The Winners of the 2026 Rolling Stone College Journalism Awards Are …

Ever since Rolling Stone was founded in a college dorm room in 1967, we’ve been an outlet for young voices and aspiring journalists. We honor that tradition with the Rolling Stone College Journalism Awards .

Henry Metz (University of Pennsylvania), Seyun Park (Duke University), and Ian Curtis (Texas A&M) are the winners of the 2026 College Journalism Awards. These students impressed us with their discerning angles, diligent research, and captivating storytelling. Their stories are available to read on RollingStone.com now.

Henry Metz’s “ ‘The Bear’ and the End of Prestige TV ” was originally published at the University of Pennsylvania’s 34th Street Magazine , where he is a film/TV editor. Metz’s essay observes how The Bear utilizes the similar techniques as previous Golden Age of Television series (like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones ) to exaggerate small-scale conflict to melodramatic proportions. “‘Prestige’ used to mean escalation and consequence, but now it allows intensity without expansion,” he writes. Hailing from upstate New York and now Orlando, Metz is pursuing a dual degree in Economics and Cinema and Media Studies, and he is a 2026 RealArts@Penn Chatsky Intern.

Seyun Park’s story “ ‘He Likes the Attention’: Stephen Miller, Through the Memories of His Duke Classmates ” won in the Feature Writing category. Park interviewed Duke alumni, including some of his former colleagues at their student publication The Chronicle , about their interactions with Miller, creating a portrait of the ever-contentious White House adviser when he was just a Blue Devil studying PoliSci. Park is from Bethesda, Maryland, and in his second year at Duke University. He currently serves as the university news editor for The Duke Chronicle and is pursuing a degree in political science and journalism.