The Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association are pleased to announce three scholarship winners in the 2015 SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest.

Professional educators judged 275 essays from students in grades 9-12 on the topic of “Why is it important for journalists to seek the news and report it?” Fifteen finalists were selected, and those essays were judged by members of JEA’s Scholastic Journalism Week committee.

2015 SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest Award Winners:

First Place, $1,000 Scholarship Winner:
Matthew Zipf, Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Maryland

Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner:
Philip Kim, Paramus High School, Paramus, New Jersey

Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner:
Sania Chandrani, Parkview High School, Liburn, Georgia

Complete essays from the winners can be read on the SPJ or JEA websites.

Founded in 1924, the Journalism Education Association supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, by promoting professionalism, by encouraging and rewarding student excellence and teacher achievement, and by fostering an atmosphere which encompasses diversity yet builds unity. It is headquartered at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. For further information about JEA, please visit www.jea.org.

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry, works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and works to protect the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For further information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.