5 KMIH 88.9 The Bridge Broadcast Media Students Honored With New York Times Student Podcast Recognition

(Left to right) KMIH broadcast media students Audrey Tintle, Aria Lele, Delaney Kinsella, Shannon Hillberg, and Jayne Tintle.

Mercer Island, WA, August 28, 2026 – Fiver Mercer Island High School broadcast media students have received top honors in the 9^th annual New York Times Student Podcast Contest.

This international competition received 1,400 submissions from around the world with eight being selected as winners, six being selected runners-up, and 13 receiving honorable mention recognition.

Two KMIH students were selected as two of the eight winners of the contest.

• Sophomore Delaney Kinsella won for her podcast “Rough and Tumble: Our Home For Women’s Sports” which told the story of the Rough and Tumble pubs, one in Ballard and one in Columbia City, which are sports bars built around the community of women's sports. Delaney explored the growing business of women's sports and the community of Rough and Tumble with Jen Barnes, founder of Rough and Tumble.

• Sophomore Shannon Hillberg was named a winner for her podcast, Looking Up, which tells the story of the estimated 14,000 people—including NASA scientists Amber Turner and Nathan Eller—whose collective efforts helped launch the four Artemis II astronauts on a historic mission that carried humans farther from Earth than ever before.

• Seniors Audrey and Jayne Tintle received Runners-Up honors for their story, Head On Ice, which follows the extraordinary journey of Brooke Taylor, a world-renowned Seattle attorney whose life was shattered by a fatal head-on collision with an emergency vehicle. By listening to this story, you will discover the remarkable story of her recovery, her never-give-up mindset, and the relentless dedication required to reclaim her life and career after the accident.

Both Audey and Jayne received a Runner-Up recognition in the 2025 New York Times Podcast contest for their story “The 50^th Anniversary of the Cincinnati Quintuplets.”

• Sophomore Aria Lele receiving an Honorable Mention for her podcast “Am I Enough”, which is a firsthand account of the isolation girls face in male-dominated fields and about the effects on self-esteem.

The New York Times Podcast Contest challenges teens to craft an original five-minute podcast about almost anything. This year’s winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions, ranged from a deep dive into the cultural significance of a New Zealand water jumping tradition to a witty scientific investigation into why one dad can whistle flawlessly but can’t carry a tune to an intimate look at navigating three worlds as a 14-year-old Mexican-Korean in Japan to a crash course in applying ancient Stoic philosophy to a modern teenage life. To listen to the winning entries and learn more visit: New York Times Podcast Contest Winners.

About KMIH 88.9 The Bridge
KMIH is Mercer Island High School’s award winning student-run FM radio station, broadcasting to the greater Seattle area and streaming online at 889thebridge.org. Known for its dynamic music programming, student journalism, live sports coverage, and award-winning audio storytelling, KMIH continues to be a national leader in high school broadcasting and media education.