Prompt that reads Media literacy is connected to democracy. What are some top strategies to engage people of all ages with media literacy and democracy? JEA Logo and SPJ logo (Society Professional Journalists)

The Journalism Education Association and the Society of Professional Journalists announce three scholarship winners in the 2024 SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest.

More than 115 students participated in the nationwide contest, which was judged by 8 journalism educators from around the country.

Established in 1998, the contest is a project of JEA and SPJ. The topic for the 2024 contest — “Media literacy is connected to democracy. What are some top strategies to engage people of all ages with media literacy and democracy?”

2024 SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest winners:

— First Place, $1,000 Scholarship Winner: Ayaan Shah, 11th grade, Emmaus (Pennsylvania) High School

— Second Place, $500 Scholarship Winner: Karolina Ostrowski, 11th grade, Millburn (New Jersey) High School

— Third Place, $300 Scholarship Winner: Adrian Moon, 10th grade, St. Mark’s School, Southborough, Massachusetts

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