In the article previewing SuperNationals VIII it says “There are medals as well as national championships on the line in all 26 sections for individual players and teams.”
Why is US Chess itself publishing an article saying there are national championships on the line in all 26 sections? The scholastic regulations says “Only players and teams who win, or are tied for, 1st place in a Championship Section of the event shall be designated as “National Champion” or “National Co-Champion.” Players and teams who win 1st place in any Under or Unrated section shall not be recognized by US Chess as National Champions and it is inappropriate for those players or teams to describe themselves as such.”
I once made the mistake of explaining to a parent that another child was not the Scholastic State Champion and that they won an Under Section – a good performance but probably equivalent of 20th place in the real Championship section. The parent told me that I was wrong as some of the tournament publicity emphasized that all section winners are State Champions. Yes, this idea was well supported by the organizers as a purposeful marketing decision to get more kids to participate (pay the bills).