
Student(s) Name: Ingrid Krahling & Quinn Ottele
School: Denver School of the Arts
Teacher: Pugmire
Grade: 11
Title of Project: Bus Stop Revolution: The Gang of 19
Category: Senior Group Documentary
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
Student(s) Name: Moira O’Brien & Natalie Vitek
School: Fairview High School
Teacher: Costello
Grade: 10
Title of Project: The Price of Progress: How the Titanic Transformed Maritime Safety
Category: Senior Group Documentary
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
Student(s) Name: Mina Berger, Sophia Duan, Jessie Yan
School: Fairview High School
Teacher: Costello
Grade: 10
Title of Project: Leonard Matlovich: Revolution in Uniform
Category: Senior Group Exhibit
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
Student(s) Name: Max Sherman
School: Fairview High School
Teacher: Costello
Grade: 10
Title of Project: Watergate’s Second Half: The United Fruit Company and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Category: Senior Paper
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
Student(s) Name: Frank Schreiber & Mateo Spangler
School: Escalante Middle School
Teacher: Benton
Grade: 7
Title of Project: Taking Our Breath Away: Poor Farming Techniques and How They Led to Pneumonia in the Dust Bowl
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
Student(s) Name: Sunniva Wood
School: Manhattan Middle School
Teacher: Royal
Grade: 7
Title of Project: Barongs and Barracks: The Untold Story of Larry Itliong and the Filipino Farm Workers Movement
Category: Junior Individual Performance
Award: National Contest Honorable Mention
2026 National Contest Awardees
Student(s) Name: Riva Linga
School: Rock Canyon High School
Teacher: Markham
Grade: 10
Title of Project: Built to Divide: The Unequal Legacy of America's Interstates
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Award: National Contest Finalist 5th Place, Best Project on African-American History, Smithsonian Documentary Showcase Awardee
Student(s) Name: Naomi de Onaindia
School: Fairview High School
Teacher: Costello
Grade: 10
Title of Project: DNA Fingerprinting: The Revolution Hidden in a Bloodstain
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Award: National Contest Finalist 8th Place
Student(s) Name: Skye Bruce & Rylie Litfin
School: Valley Middle School
Teacher: Moreau
Grade: 8
Title of Project: Harvesting Change: The 1979 Tractorcade
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
Award: Smithsonian Exhibit Showcase Awardees- National Museum of American History
Student(s) Name: Sawyer McCall
School: Olathe High School
Teacher: Keller
Grade: 10
Title of Project: The Revolution of Paris Fashion and the Savior of Haute Couture: Christian Dior
Category: Senior Individual Performance
Award: Outstanding State Entry Awardee
Student(s) Name: Alexander DeZoeten
School: Denver Green School
Teacher: Paul
Grade: 7
Title of Project: The Full Truth": Reactions to the Chornobyl Disaster
Category: Junior Paper
Award: Outstanding State Entry Awardee, National Contest Honorable Mention
Volunteer of the Year Award Winners
2026 -- Irma Peralta
2025 -- Rob Sanchez
2024 -- Gregory Jones-Albrecht
2023 -- Dr. Pam Laird & Dr. Myra Rich
2022 -- Susan Barrett
2021 -- Jody Georgeson
2020 -- Optimist Club of Monaco South