At its annual fall convention in St. Louis, yesterday, the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) awarded Nico Jaffer ’23  First Place for Multimedia Sports Story of the Year.

Jaffer, who won for his profile of 6’10” basketball star Quinn Nielson ’23, will now compete for the $1,000 Brasler Prize, as judges stack his article against other story of the year winners.

“Make not mistake about it, this is akin to winning a Pulitzer Prize in scholastic journalism,” Adviser David Cutler said. “It’s considered a massive honor to just be nominated in any given category, but to actually win first place is something even more extraordinary. To be clear, Nico won best multimedia sports story in the nation, going up against hundreds of entries from public and private schools of all sizes,from across the entire nation. This achievement should be shouted from the highest rooftop, as it’s also emblematic of the high quality education that students receive here.”

Executive Editor Grace Papas ’23 also won an honorable mention for best Multimedia Feature Story, recognizing her profile on former Athletic Director Jeff Gates.

“Grace did an extraordinary job with this article, enshrining the accomplishments of an educator who gave nearly three decades of his career to the School,” Cutler said. “I couldn’t be prouder of Grace for this incredible recognition.”

This marks only the second time in the newsroom’s history that a reporter has won first place in a given category. In 2019, NSPA announced Gabe Bryan ’19 as winner of Opinion Story of the Year for Speak Truth to Power Amid Sexual Abuse Claims.