Let students take the lead as storytellers and reporters! The edit Digital Storytelling Challenge enables middle school and high school students to create a digital news report focused on a sports-related or wellness-related topic, giving them a meaningful way to share their ideas beyond the classroom. As they produce their reports, they practice communication skills and increase their digital literacy. Winning schools can win prizes like GoPro gear, and more!
Give Your Readers a Platform with The Edit
You can inspire the next generation of media talent through The Edit’s exciting digital storytelling challenge.
The edit Digital Storytelling Challenge helps middle school and high school students build critical skills such as communication, collaboration, and creative problem solving by helping them produce their own 90-second video stories.
Programming is designed to integrate with the middle school and high school curriculum, giving teachers the opportunity to teach important digital skills in a creative way—and in fewer class periods. The challenge is easy to incorporate into your classroom curriculum and program.
When you register, you’ll get access to The Edit Portal with its detailed instructions, video tutorials, examples of winning news reports, and more. All you have to do is follow the guided instructions to share your digital creativity with the world!
Here is a summary of the key communication and digital literacy skills your students will learn as they participate in Edit:
Step 1: Prepare their story
Students begin by choosing a sports or health topic they care about and doing research to support it. They will gather reliable information and shape a clear, balanced angle, because strong digital storytelling starts with understanding the facts.
From there, students turn what they’ve learned into a short script for a 30- to 90-second video news report. Within The Edit Portal, teachers will find step-by-step guidance and helpful tips to help students think, research, and write with confidence.
Step 2: Create digital stories
Next, students bring their research and script to life by producing a creative, news-style video report. They will record their narration and/or on-camera segments, take supporting photos, and organize everything into a clear story.
Then there’s construction: In Adobe Express, students combine clips with meaningful editing, using visuals and audio to reinforce their message. The planning portal includes step-by-step directions and video tutorials to help students stay on track and produce a polished final report.
Step 3: Organize the content
Next, students edit their work in Adobe Express to create a clear, engaging, and shareable final cut.
They can enhance their message with voices, music, on-screen text, graphics, and other finishing touches. The final editing makes the story easier to follow and more interesting. Adobe Express also includes built-in assets like audio, graphics, and design elements, so students can personalize their videos while maintaining a polished, news-style look.
Step 4: Submit and compete
Now is the time to share your students’ completed news reports beyond the classroom!
Submit completed videos to the Edit the digital storytelling challenge for a chance for your school to receive awards from NBCU Academy and Adobe. Selected winning reports may be featured on all NBCU Academy and Adobe public channels, giving student storytellers a wider audience for the work they have created.
Sign up for the Event for a chance to win!
If you teach students in grades 6-12 in the United States, you can register your class to participate in Plan today. Completely FREE! After you sign up, we’ll share all the printable and digital resources you need to help your students create their own video stories and compete in the Digital Storytelling Challenge.
Don’t forget that your school can receive great prizes from Adobe and NBCU Academy like GoPro equipment, and more!
Sign up for Editing today and give your students a platform to share their voice with the world!
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Close where prohibited. Sixth (6) through twelfth (12) grade teachers attending public or non-profit schools, with up to thirty-five (35) classrooms completing the “Planning” program who are legal residents of the US 50 or DC who are 18 years of age or older. Begins February 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET and ends April 16, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET. Limit 1 entry per person. To enter, and for Official Rules, odds, and prize details, visit nbcuacademy.com/the-edit-terms. Message and data rates may apply. Sponsors: NBCUniversal Media, LLC and Adobe Inc.
