By Nancy Smith, MJE, NSMC chair

The National Student Media Contests were all completed virtually for the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.

In all, 641 students competed in photo, broadcast, graphic design, literary magazine, design and writing contests.

There were 249 winning students comprising 50 superior, 88 excellent and 111 honorable mention awards.

All the competitors had their submissions assessed by teams of judges, and those critiques are available at the NSMC website. Contestants can log in with their username and password to view their critiques.

Certificates and medals for the winners were mailed to schools.

In place of the traditional on-site critique session, each contest’s lead judge has created a video critique. Critique videos provide information about the contest and what the judges were looking for in the winning entries.

Judges also share some of their thoughts about what some of the strengths were in the category and what are some general areas to look to improve in the future. The contest prompts and the critiques are great resources for classroom lessons and preparation for future contests.

In addition, through SmugMug students and advisers can view thousands of photos from JEA photo contests in each of the nine categories. The site houses all of the photos that have been recognized in past conventions so users can learn from those student photographers.

SmugMug has an interface that discourages copying of images and allows full display of metadata including camera data and captions. So photojournalists really can break down the photo to discuss technique, composition and the meaning of the images. 

“This fall we are reminded of the tenacity of our JEA family,” JEA NSMC chair Nancy Smith said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created unbelievable challenges and yet, here we are in November, doing what we do every November — recognizing the work of outstanding student journalism in the National Student Media Contests.

“Kudos to all the contestants for overcoming the obstacles of remote or hybrid or some other new form of learning, and for getting those entries in on time. And thank you to the nearly 200 judges who spent hours completing critiques. In a time when no one has any extra time, you all found some to help JEA and we are so very appreciative.”

2020 National Student Media Contests results

Founded in 1924, JEA supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, promoting professionalism, encouraging and rewarding student excellence and teacher achievement, and an atmosphere which encompasses diversity yet builds unity. It is headquartered at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

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