Learning

Popcorn Pep Club Contest

Give me a P-O-P-C-O-R-N and what have you got? A chance to win cash prizes for your school! Every fall, we hold our annual Popcorn Pep Club Contest. Schools from all over the U.S. are invited to showcase their team spirit and love of popcorn for a chance to win!

Contest is open every year October 1 thru December 31 for grades K-12.

Popcorn is never recommended for infants or toddlers under age 5, as the kernels pose a (choking) threat to their safety. Popcorn is a whole grain, and takes longer to digest and break apart. Please do not use popcorn as a teaching tool or for snacks at the preschool level.

Submissions for the 2026 contest will open on October 1.

Submission Ideas

Throughout our website, you’ll find plenty of material and teaching tools that can be used to foster classroom learning. Your contest submissions might contain:

Creating works of art using popcorn as the basis
Writing stories about the history or folklore of popcorn
Making a popcorn recipe as part of an FCS class
Building a popcorn-themed science project
Selling popcorn during a school function or fundraiser
Producing a popcorn video

2025 Contest Winners

The 2025 Popcorn Pep Club challenge drew an impressive array of creative entries from schools across the nation, showcasing the heart and soul of teachers and students alike. It is an absolute pleasure to look through these entries every year and learn more about you and what makes you tick, so thank you for taking the time to make us smile. We are proud of you all! Your 2025 Popcorn Pep Club winners are:

Grand Prize Winners - $1,500

Fall River School District | Fall River, WI
Melissa Litherland, Teacher
Dr. Jennifer Treptow, Principal

This submission is a completely student-led project. Students studied facts about popcorn at popcorn.org and then created a storyboard for informational and entertaining video. They designed a bulletin board mural and crocheted the main character of the video. Students filmed a stop motion video about an adventurous piece of popcorn that leaps of the bulletin board and takes an adventure to the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) room. Pop some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy our Popcorn Pep Club Contest entry! P.S. - we snacked on popcorn during the making of this video!

Shady Grove Middle School bulletin board mural and crocheted main character

Secondary Prize - $1,000 Each

Appleton North High School | Appleton, WI
Kelly Abel, Teacher
Nathan Werner, Principal

DeRenne Middle School | Savannah, GA
Marissa Johnson, Administrator
Tammy Broadnax, Principal

Shady Grove Middle School | Gaithersburg, MD
Anne Kozma, Teacher
Dr. Alana D. Murray, Principal

Pep Club Flag - Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions - $500 Each

Burlington High School | Burlington, WY
Ryan Olson, Teacher

Butler High School | Butler, NJ
Karrie McNear, Teacher

Frontier High School FCCLA | Chalmers, IN
Melissa Culver-Pekny, Teacher

Holman Middle School | Glen Allen, VA
Heather Dedie, Teacher

Kauai High School | Lihue, HI
Mrs. Marlene Leary, Principal
Aaron Hinazumi, Student

Larchmont Charter School Lafayette Park | Los Angeles, CA
Cheryl Himmelstein, Teacher

Lubbock High School | Lubbock, TX
Dr. Maria Teresa Leos Duemer, Teacher

Lutheran School Association High School | Cole Camp, MO
Becky Mueller, Principal and Administrator

New Haven High School | New Haven, MO
Jamie Miller, Teacher

North Polk Middle School | Alleman, IA
Nikki Kallal, Teacher

Prague High School | Prague, OK
Mandy Rolette, Teacher

Tinora Middle School | Defiance, OH
Tammy Harr, Teacher

Turtle Hook Middle School | Uniondale, NY
Lisa Gorenberg, Teacher

Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School | Waverly, IA
Kristie Kuhse, Teacher

Wayne Valley High School | Wayne, NJ
Laura Folenta, Teacher

View Previous Winners!