Our teacher awards honor journalism educators who make remarkable impacts for their students. Explore the awards available, and make a nomination today!

Rising Star Award

Deadline: July 15, 2025
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.
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Medal of Merit Award

Deadline: July 15, 2025
Medals of Merit are given to JEA members who have made significant contributions to scholastic journalism.
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Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award

Deadline: December 15, 2024
Recognizing a journalism teacher who through excellent instruction inspired others to pursue scholastic journalism teaching and/or advising.
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Lifetime Achievement Award

Deadline: December 15, 2024
JEA gives this award to retirees for lifetime dedication to journalism education in the form of advising or other contributions to the profession.
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H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year

Deadline: October 15, 2024
The National Yearbook 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.
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Future Administrator Scholarship

Deadline: December 15, 2024
The Journalism Education Association awards a $1,500 scholarship to an adviser who intends to earn a secondary administrator's credential/license and seek a position in administration.
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Friend of Scholastic Journalism

Deadline: July 15, 2025
This award is given to a professional journalist, professional media outlet or other individual or group making a significant contribution to scholastic journalism.
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First Amendment Press Freedom Award

Deadline: December 15, 2024
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.
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Diversity Award

Deadline: December 15, 2024
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.
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Carl Towley Award

Deadline: July 15, 2025
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.
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Committee & Judges

The awards committee meets at each convention to plan and coordinate all of JEA’s award programs.

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Student awards

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Contests

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