State JOY Submission Deadlines
JEA's Journalist of the Year contest begins at the state level. Winning portfolios from state JOY competitions are sent to the national level, with winners announced at the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. Each state has their own requirements and submission deadlines. Please refer to your respective state submission instructions below for more information.
NOTE: We are adding 2026 information for each state as it becomes available. If your state's information is missing or outdated, please check back or contact your JEA state director to inquire.
| State | Deadline | Organization | How to submit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Jan. 12 | Alabama Scholastic Press Association | View instructions |
| Alaska | Feb. 15 | Journalism Education Association | View instructions |
| Arizona | Feb. 15 | Arizona Interscholastic Press Association | Online form |
| Arkansas | Feb. 27 | Arkansas Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| California | Feb. 16 | Northern California Journalism Education Association and Southern California Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| Colorado | Feb. 15 | Colorado Student Media Association | Online form |
| Connecticut | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| Delaware | Feb. 14 | Delaware Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to state director, Dennis Leizear |
| District of Columbia | Feb. 15 | DC Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to state director, Alexandra Wilding |
| Florida | Feb. 9 | Florida Scholastic Press Association | Submit on website |
| Georgia | Jan. 25 | Georgia Scholastic Press Association | Online form |
| Hawaii | Jan. 19 | Hawaii Scholastic Journalism Association | Online form |
| Idaho | Feb. 15 | Idaho Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to state director, Michael Dunn |
| Illinois | Feb. 15 | Illinois Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| Indiana | Jan. 15 | Indiana High School Press Association | Online form |
| Iowa | Jan. 16 | Iowa High School Press Association | Online form |
| Kansas | Jan. 22, 5 p.m. CST | Kansas Scholastic Press Association | Online form |
| Kentucky | Feb. 15 | Kentucky Journalism Education Association | Online form coming soon
Email state director Larry Steinmetz with questions |
| Louisiana | Feb. 24, 5 p.m. CST | Louisiana Chapter Journalism Education Association | View instructions |
| Maine | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| Maryland | Feb. 2 | Maryland-DC Scholastic Press Association | Online form |
| Massachusetts | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| Michigan | Feb. 14 | Michigan Interscholastic Press Association | View instructions |
| Minnesota | Feb. 14 | Minnesota High School Press Association | View instructions |
| Mississippi | Feb. 15 | Mississippi Scholastic Press Association | Email portfolio to state director, R.J. Morgan |
| Missouri | Feb. 8 | Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association | Online form |
| Montana | Feb. 12 | Montana Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to MJEA |
| Nebraska | Feb. 15 | Nebraska High School Press Association | Online form |
| Nevada | Feb. 14 | Nevada Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| New Hampshire | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| New Jersey | Feb. 6 | Garden State Scholastic Press Association | View instructions |
| New Mexico | Feb. 15 | Journalism Education Association | View instructions |
| New York | Feb. 14 | New York State Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| North Carolina | Feb. 15 | North Carolina Scholastic Media Association | View instructions |
| North Dakota | Feb. 15 | North Dakota Journalism Education Association | Email materials to state director, Nick Hornbacher |
| Ohio | Feb. 14 | Ohio Scholastic Media Association | View instructions |
| Oklahoma | Feb. 15 | Oklahoma Journalism Education Association | Online form coming soon
Email state director Sue Flaming with questions |
| Oregon | Feb. 6 | Oregon Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| Pennsylvania | Feb. 10 | Pennsylvania School Press Association | Online form |
| Rhode Island | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| South Carolina | Feb. 1 | South Carolina Scholastic Press Association | Online form |
| South Dakota | Feb. 10 | South Dakota Journalism Education Association | Online form coming soon |
| Tennessee | Jan. 17 | Tennessee High School Press Association | Online form |
| Texas | Feb. 15 | Texas Association of Journalism Educators | Online form |
| Utah | Feb. 15 | Journalism Education Association | View instructions |
| Vermont | Feb. 15 | New England Scholastic Press Association | Online form coming soon |
| Virginia | Feb. 15 | Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers | Online form will be added here when available |
| Washington | Feb. 15 | Washington Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| West Virginia | Feb. 22 | West Virginia Journalism Education Association | Online form |
| Wisconsin | Feb. 15 | Wisconsin Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to state director, Matthew Smith |
| Wyoming | Feb. 15 | Journalism Education Association | View instructions |
| International | Feb. 15 | Journalism Education Association | Email portfolio to JEA global engagement director Kelly Furnas |
State Directors
Mackenna Handeland
Chugiak High School
Alaska
Rachel Chrest
Minnesota
