Register online for JEA contests between Oct. 1-23, 2019.
All rules and descriptions are available at jea.org/wp/home/awards-honors/contests.
It is imperative that advisers and contestants carefully read all the rules to make sure all deadlines and requirements are met.
All contests require students to bring their own supplies.
A few of the basics
Each student may enter just one category. A school may enter just one student per category except for team contests. All contestants must be present at the convention and attend the contest critique Friday, Nov. 22, or the entry will be disqualified. In online-submission contests that allow a team to enter, both students must register and pay; however, only one student needs to be present at the convention for the entry to be eligible for the contest.
Contestants will be disqualified if they fail to follow the rules available at jea.org.
Register early. Some venues have limited seating for the contests. In the event the number of registrants for a contest category fills the seating capacity of the assigned contest room and a larger room is not available, JEA will close registration for that category.
All contests marked online submission must be uploaded by 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Specific instructions are available at jea.org/wp/home/awards-honors/contests. Links to instructions will be available on the rules page Sept. 17. Students may begin working on those entries at that time. No late entries will be accepted for judging or critique.
Start early. Call JEA for help if necessary. (A working email and a password must be provided for each student entered in a contest. This is especially important in contests submitted online before the convention.)
Contest/critique sessions
Most contests/critiques take place from 4-6 p.m., but the on-site broadcast contests have earlier times. Check the schedule and room assignments in the convention program, available online in mid-October or on site at the convention registration desk. Students late to their contests will not be able to participate.
Online submission contestants will be disqualified if they do not attend the entire critique session Friday, Nov. 22.
Registration information
Students and their advisers must be registered for the convention in order to participate, and the adviser must be a member of JEA.
No on-site registrations will be accepted; however, name substitutions are allowed until 10:30 a.m. Friday at the JEA contest check-in desk.
If your student has a documentable disability, you need to request any accommodation when you register. Please notify National Contest Chair Nancy Smith, at nysmithjea@gmail.com, and bring documentation to the convention.
The rules for JEA contests can be downloaded at jea.org. If you have any questions, you may call JEA Headquarters toll-free, at 785-532-5532, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, or email staff@jea.org.
Contest registration step by step
The adviser must be a current JEA member for the online contest registration form to work. Join or renew your membership at jea.org. Find the Membership heading at the top of the page and click on Join JEA or Renew Membership from the pull-down menu. Membership should be activated by Oct. 15 to meet the Oct. 23 contest deadline. Membership is not processed until funds are received.
If you don’t remember your username/password for jea.org/wp/membersarea, please contact JEA staff at 785-532-5532 or staff@jea.org.
Decide with your students what to enter. Confer with other advisers in your school to decide what students will participate in each category. Although it’s preferred one adviser enters all entries from a school, two or more advisers may enter their students separately if paying separately. Please collaborate on this.
To register for the JEA contests, go to jea.org and follow the instructions for entering for entering the contests under the Awards and Contests section. All students must have working emails and passwords.
Payment of $20 per student may made by credit/debit card, PayPal, check or purchase order. Mail check to Journalism Education Association, Attention: Contests, 105 Kedzie Hall, 828 Mid-Campus Drive S., Manhattan, KS 66506. Official, signed purchase orders may be mailed, emailed to staff@jea.org or faxed to 785-532-5563.
Contest entries must be paid in full before the contests begin Nov. 22, 2019. Do not include your JEA contest payment with your convention registration payment. JEA contests are processed separately.
Bring the rules and required supplies with you to the convention.
Registration/upload deadline —
7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019
Late entries will not be accepted. Start the process early.
Questions? Contact JEA at staff@jea.org or 785-532-5532. Hours: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CT.
Rules and registration:
jea.org/wp/home/awards-honors/contests
Contests for this convention
The following contests will be offered for Washington, D.C.
Descriptions and complete rules can be found on www.jea.org. Advisers and students should read all rules carefully and email or call JEA if you have questions. Failure to follow the rules or meet deadlines will result in an automatic disqualification.
On-site Contests
These categories all take place at the convention. No work is required in advance. Most of the contests run 4-6 p.m. Friday.
Only ONE student from each school may enter each contest unless a team entry is indicated.
Newspaper 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 & 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 (individual or team of 2)
44: BROADCAST ANCHOR
45: BROADCAST NEWSWRITING
46: BROADCAST PACKAGE (individual or team of 2)
Online Submission Contests
Prompts available at jea.org on Sept. 17, 2019.
Students who compete in these categories must complete the work BEFORE the convention and have the entry uploaded no later than Oct. 23.
These contests require students to attend a two-hour critique session 4-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22. A school may enter just one student per contest unless a team entry is indicated. Each student may enter just one contest. Please read all contest rules at writeoffs.jea.org.
Newspaper, Yearbook, Magazine Layout Contests
09: NEWSPAPER LAYOUT
10: NEWSMAGAZINE LAYOUT
16: YEARBOOK LAYOUT: THEME
17: YEARBOOK LAYOUT: INSIDE PAGES
18: YEARBOOK COVER/ENDSHEETS
19: LITERARY MAGAZINE: LAYOUT
Graphic Design Contests
23: Graphic Design: Logo
24: Graphic Design: Infographics
25: Graphic Design: Advertising
26: Graphic Design: Photo Illustration
Photography Contests
27: THEMED PHOTOGRAPHY (theme available Sept. 17)
28: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
29: SPORTS FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
30: FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
31: GENERAL OR SPOT NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
32: PHOTO STORY
33: PORTFOLIO
34: PHOTO PORTRAIT
35: FIRST-YEAR PHOTO
Broadcast Contests
36: BROADCAST NEWS STORY (individual or teams of 2)
37: BROADCAST SPORTS STORY (individual or team of 2)
38: BROADCAST FEATURE STORY (individual or team of 2)
39: BROADCAST COMMERCIAL/PSA (individual or team of 2)
40: VIDEOGRAPHY (individual only)
41: SHORT DOCUMENTARY (online submission)