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.

Learn more about the application on JEA's website.

Note: Once the online application has been submitted, applicants should receive a confirmation email within 24 hours. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact JEA headquarters at staff@jea.org to make sure your application was received. 

2026 prompt: Why is misinformation or disinformation (fake news) so easily spread, and how can journalists aim to counter it?

ABOUT THE CONTEST:

Through this essay contest, the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation and the Journalism Education Association aim to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of media literacy and independent, ethical media. National winners of this contest receive scholarship awards provided by SPJ.

First Place: $1,000 scholarship

Second Place: $500 scholarship

Third Place: $300 scholarship

The contest submission deadline is Feb. 22 11:59 p.m. CST.

ELIGIBILITY AND OVERVIEW:

Students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private and home schools within the United States are eligible to enter this contest. We are not currently accepting submissions from international students.

Contestants must compose an original essay with minimal guidance from others, including any artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. The essay should be 300-500 words. Entries should be typed and double-spaced. If you reference any external sources, directly or indirectly, a bibliography is required. Please submit as a Word (.docx) file.

Each submission to the essay contest must be accompanied by the $10 entry fee. 

Please review full contest rules here before submitting.

SCORING RUBRIC:

Scoring procedures at all levels of the contest will follow this rubric:

1. Topic Analysis (Logical, well-informed, evidence-based analysis of topic): 30 points
2. Originality & Voice (Fresh insight, nuanced perspective, developed ideas): 25 points
3. Use of Language (Strong vocabulary, style, phrasing, clarity, tone, word choice): 20 points
4. Structure (Clear formatting, organization, flow, continuity): 15 points
5. Mechanics (Excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling): 10 points

If your school won the First Amendment Press Freedom Award or received a Commendation last year, one adviser from the program must complete this Round 1 form.

• If your program DID NOT win the FAPFA or receive a Commendation last year, this is not the form you need to complete. Please complete the regular "Round 1" form (one media adviser and one student editor/leader).
• Please note the award looks at the entire student media program at the school: digital and print newspaper, yearbook and student broadcast. 

To reapply, this first round just requires one of last year's media advisers to complete this form with your Submittable account. If your admin and advisers are all the same as last year, your Round 2 forms will also be modified. If they have changed, your team will complete the same Round 2 forms as usual.

If you feel your school actively supports and honors the First Amendment through its student media, consider submitting an entry for this year’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award. Please note the award looks at the entire student media program at the school: digital and print newspaper, yearbook and student broadcast.

If your program won the FAPFA or received a Commendation last year, this is not the form you need to complete. Please complete the "FAPFA: Round 1 - 2025 Winners Only" form.

To apply, a school must submit two questionnaires – one from a student and one from a teacher. Each submitter will need to create a Submittable account.

The Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award recognizes a teacher who, through the teaching and/or advising of journalism, inspired others to pursue journalism teaching as a career and who has made a positive difference in the teaching community. The award was named after Linda S. Puntney, JEA’s executive director from 1989-2010.

Retired journalism teachers and advisers, along with those currently teaching or advising may be nominated. The nomination must come from a teacher who is a current JEA member and who advises a publication or broadcast program, teaches journalism classes or is retired after having spent at least 10 years in scholastic journalism.

Learn more: https://jea.org/awards/teacher-inspiration-award/

JEA gives this award to retirees for lifetime dedication to journalism education in the form of advising or other contributions to the profession. Scholastic press associations and individuals who are JEA members are encouraged to submit names of retirees in their state. Multiple awards may be presented each year.

Learn more: https://jea.org/awards/lifetime-achievement/

The Journalism Education Association awards up to two $1,500 Future Administrator Scholarships to advisers who intends to earn a secondary administrator’s credential/license and seek a position in administration.

Each recipient must be a current JEA member and student media adviser who is in or past their fourth year of teaching and advising. The scholarship check is sent to the student’s college/university account after the winner is announced.

Learn about the entry criteria: https://jea.org/awards/future-admin-scholarship/

The Journalism Education Association’s Diversity Award honors a scholastic journalism teacher, student media adviser or scholastic journalism group demonstrating a commitment to cultural awareness and encouraging a multicultural approach with its student media staff, media production and/or community. The honoree must be in the forefront in promoting diversity in the scholastic media arena and must have taken steps to break down walls of misunderstanding and ignorance.

Learn more: https://jea.org/awards/diversity-award/