spj/jea high school essay contest

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New SPJ/JEA high school essay contest opens Nov. 3

The Journalism Education Association, in partnership with the Society of Professional Journalists, will begin accepting entries for their annual high school essay contest on Nov. 3. Any high school student may enter a 300-500 word essay, written on the topic provided. The top three essay writers will receive scholarships in the amounts of $1,000, $500, and $300.

The deadline for submitting entries is Feb. 28, 2017.

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SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

Ages: High School

Type: Submission

Scope: National

[email protected] 866-532-5532

Participate

The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association want to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media to our lives. National winners of this essay contest receive scholarship awards.

There are no news items for this competition at this time.

The essay should be 300-500 words. Entries may be typed or handwritten but must be double-spaced. 1. Contestants must enter through JEA headquarters. 2. Contestants must compose an original essay with limited guidance from others.

Website: http://jea.org/wp/home/awards-honors/high-school-essay-contest/

Managing Organization: Journalism Education Association

Contact: [email protected] 866-532-5532

Eligibility: 1. The contest is open to all students in grades 9-12 in public, private and home schools within the United States. 2. Contestants may submit only one essay entry during any given contest year. 3. No individual having previously won a national SPJ Essay Scholarship will be eligible to compete at any level of the competition again.

Registration Opens: November 1, 2019

Registration Closes: February 22, 2020

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Thank you for applying or nominating for a JEA award. 

To submit an award application, create a submittable account. This is not tied to your JEA account. Through your Submittable account you will be able to complete the award submission form in stages and your progress is saved. 

All parts of the award submission form must be completed by the award deadline to be eligible. 

This $1,000 annual award goes to a JEA member whose work has actively supported, defended, and fought for student journalists and their advisers on the local, state or national level.

Medals of Merit are given to JEA members who have made significant contributions to scholastic journalism. JEA members are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals. Several awards may be presented each year.

The Carl Towley Award is JEA’s highest honor and is presented to a JEA member whose work is unusually beneficial and of superior value to the national JEA and to scholastic journalism.

Nominate an individual for the Carl Towley Award. Include with the nomination form your letter of recommendation explaining your relationship with the nominee. Describe the candidate's effort to support JEA on a national, regional, state and/or local level, when applicable. Include nominee's involvement in local, state, regional or national scholastic journalism organizations and work done to improve scholastic journalism.

Rising Star trophies are given to advisers who are in their first five years of advising a media program and have shown great dedication to scholastic journalism and have had success advising at least one media program. JEA members are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals.

The Journalism Education Association sponsors up to two $1,000 scholarships for education majors who intend to teach scholastic journalism. Each recipient must be a college junior, senior or master’s degree student in a program designed to prepare him/her for teaching at the secondary-school level. Current secondary-school journalism teachers who are in a degree program to improve their journalism teaching skills also are eligible.

Each recipient must complete the application and include the following:

• A 250-word essay explaining his/her desire to teach high school journalism.
• The answers to the three questions at the bottom of the application form.
• Two recommendation letters, preferably from those who have firsthand knowledge of his/her work with student journalists, and College transcript(s) showing academic standing.

This award is given to a professional journalist, professional media outlet or other individual or group making a significant contribution to scholastic journalism. JEA members are encouraged to nominate worthy individuals or groups.

This award is given to administrators who have demonstrated support and dedication to journalism education. JEA members are encouraged to nominate worthy administrators. Support of student press rights is of particular value.

The winning administrator is encouraged to present or co-present a session at the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention and give a five-minute speech at the adviser awards luncheon. Convention travel and lodging will be paid by JEA. In addition, the school’s journalism program will receive a $1,000 award.

The Broadcast Adviser of the Year program is designed to honor outstanding high school advisers and their exemplary work from the previous year, as well as throughout their careers.

Applicants must be a member of the Journalism Education Association to be eligible for this award.

Announcement of winners will be made in late August or early September. Winners will be recognized at the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention where the Broadcast Adviser of the Year will speak.

The winning teacher receives:

• an address to journalism educators at the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention
• travel and hotel paid for the convention where he or she receives the award
• a monthly column space on JEADigitalMedia.org
• a $500 award for the winner’s school to be used to buy equipment or for the broadcast classroom or to fund student scholarships to summer workshops
• a $1,000 personal prize

Distinguished advisers receive:

• $500 which may be used to buy equipment for the broadcast classroom or to fund student scholarships to summer workshops
• a quarterly column space on JEADigitalMedia.org

Special Recognition Advisers will receive:

How to Apply

The committee seeks those with at least three years' experience. The nominee must complete the application and submit:

• up to five letters of support (PDF)
• an updated resume (PDF)
• a high-quality color head shot and an action photo of adviser working with students, each 200 ppi in JPG form
• up to five links to segments or shows students have produced in the current academic year.

Applicants will be able to upload their letters of support, resume and photos within the form. 

Once the online application has been submitted, applicants should receive a confirmation email from JEA headquarters within 48 hours.

DEADLINE: The application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CDT on May 15.

Please direct any questions about the application process to: [email protected] or call JEA headquarters at 785-532-5532.

Selection process

An advisory panel will review the applications. It will weigh each teacher’s service in local, state or national organizations, service to JEA, personal awards, quality of the student work, their philosophy and approach to student press rights and ethics.

Applicants are also asked to identify an issue they would like to address as Broadcast Adviser of the Year.

Points will be awarded, and the top advisers will be named Broadcast Adviser of the Year, Distinguished Adviser or Special Recognition Adviser. Award notifications will be made in September.

Winning teachers will be guests of the adviser luncheon during the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.

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Spj/jea high school essay contest.

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SPJ JOURNALISM ESSAY CONTEST

JOURNALISM EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Sponsoring Institution: Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Type: Journalism Essay Contest

Eligibility: All students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private and home schools within the United States. Students must submit original work to this journalism essay contest. The essay for this journalism essay contest should be 300-500 words. Entries may be typed or handwritten but must be double-spaced. The entry fee for this journalism essay contest is $5 per essay — to be paid by check or credit card (When the application isn’t open, it is unclear if and how credit card payments are secured, but we are assuming there is a secure method for credit card payments in place once the application is open) Winners will not receive additional compensation for publication of their work.

Application Deadline: Applications open in November and typically close in February for this Journalism Essay contest.

Highlight: Are you aspiring to be a future journalist, travelling to all kinds of places and writing the stories of the world or even just a person aspiring to explore the world? Does the thought of investigating and informing the people around you spark a part of your brain that nothing else does? Well, the SPJ/JEA high school journalism essay contest for grades 9-12 hosts an annual competition on the topic of journalism giving you the chance to win a range of scholarship prizes if you score in the top 3. In just 300-500 words you could win between $300-$1000 in scholarship prizes that could help you to pursue your future plans as well as giving you the opportunity to develop your skills in research and communication to be able to communicate your thoughts on the essay topic given. It is said that “Journalism is the first rough draft of history” so why not enter this journalism essay competition and start your first rough draft of history. With entries opening at the beginning of November and closing in mid-February each year, this journalism essay competition gives you around 4 months to write an essay that could help you to investigate something you have never thought of before and help you take that small step forward towards being a developed you! So start moving towards your future (whether this be in journalism or not) and enter this journalism essay contest today!

It is our anual free funding event for high schoolers from all over the world

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Home > Awards > High School Essay Contest

Awards 2024 High School Essay Contest Topic: Media literacy is connected to democracy. What are some top strategies to engage people of all ages with media literacy and democracy?

Deadline: February 19, 2024

2023 Winners Read Press Release

First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship)

Jamie Kim, Eastern Christian High School, North Haledon, New Jersey — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Elizabeth Ray, Montgomery (Alabama) Academy — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Ashir Rao, Los Gatos (California) High School

Resources for scholastic journalists and educators JEA Digital Media Resources Multimedia Tools Guide to Broadcast/Video Guide to Moving Online

Previous honorees

2022 Contest Winners Read Press Release

— First Place: Mariam Baldwin, St. Vincent Pallotti High School - Laurel, Maryland — Second Place: Grace Holst - Durango (Colorado) High School — Third Place: Anjali Suva, Oxford Academy - Cypress, California

2021 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place: Hyungsoon Henry Kim, St. Paul's School - Concord, New Hampshire — Second Place: Qingyang Li, Friendswood High School - Friendswood, Texas — Third Place: Erin Stoeckig, Mayo High School - Rochester, Minnesota

2020 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place: Janet Chang, Newport High School — Bellevue, Washington — Second Place: Kiara Royer, Horace Mann School — Bronx, New York — Third Place: Jennifer Su, Plano West Senior High School — Plano, Texas

2019 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place: Dennis Zhang, Peddie School, Hillsborough, New Jersey — Second Place: Quinna Halim, Northville High School, Novi, Michigan — Third Place: Mattias Hoz, Berkeley High School, Berkeley, California

2018 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place: Alexandria Kim, Marlborough School, Los Angeles, California — Second Place: Madeleine Bernardeau, Hunter College High School, New York, New York — Third Place: Emili Kovell, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, New Jersey

2017 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Lauryn Wu, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Aliza Diepenbrock, Spring Street International School, Friday Harbor, Washington Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Eileen Yang, Peddie School, Hightstown, New Jersey Read essay [PDF]

2016 Contest Winners — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Simon Levien, Sparta High School, Sparta, N.J. Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: David Oks, The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Christine Condon, Dulaney High School, Timonium, Md. Read essay [PDF]

2015 Contest Winners — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Matthew Zipf, Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Md. Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Philip Kim, Paramus High School, Paramus, N.J. Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Sania Chandrani, Parkview High School, Liburn, Ga. Read essay [PDF]

2014 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Tianyu Lin of Milton Academy in Milton, Mass. Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Phoebe Fox of La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls in Honolulu, Hawaii Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Jacob Bloch of Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, N.Y. Read essay [PDF]

2013 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Courtney Swafford of Write from the Heart in Wilmington, Del. Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Anran Yu of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Ariz. Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Chuli Zeng of Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif. Read essay [PDF]

2012 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Hwasung (Daniel) Yoo of Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies in Richmond, Va. Read essay [PDF] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Niisackey Mills of South Plainfield High School in South Plainfield, N.J. Read essay [PDF] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Dustin Chandler of East Burke High School in Connellys Springs, N.C. Read essay [PDF]

2011 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Emerson Hardebeck of Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash. Read essay [PDF, 139 KB] — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Shaun Moran of St. Augustine Prep School in Richland, N.J. Read essay [PDF, 78 KB] — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Chris Papas of Oakton High School in Vienna, Va. Read essay [PDF, 74 KB]

2010 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Erin McDonough of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va. — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Shaj Mathew of Huntingtown High School in Huntingtown, Md. — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Xiaonan “April” Hu of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.

2009 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Alix Cohen of Cypress Bay High School, Weston, Fla. — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Victor Hollenberg of Staples High School, Westport, Conn. — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Alyssa Patrick of Eisenhower High School, Yakima, Wash.

2008 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Mark Brouch, Aurora Central Catholic High School, Aurora, Ill. — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Evan Rich, Jericho High School, Jericho, N.Y. — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Danna Seligman, Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Ca.

2007 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): David Kelly, Broomfield High School, Broomfield, Colo. — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Dan Garon, Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Plymouth, Minn. — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Erin Gowdy, Bob Jones High School, Madison, Ala.

2006 Contest Winners Read Press Release — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship): Angelika Zych, Vanguard High School, in Ocala, Fla. — Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Jonathan Homrighausen of Sunnyside High School in Sunnyside, Wash. — Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Amy Brooks of Clayton High School in Clayton, Mo.

2005 Contest Winners — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship winner) : Mindy Zhang, Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax, Va. — Second Place ($500 scholarship winner): Zachory John Drisko, Green Hope High School, Cary, N.C. — Third Place ($300 scholarship winner): Katie Roberts, Home schooled, Walnut Shade, Mo.

2004 Contest Winners — First Place National Essay Winner ($1,000 scholarship winner): Heather Hamilton, Sentinel High School, Missoula, Mont. — Second Place ($500 scholarship winner): Logan Oyler, Hickory High School, Chesapeake, Va. — Third Place ($300 scholarship winner): Joey Muffler, Bishop Ireton High School Alexandria, VA

2002 National First Place Winner Jonathan Ross Kaplan, Nova High School, Davie, Fla. 2000 National First Place Winner Katie Pennock, West Henderson High School, Hendersonville, NC 1999 National First Place Winner Darcy Colson Baxter, Lansing Central High School (near Ithaca, N.Y.) 1998 National First Place Winner Michael Anthony Fedele III, Northwestern High School, Rock Hill, S.C.

The SPJ Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association want to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media to our lives. National winners of this essay contest receive scholarship awards.

Award recognition First Place : $1,000 scholarship Second Place : $500 scholarship Third Place : $300 scholarship

Entry Deadline All entries should be submitted by February 19, 2024.

Complete Official Rules and How to Enter For official contest rules and information on how to enter this year’s High School Essay Contest, please visit this link.

SPJ News –  North Carolina General Assembly recipient of Black Hole Award –  The missing and murdered Indigenous person crisis calls for Indigenous data sovereignty –  SPJ continues to advocate for journalists through its Legal Defense and First Amendment Forever Fund

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• Youth & Education

Youth Scholarships

The VFW is dedicated to promoting patriotism and investing in our future generation. If you are a democracy-loving high school student interested in a $35,000 college scholarship or a patriotic middle school student interested in winning $5,000, these scholarships may be for you.

Voice of Democracy

Established in 1947, our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay.  Each year, nearly 25,000 ninth through 12th grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program. 

The national first place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins at least a scholarship of $1,000. Before submitting your essay, download the  2024-2025 entry form here  and find your sponsoring  local VFW Post  as applications must be turned in by  midnight, Oct. 31 . 

The 2024-25 theme is:  "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"

About the 2023-2024 winner ...

Sophia Lin, a high school junior at BASIS Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, was named the 2023-2024 Voice of Democracy first place winner. Sophia's speech on the theme, "What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?" won her a $35,000 college scholarship. Sophia was sponsored by Scottsdale VFW Post 3513. Watch as Sophia delivered her speech during the VFW's Parade of Winners award  ceremony or read it here .

Want to catch up on everything that happened this year? You can watch the full Parade of Winners ceremony which was streamed live on Facebook, or see this year's complete list of winners .

Patriot's Pen

Each year, nearly 68,800 students in sixth through eighth grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of nearly $1 million in state and national awards. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000! 

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Before submitting your essay,  download the 2024-2025 entry form here  and find your sponsoring local VFW Post  as applications must be turned in by  midnight, Oct. 31 . 

The 2024-25 theme is:  "My Voice in America's Democracy?"

Bryant Day, an eighth grade student from Ashland, Ohio, was named the 2023-2024 Patriot's Pen first place winner. His essay on the theme, "How Are You Inspired by America?" won the national first place $5,000 award. Bryant was sponsored by VFW Post 9943 and its Auxiliary in Mansfield, Ohio.

Watch as Bryant delivered his winning essay during the VFW's Parade of Winners streamed live on Facebook, or read  his essay here.  See the complete list of 2024 national winners .

Youth Scholarships Additional Resources

2022-2023 VOD Winners

Voice of democracy entry form, voice of democracy national scholarship listing, 2022-2023 patriot's pen winners, patriot's pen entry form, patriot's pen national scholarship listing, sponsor a youth scholarship.

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