JEA National Student Media Contests
Registration for JEA contests takes place outside of the convention registration system. Register for JEA contests at JEA.org/contests.
JEA National Student Media Contests are open to all students registered for the convention, at $20 per student.
From among the 46 competition categories, including writing, design, photo and broadcast, schools may enter students per one category or in teams for some broadcast categories. More information, complete contest rules and online contest submission guidelines are available at JEA.org/contests.
Registration opens Feb. 24
Registration closes at noon Central March 31.
On-site contest competition is 4-6 p.m. Central Friday, April 25.
Now seeking contest judges
JEA needs volunteers to facilitate National Student Media Contests for the spring 2025 convention in Seattle. The primary need is for the evening on Friday, April 25, although we have many other opportunities available as well. To learn more about this rewarding volunteer experience, visit the link below:
Online contests
Entries due by noon Central Oct. 15.
At the fall convention, online contest participants must attend the on-site critique sessions to qualify for award rankings. On-site critiques occur 4-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7.
Design categories
09 Newspaper Layout
10 Newsmagazine Layout
16 Yearbook Layout: Theme
17 Yearbook Layout: Inside Pages
18 Yearbook Cover/End Sheets
19 Literary Magazine Layout
23 Graphic Design: Logo
24 Graphic Design: Infographics
25 Graphic Design: Advertising
26 Graphic Design: Photo Illustration
Photography categories
27 Themed Photo
28 Sports Action Photography
29 Sports Feature Photography
30 Feature Photography
31 General or Spot News Photography
32 Photo Story
33 Portfolio
34 Portrait Photo
35 First-year Photo
Broadcast categories
36 Broadcast News Story (teams of one or two)
37 Broadcast Sports Story (teams of one or two)
38 Broadcast Feature Story (teams of one or two)
39 Broadcast Commercial/PSA (teams of one or two)
On-site contests
On-site contest competition is 4-6 p.m. Central Nov. 7. On-site broadcast contest competition is earlier in the day. Check the final convention program schedule for exact times.
Writing contests
01 Newswriting
02 Editorial Writing
03 Feature Writing
04 Sports Writing
05 Review Writing
06 Editorial Cartooning
07 Commentary Writing
08 News Editing/Headline Writing/Current Events
11 Press Law and Ethics
Yearbook contests
12 Yearbook Copy Captions: Sports
13 Yearbook Copy Captions: Academics
14 Yearbook Copy Captions: Clubs
15 Yearbook Copy Captions: Student Life
Literary Magazine contests
20 Literary Magazine: Poetry
21 Literary Magazine: Illustration
22 Literary Magazine: Photography
Broadcast contests
42 Video Package Editing
43 Online News Package (teams of one, two or three)
44 Broadcast Anchor
45 Broadcast Newswriting
46 Broadcast Package (team of two)
A student may participate in both NSMC and Quiz Bowl. The only scheduling conflict would apply to NSMC broadcast categories 43, 44 or 46.
Questions about NSMC, contact staff@jea.org.