The best visual and data-driven stories of 2025

We’re back with The Pudding Cup, the ninth-annual celebration of the best non-commercial* visual and data-driven projects of the year. Our goal is to give these projects the attention they deserve but might not receive. Judges’ favorites will get a cash prize for their hard work. Here’s what you need to know:

• Entries are free, just give us a URL! (One per person, please)
• Must be your own work
• Must have been published / put on the internet in 2025
• Up to three winners will each receive $1,500.
• Deadline - Friday, December 5, 2025
• Winners Announced - The week of December 09, 2025
• More info in the form, but hit us up at sup@pudding.cool with questions! Submit

*Non-commercial projects = things created without compensation. It was made for learning, fun, school, a contest, etc. Not for work or hire.

The 2024 winners

Here’s to the Next 100 Sudokus

By: Vivek Rao

Talk about impactful journalism; since reading this story, I haven’t missed the daily NYT sudoku. After an inventive data collection process and exhaustive analysis of his Sudoku career, author Vivek Rao leaves us with a timeless lesson — "Whatever life throws at you, take it one puzzle at a time, and one cell at a time."—Kevin Litman-Navarro

Votes in a Name

By: Aman Bhargava & Reechik Banerjee

This story about name similarity and confusion while voting in Indian elections works well because of balance. It is a thorough exploration, yet holds the hand of someone unfamiliar with Indian politics. It has a nice blend of specific examples and expansive data. It is a visually pleasing experience that hits the right aesthetic tone for the topic.—Russell Samora

Battle of the Chocolate Bars

By: Surbhi Bhatia

You may have heard that food is better in Europe, compared to the US. This is especially the case for chocolate. We really liked how this project broke down the differences between European and American chocolate standards, annotating ingredient lists and incorporating chocolate imagery into all of the charts. Moreover, readability wasn’t lost when chocolate was used in the graphics, which often happens when deviating from typical chart shapes. —Matt Daniels

Honorable 2024 mentions

The Most Iconic Duo in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

By: Soumya Karwa

The Sign of the City

By: Hongqian Li

Detroit Neighborhoods Mapping Tool

Artificial Worldviews

By: Kim Albrecht

Counting Peak Blossom

By: Hannah Recht

New Blood Joins this Earth

By: Caroline Dinh

The Wealth Disparity Gap

By: Jason Zhang

See past winners from

The 2023 winners

Since When Does Vogue Hate Text?

By: Jess Carr

I don’t read Vogue. I don’t remember the last time I even looked at a cover to be honest. Yet, I was instantly captivated by the story. From the jump, the premise and approach were clear and concise. All of the charts presented the right amount of information and stepped through at a very accessible pace. It felt like the author was sharing their journey as they discovered this trend. I knew it was a good piece when I was in the grocery store the next day evaluating the covers on the stand in the checkout aisle. It selfishly left me wanting a tiny bit more; what do the Vogue designers have to say about it, and did other competing magazines follow a similar trend? Maybe a part two is in order... —Russell Samora

Pavement 1933–2023

By: Denise Lu

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a data story that manages to take a niche interest (or, according to the author, “an obsession at best” — I know that life well) and turn it into a universally interesting narrative. It is awesome how this piece seamlessly intertwined personal anecdotes of seeing Pavement a bagillion times, data about the band’s reunion tours in general, and viz into an experience that relayed both the history and the chaos (66 songs and 77 shows?!). But, notably, the precise data work that went into parsing decades of setlists and an equally massive discography was seriously impressive — and it was all layered with a design that matched the tone of the project, too. 11/10. —Caitlyn Ralph

Honorable 2023 mentions

Trading the Fragile

By: Charlotte Eckstein & Paul Bouisset

Decoding Everything Everywhere All At Once

By: Angelica Hom

The Matrix Arcade

By: Yi Zhe Ang

Atlas of Intangibles

By: Priti Pandurangan & Ajith Ranka

I Want a Better Catastrophe

By: Andrew Boyd, Jona Pomerance, & Marian Dörk

Infinity

By: Dea Bankova

The Data Blog: Princeton football is the most searched sport – not basketball

By: Andrew Bosworth

What are the hottest panchayats in Kerala?

By: Shijith Kunhitty