About

Nominations are open to any secondary school student whose teacher or adviser is a current JEA member; students may also self-nominate. The entry must be original published work produced within two years of the deadline — article, series, or multimedia — accompanied by a 250-word narrative explaining the piece's purpose and impact, and three letters from advisers, school administrators, professional journalists, or community members attesting to the real-world difference the journalism made. The impact of the work, not the author, is the explicit focus of judging. Past winners include the student staff of the Pittsburg (Kansas) High School paper whose investigation into a new principal's credentials led to his resignation and prompted the district to overhaul its hiring process; the Marjory Stoneman Douglas student journalists who covered the 2018 shooting and helped launch a national conversation on gun safety; and the Classical Academy (Escondido, California) students whose mental health investigation, driven by 370 student surveys, prompted school-wide action. The 2026 winner documented the legacy of an assistant principal living with ALS.

The Student Journalist Impact Award occupies different territory from craft-based competitions like the Quill and Scroll WVM Contest. Quill and Scroll evaluates the quality of journalism; the Impact Award evaluates whether it mattered. For a journalism-track student who has produced work that demonstrably changed something — an investigation that held power accountable, a series that shifted policy, a story that gave voice to overlooked people — this is the credential that most directly mirrors what professional journalism does and what journalism and communications programs at selective universities most want to see.

The Student Journalist Impact Award is the right recognition for a high school journalist who has done more than produce excellent work — it is for the student whose journalism made something happen.