The annual Berks’ Best Awards honor the top senior students in 11 categories from high schools throughout the county.
This year, there were 390 nominees from 20 high schools across the county. There were 32 community members, divided among their expertise, as judges in the 11 categories. They reviewed the applications and narrowed the field to 37 finalists determined by the top scores received. There were some scoring ties, so there were more than three finalists in some categories.
The Berks County Intermediate Unit then coordinated the interviews among the student finalists and judges.
A special section will appear inside the Sunday, May 17, print edition of the Reading Eagle with feature stories on each of the winners. The stories will be posted online Friday, May 15.
Each category winner will receive a $500 check from the Berks County Community Foundation and will be honored at the 2026 Scholarship Luncheon on May 20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Reading.
The categories:
• Business
• Career and Technical Education
• Communications
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Performing Arts
• Science/Environment
• Social Studies
• Taylor Seitzinger Community Service and Leadership
• Visual Arts
• World Languages
Check back Friday to meet the winners and read about their plans for the future.