Class superlatives: 60 kind “most likely to…” ideas that make everyone smile

The class superlatives page is one of the most opened pages in any yearbook. It is where the class looks at itself: who is remembered for what, who is good at what, and which joke is still funny years later.

But this page has a tricky side too. A badly chosen category can become a line a student does not want to look at for years. In this article we will do two things together: give you more than fifty fresh, kind category ideas, and then explain how to run the vote fairly and without hurting anyone.

First the principle: everyone should shine somewhere

A good superlatives page has one measure: no one in the class should feel “my name is nowhere”. So when you choose categories, ask these three questions:

1. Would the winner of this category be proud to win it?
2. Does this title highlight a behaviour or a talent, or does it highlight a flaw?
3. Can every child in the class find a place in some other category?

The third question matters. If all the categories are things like “funniest”, “most popular” and “most successful”, which keep going to the same three people, the quiet kids stay invisible again. Variety is half of fairness.

Funny categories

These are the cheerful part of the page. What they share: the winner should laugh too, and nobody should be laughed at for a weak spot.

• Best storyteller (tells the same event a little longer every time)
• Most creative excuse maker
• Most contagious laugh in the class
• Most lovable maker of terrible jokes
• Break-time champion
• Best sound-effects artist
• Owner of the most colourful pencil case
• Record holder for singing between lessons
• Best “one second, let me explain” speaker
• Most cheerful class-photo pose
• Official source of class joy
• Most likely to turn a boring moment into a game

Future categories (“most likely to…”)

This group gives the yearbook a “years from now” feel. They are all good wishes; nobody makes anybody’s future smaller.

• Most likely to write their first book
• Most likely to visit the most countries
• Most likely to organize the class reunion
• Most likely to open their own café or shop
• Most likely to have a street named after them
• Most likely to travel to space
• Most likely to become a chef everyone knows
• Most likely to be among the great inventors
• Most likely to become the best teacher
• Most likely to keep the class group chat alive years from now
• Most likely to tell children the best bedtime stories
• Most likely to make a film we all go to watch

Talent categories

Some kids shine not through grades but through their hands, their voices or their ideas. Talent categories make them visible.

• Best at drawing
• Best singing voice
• Best stage presence
• Fastest problem solver
• Best photographer
• Most beautiful handwriting
• Best team player
• Rescuer of every tech problem
• Best game master at board games
• Best story or poem writer
• Best organizer in the class
• Best at explaining things so everyone understands

Character categories

These are often the categories that live longest in a yearbook. Years later, people remember not a person’s grades but how that person treated them.

• Most helpful
• Best listener
• Kindest
• Most patient
• Most honest
• The one who makes peace between friends
• The first to welcome a new classmate
• Always says “let me help”
• Most curious
• Calms the whole class down with their calm
• Asks questions bravely
• Best at cheering others up

Class life categories

These belong only to your class. An outsider will not get them, but the people inside will smile.

• Shares lesson notes with everyone
• Homework reminder officer
• Liveliest member of the class group
• Guide of field-trip days
• Takes the best care of the class plant
• Volunteer who always wipes the board
• Best explorer of the canteen
• Philosopher of the back row
• Memory of the class (knows every date)
• Entertainment captain of the school bus
• Says “count me in” to every project
• Has the nicest chats with the teacher

In total that is twelve funny, twelve future, twelve talent, twelve character and twelve class-life categories: 60 ideas. You do not have to use them all. Pick the ones that fit your class and add your own inside jokes.

How to find your own categories

Ready-made lists are a good start, but the categories that make people laugh most come from the class’s own life. For a week, keep a small notebook, or open a suggestion box in class. Ask, “What makes this class this class?” The answers come like this: “Someone brings cake every Friday”, “When the projector breaks, it is always the same person who fixes it”, “She knows the words to every song.” These become categories.

Three small rules help when you write the category names:

• Make them positive and concrete. “Best listener” and “most creative excuse” work. A vague title like “most interesting” makes everyone think and nobody laugh.
• Keep them short. A title that does not fit on one line of a yearbook page is too long.
• Describe a behaviour, not a person. “The class mechanic” hands out an identity; “finds the quickest fix in a tough spot” praises a behaviour and gets the same result.

You can also try a small test: read every category aloud in front of the class. If there is a title that makes you wince as you read it, or that makes you avoid looking at a student, it should not be on the list.

Categories to avoid

The simplest test for whether a category belongs in a yearbook is this: could the winner show this title to their family? These titles fail the test:

• Looks: “Best looking”, “prettiest”, “best dressed”. A child’s appearance should not be something people vote on. It also becomes a punishment for those who are not chosen.
• Weight and body: “Eats the most”, “skinniest”, “tallest”. Titles like these are more a wound than a joke.
• Relationships: “Cutest couple”, “most likely to date everyone”. This labels children against their will and feeds rumours.
• Mockery: “Sleeps the most”, “always late”, “most forgetful”. It looks like a joke but announces a flaw.
• Family situation: money, poverty, holidays, phone brands.
• Academic ranking: a “smartest” versus “laziest” contrast traps some children in a label for years.

The safe path: do not use “most” for a flaw. Choose the form “best at…” or “most likely to…” with something good.

How to run the vote fairly

Even with good categories, a badly run vote turns the page into an argument. These steps help:

1. Fix the categories beforehand. Let the teacher or class representative prepare a list; the class can add suggestions, but the teacher gives the final version.
2. One vote, secret vote. Each student casts one vote per category. Do not reveal who voted for whom.
3. No voting for yourself. If everyone votes for themselves, the result means nothing.
4. A limit on awards per person. If one popular student wins eight categories, the others stay invisible. A maximum of two awards per child is a good balance.
5. Have a neutral person count. Usually the teacher. If there is a tie, let the two students win together.
6. Tell the winner privately first. When everyone knows their own title before the class is told, the right to decline becomes real.

In Kepyil, class superlatives are part of this flow: the class votes, and a winner who does not want the title can decline. You can see what students do in the app on the page for students and the other extras on the features page.

The winner does not have to accept

This is the most important safeguard in the whole process. Some children may not like “funniest” at first sight; some simply do not want to stand out; some have another sensitivity at home. This is normal.

Some practical tips:

• Ask the winner privately before the result is published in the yearbook.
• Do not ask for a reason. A “no” should be enough.
• Do not make a topic of it in class when someone declines.
• If the title is declined, you do not have to hand it to anyone else; ask the runner-up in the same way.

A child who knows they can decline joins the vote more freely, because they will not be stuck with a wrong result.

Adapting by age

Primary school

For younger classes, keep to gentle and simple titles such as “biggest smile”, “best at sharing” and “most helpful”. For the little ones, a vote can be a game of raising hands for a title that is read aloud. There is more about younger classes in our guide to the preschool and primary school yearbook.

Middle school

At this age children are both very fun and very fragile. Keep categories short and simple. Lead with funny and character titles, and keep the “future” categories dreamy. If you can, choose some categories for a group instead of a person: “Best break-time crew”, “Best project group”. That lowers the pressure on a single child to stand out. Do not even think about looks and relationship categories.

High school

High schoolers love inside jokes, dreams of the future and their own sense of humour. You can lean on future and talent categories. Even so, looks and relationships are the biggest risk at this age: a line written “for a laugh” can be remembered for years. Take suggestions from students, but have an adult review the final list. The guide to what to write in a yearbook gives more ideas for the preparation stage.

University

At university there are departments, campuses and project groups instead of one class. Categories can be more grown-up and age-appropriate, such as “saviour of finals week”, “regular at the campus café”, “silent hero of the group project” or “collector of internship stories”. In big groups not everyone knows everyone, so consider an “I don’t know this person” option in the vote, or voting in smaller groups. Adult students should also know about the right to decline.

Group categories and quiet students

Every class has talkative kids whose names everyone knows, and quiet ones who surprise everyone with a perfectly timed sentence. Votes often go to the first group. A few ways to balance this:

• Add categories that nod to quiet talents: best listener, best at drawing, neatest note-taker.
• Open some categories to groups of two or three: “Best project team”, “Inseparable pair”.
• Look at the list after the vote. Is there someone who is not named anywhere? If so, find something the class likes about that person and open a small extra category.

That way the page belongs to the whole class, not only to its most visible children.

A short final check

Before you finalize the list, read it once more and ask: could any of these categories make a child feel bad? If yes, take it out. A yearbook should be a book everyone can open comfortably ten years from now.

We also have a separate guide on how yearbook data is protected: yearbook privacy and parental consent. Because the superlatives page carries names and photos, it is worth reading for schools and parents. And if you are starting from scratch, how to make a graduation yearbook walks through the whole process.