NHSJC speaker portal

The JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention is the largest gathering of high school journalists in the country.

Members and other individuals interested in supporting the goals and programs of JEA, NSPA and scholastic journalism are invited to submit proposals for breakout sessions at the national convention. This invitation is extended to teachers/advisers, professional journalists and students in editorial leadership positions.

Typically, the on-site conventions comprise around 300 breakout sessions. Each standard breakout session is 45 minutes long and will take place on the Friday or Saturday of convention week between 8 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

The submission deadline for the 2025 fall convention is Sept. 10. Speaker confirmations will then be sent out approximately six to eight weeks before the convention.

Questions? Please visit our Speaker FAQ page or email JEA Events and Programs Manager Amber James.

NEW session proposal process

We are thrilled to announce that NHSJC has moved to a NEW platform for session proposals! We are excited for the features this platform offers that will help streamline the proposal process and improve communication and clarity for the hundreds of speakers who present at each convention. The process may look a little different than in recent years, so thank you for your patience as we all get used to it together.

Interested in submitting a session for this fall's convention in Nashville?

Click here to learn how

Call for submissions

If you are willing and able to participate as a breakout session speaker for the fall national convention, please visit nhsjc2025fall.dryfta.com and follow the instructions on this webpage to submit. Find speaker FAQ here.

The submission deadline for Fall 2025 is Sept. 10.

You will first be asked to create a speaker account with the following details:

  • Full name
  • Primary email address (where you want to receive speaker communications)
  • Phone number while onsite
  • City, state/country
  • School/company
  • Title/position
  • Speaker bio (100 words or less, AP style)
  • Scheduling availability

Once logged into this account, you will then be able to fill out a session proposal application. This form includes:

  • Session title
  • Session description
  • Session topic(s)
  • Audio/visual needs for the session
  • Co-presenter details

For sessions with multiple presenters, we need EACH presenter to create a speaker account so we have their information and availability. If a co-presenter fails to complete this step, their name will not be listed with the session and their conflicts won't be taken into consideration.

If you are a teacher presenting with your students and your students want to be listed by name with the session in the mobile app, they will each need to create a speaker account. They can manage privacy settings under "Profile Overview" when logged into their account.

Session proposal guide:

Session length: Our standard breakout session time slot is 45 minutes.

Session title: Up to 60 characters. Please use AP sentence style with the first word and proper nouns capitalized, all others lowercase. Please avoid vague titles. Clever is good, but it is more important for attendees to understand what the session will cover at a quick glance. (Example: Open up: Writing yearbook theme copy, NOT JUST Open up.)

Session description: 100 words max. Avoid using speaker’s name in the session description. Instead, describe what the speaker will cover and what the audience can take away from the session. Please use complete sentences in AP sentence style.

Session topic: On the session proposal form, you will be asked to select one primary session topic. If your session fits well into multiple categories, you will then have the option to select 1-2 additional topics. These topics will be listed with the session to help attendees determine which sessions are the best fit for them. The NHSJC planning team reserves the right to change your selected topics as they see fit.

Speaker bio: 100 words max. Please use AP sentence style. We prefer education/journalism-related work and honors. Avoid family/pet information, age, personal philosophy, overly promotional details about product/service/company, things people do outside of work, unless it’s relevant to the session.

Audio-visual needs: Please note in your proposal if you anticipate needing a screen and projector for a PowerPoint/visual presentation and/or laptop speakers to play video/audio. Due to the volume of sessions, we are unable to accomodate AV requests beyond these basics. Speakers are required to bring their own laptop with all materials preloaded and ready to go. Speaker Wi-Fi will be made available before your session.

Speaker scheduling availability: Correctly filling out this section is VERY important as this will ensure your session is scheduled for a time slot that works for you. Please ensure you have reviewed the convention schedule overview and taken into consideration any conflicts you may have with other convention events. Please ensure any and all co-presenters have properly updated their availability as well.

Session topic guide:

Advisers, professionals and students are invited to submit proposals on topics including, but not limited to, these curricular areas:

  • Trends in journalism — Topics such as developing diversity in the newsroom, data journalism, visual storytelling, future of journalism, tools and equipment every journalist should have or know how to use, community journalism beyond the classroom
  • Advising — Sessions designed for scholastic journalism teachers and advisers, focusing on grading, classroom or publication management, or other related areas.
  • AI and Journalism — Artificial intelligence and how it relates to journalism (best practices, tools, ethics, tips, etc.)
  • Career — Sessions designed for middle or high school students that focus on college journalism or career preparedness
  • Community Journalism Beyond Campus — Sessions that aim to help student journalists move beyond their classrooms to make an impact on their local town, city or community.
  • Design — Print or digital design topics as they relate to student media publications (basics of design, typography, use of color, white space, front page design, double-page spread design, trends, infographics, etc.)
  • Color Theory — Color theory and use of color in design work as it relates to student media
  • Editing — Copy editing, style, coaching writers, online editing, fact checking in the digital age, etc.
  • Interviewing — Interview skills and techniques for student journalists
  • Law and Ethics — Sessions related to journalism law and ethics (i.e. First Amendment, libel, court cases important to student media, copyright, plagiarism, reporter’s privilege, ethics, privacy, rights and responsibilities, establishing staff policies, etc.)
  • Leadership & Team Building — Topics designed for student media leaders (teambuilding, planning staff retreats, building portfolios, leadership traits and styles, diversity in staff and coverage, motivating staff, etc.)
  • Lit Mag — Topics related to starting, growing or working on a student literary magazine.
  • Marketing & Audience Engagement — Topics related to marketing, fundraising, branding, sales, publicity, PR or audience engagement for student media
  • Multimedia Broadcast — Topics related to broadcast and multimedia journalism (i.e. pre-production, script writing, storyboarding, lighting, videography and editing, video storytelling, on-air reporting, multimedia tools and equipment, etc.)
  • Newsgathering — Topics related to newsgathering (i.e. news judgment, journalistic research, investigative reporting, interviewing basics, news gathering basics, using public documents, conducting a press conference, reporting with social media, data journalism, evaluating website credibility, etc.)
  • Online — Topics related to online news, social media and digital journalism (i.e. web skills, defining an audience, budgeting, information design, basic HTML, online writing, social media strategy, staff workflow, creating a style guide, online tools and resources, etc.)
  • Photojournalism — Topics related to photojournalism (tips and tricks, composition, photo editing, caption writing, portrait photography, history, photography for social media, image workflow and organization, preparing a portfolio, etc.)
  • Podcast & Radio — Podcasting, radio production and audio journalism for students
  • Sports Journalism — Topics providing insight into various aspects of sports media and photography for student journalists
  • Staff Management — Topics related to managing a student media staff (i.e. creating or improving a staff manual, writing staff job descriptions, organizing staff, staff recruitment, developing a grading system, building parent/alumni support, organizing yearbook distribution, etc.)
  • Writing — Topics related to journalistic writing (tips and tricks, feature writing, news writing, opinion writing, writing headlines, revision, using quotes, etc.)
  • Yearbook — Sessions focused on developing yearbook skills
  • Miscellaneous — Specialty sessions related to scholastic journalism trends or other aspects of student media that don't fit into any other categories.
  • Diversity in Journalism: We are seeking sessions for our DEI Certificate strand. These should be sessions specifically geared toward diversity, equity and inclusion as it relates to student media. Sessions in this strand will receive special promotion in JEA materials. If you feel your session is a good fit, keep an eye out for the related question on the proposal application.

Wondering what topics we are most in need of? These topics could often use more coverage: Diversity in Journalism, Multimedia Broadcast, Lit Mag, Online, Photojournalism, Writing.

Programming information

Proposals must be received by Jan. 15 (spring convention) or Aug. 15 (fall convention), to be considered. The deadline for Fall 2025 has been extended to Sept. 10 to account for the transition to the new system. Thank you for submitting promptly and respecting these deadlines.

Each person submitting a session proposal will be notified by email six to eight weeks before the convention regarding the status of that proposal.

Please note that presenting a NHSJC breakout session is an unpaid volunteer opportunity to benefit the education and professional development of student journalists and their advisers.

The number of proposals accepted will be determined by the number of rooms and available time slots. The programming committee will look for variety and coverage of topics appropriate for student journalists involved in yearbooks, newspapers, newsmagazines, literary magazines, online news and broadcasting. In addition, the committee will consider topics appropriate for advisers.

More details about speaking at NHSJC:

  • The session proposal process is designed for equitable and expeditious reviewing of proposals. Please note and follow the listed proposal deadlines above.
  • As professional, nonprofit associations, JEA and NSPA are unable to reimburse program participants for travel and lodging expenses. Presenting a NHSJC session is an unpaid volunteer opportunity to benefit the education and professional development of student journalists and their advisers. Advisers, if you are interested in learning how to qualify for discounted or complimentary registration, visit this page for more info.
  • Students in leadership positions are encouraged to submit proposals. It is recommended that not more than three students present any one session. There are no student fee waivers for speaking. The adviser should be at the session to assist, if necessary. Student presenters are asked to work with their faculty adviser to guarantee quality instruction. We encourage advisers to share sessions with their student instructors and/or attend the students' session.
  • Acceptance or rejection of a proposal will be issued six to eight weeks before the convention, generally in October (fall) and February (spring). Proposers should ideally have approval from administrators to attend the convention before submitting a proposal. However, please do submit on time even if you are still waiting on approval. You can withdraw your session if you aren't able to attend after all.
  • Proposals whose essential purpose is to advertise or disseminate information about books, materials or services for sales will not be accepted. Exhibit space and advertising in the program will be available for sale.
  • No proposal will be disqualified from consideration because it requires audio-visual equipment, but with a limited budget for equipment rental, session proposers should indicate the need for AV equipment only if it is essential.
  • The program proposal form provides a space for description of the session. Proposers are urged to provide clear, brief and specific descriptions that follow AP sentence style.
  • Membership in JEA or NSPA is not required for convention program participation; however, in cases of equally good proposals on similar topics, proposals submitted by members may be favored.

Questions? Visit the speaker FAQ page or email JEA Events and Programs Manager Amber James.

Convention style guide

Official name: Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention (or Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention)
Spring convention, fall convention or national high school journalism convention on second reference. Not JEA convention or NSPA convention.

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