The NSPA Individual Middle School Awards honor the nation’s best junior high/middle school journalism. The awards are presented to individuals as well as small teams. There are nine contests in three categories:
- Design:
- Literary Arts Magazine
- Newspaper/Newsmagazine
- Yearbook
- Photojournalism:
- Feature Photo
- Sports Photo
- Story:
- Broadcast
- Multimedia
- News
- Feature
Winners are announced at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Boston, MA. NSPA recognizes finalists and winners in its publications and on its websites and social media sites. The first-place winner in each category receives a plaque for the student media outlet and a certificate for up to 5 students. Second-through 10th-place winners receive certificates.
Location(s)
- Remote
Schedule
- Spring/Summer
Cost/Compensation
- There is no charge for middle school NSPA-member media outlets to participate in the NSPA Junior High-Middle School Individual Awards
Eligibility Requirements
- Entries must have been published between June 25 of the previous year and June 12 of the year in which the competition takes place
- Open only to junior high/middle school student media with a current NSPA membership as of the contest deadline
- Any student on the staff of an NSPA-member junior high/middle school media outlet is eligible to enter
- The entry must be published in the NSPA-member student media
Deadline
- June
Application or Entry Requirements
- Two entries per NSPA-member junior high/middle school student media outlet are allowed
- Entries may not be submitted in more than one category
- The submission format required for each contest is indicated. In most categories, a URL link to a website or a PDF file of the printed page is required—but not both
- For PDF files, the folio line with the publication date should be included. For Photo of the Year contests, actual image files (JPG, TIF, PNG) are required
- Word documents will be rejected
- Inquiries should be directed to Gary Lundgren, NSPA associate director, at gary@studentpress.org
Notifications of Decisions
- Finalists are typically announced by September
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
Have other questions?
The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) is a national community of student journalists and scholastic journalism advisers founded in 1921 with more than 1,350 members. It is based and incorporated in Minnesota as a non-profit educational association, and provides journalism education services to students, teachers, media advisers, and others throughout the United States and abroad. The NSPA's mission is to advance journalism and media as a vital cultural force by connecting advisers, students, and professionals through national events and competitions.
