Top 10 Journalism Competitions for High School Students in 2025–2026

Breaking into journalism starts long before college. For many students, national journalism competitions offer a chance to build real reporting experience, refine storytelling skills, and publish work that stands out on applications. The best journalism competitions for high school students help you learn how to investigate issues, interview sources, analyze data, and write with clarity and purpose.

Below is a curated list of the top journalism competitions for high school students. Each one offers a different path into reporting, from opinion writing and multimedia storytelling to investigative journalism and long-form features. If you’re looking to grow your skills, challenge yourself, and build a professional-level portfolio, these competitions are some of the strongest places to start.

• What Are the Best Journalism Competitions for High School Students?
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Journalism Category)
• New York Times Student Contest
• David S. Barr Journalism Award
• JEA National Journalism Quiz Bowl
• JEA Journalist of the Year
• Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Awards
• National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Competitions
• NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing
• Quill and Scroll Writing, Photo, and Multimedia Contest
• Harvard Crimson Global Essay Contest
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Are the Best Journalism Competitions for High School Students?

Joining journalism competitions for high school students shows colleges that you’re serious about the craft. Many winners go on to join student newspapers, launch independent projects, or compete for selective summer journalism programs. Here’s a quick summary of the different journalism competitions you can join:

Let’s discuss each competition one by one.

1. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Journalism Category)

Dates: Opens during the Fall. National awards: March 25, 2026
Location: Nationwide
Prizes: Scholarships up to $12,500, National medals

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is one of the most established journalism competitions for high school students, with a dedicated category for reported articles, investigative pieces, and community-focused stories. Students submit work individually and first compete at the regional level, where entries may earn Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention distinctions. Gold Key winners automatically advance to national adjudication.

National recognition includes Gold Medals, scholarship awards, and eligibility for special distinctions such as the American Voices Award, which selects one top journalism or writing piece from each region. Seniors may also submit writing portfolios for scholarship consideration.

This competition provides structured deadlines, multi-stage adjudication, and professional-style expectations for accuracy and reporting. Find out how you can join and win the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

2. New York Times Student Contest

Dates: Conducted monthly
Location: International
Prizes: Publication on the NYT Learning Network, certificates

The New York Times Student Contest is one of the most widely recognized journalism opportunities for high school writers. Students ages 13–19 may participate from anywhere in the world, and winners gain national visibility through publication on The New York Times Learning Network.

Below are the official 2025–2026 New York Times Student Contests:

• Growing Up With A.I. Multimedia Contest
• My Tiny Memoir Contest (100-word personal narrative)
• Local Lens Photo-Essay Contest
• My List Review Contest
• Open Letters Opinion Contest
• Audio Stories Podcast Contest
• Voice and Choice Summer Reading Contest
• Conversation Challenge (weekly current-events prompts)

Students may enter multiple contests across the year. For student journalists, the Open Letters Opinion Contest is an excellent one to join. We have a complete guide for you here.

3. David S. Barr Journalism Award

Dates: January 31 deadline
Location: Online
Prizes: $500 for graduating high school students

The David S. Barr Journalism Award recognizes student reporting that addresses issues of fairness, justice, and social awareness. Students submit one piece of original journalism in any format, including investigative reporting, editorials, or long-form features.

Entries are evaluated on:

• Depth and accuracy of research
• Clarity and structure of the reporting
• Ability to explain social or community impact

As one of the leading journalism competitions for high school students focused on civic themes, the Barr Award highlights work that examines inequities or amplifies underrepresented voices. This competition is well-suited for students producing investigative or issue-driven journalism.

4. JEA National Journalism Quiz Bowl

Dates: Competitions held every fall
Location: Varies by JEA convention
Prizes: National recognition, trophies

The Journalism Education Association’s National Journalism Quiz Bowl is a team-based competition held during JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Conventions. School teams answer timed questions covering press law, ethics, reporting, editing, design, photography, and news judgment.

Teams qualify through a written preliminary round before advancing to buzzer-style finals. The event is one of the few journalism competitions for high school students that tests newsroom knowledge in a fast-paced, academic format.

Because the Quiz Bowl is integrated into the national conventions, participants also gain access to workshops, newsroom critiques, and sessions led by working journalists, allowing teams to pair competition with skills training. Teams typically prepare by reviewing fundamentals of reporting, analyzing current events, and studying JEA’s curriculum standards and ethics guidelines.

5. JEA Journalist of the Year

Dates: Deadline varies by state
Location: Nationwide (U.S.)
Prizes: Scholarships up to $4,000

The Journalism Education Association (JEA) Journalist of the Year (JOY) contest recognizes high school journalists who demonstrate excellence through a digital portfolio. Students submit a curated collection of work that may include reported stories, multimedia packages, editing projects, leadership contributions, page design, broadcast segments, and coverage of school or community issues. State-level JOY coordinators select winners who advance to the national round.

As entries must be organized into a professional-style portfolio site, participants gain experience in:

• Selecting and annotating their strongest work
• Presenting stories with captions, context, and sourcing notes
• Explaining editorial decisions and the impact of their reporting
• Demonstrating year-over-year development

At the national level, judges—typically professional journalists and veteran advisers—evaluate portfolios using a detailed rubric published by JEA. Awards include scholarships for the top national winners. The top winner will receive $4,000, while up to five finalists will receive $1,200 each.

The JOY competition is considered one of the most comprehensive journalism competitions for high school students because it evaluates the full scope of a journalist’s skills rather than a single submission.

6. Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Awards

Dates: Spring convention: March 18-20, 2026
Location: New York, NY
Prizes: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Crown Awards

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association Awards is among the most established journalism competitions for high school students, evaluating entire student publications rather than individual entries. Schools may submit newspapers, newsmagazines, online sites, or yearbooks for critique.

CSPA judges review publications on:

• Accuracy and depth of reporting
• Editorial judgment and coverage planning
• Visual design and consistency
• Photojournalism and multimedia integration
• Overall coherence and service to the audience

Publications may earn Gold or Silver Crown Awards, along with additional category-specific distinctions. Detailed scorebooks provide actionable feedback that student editors can use to improve workflows, coverage planning, and design standards.

Many schools also participate in the CSPA Spring Convention at Columbia University, where students attend sessions on reporting, editing, design, media law, and newsroom management taught by working journalists and faculty.

Find out how you can participate in the CSPA Awards.

7. National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Competitions

Dates: Varies per competition
Location: Nationwide
Prizes: Pacemaker Awards, Individual Story Awards

The National Scholastic Press Association runs several major journalism competitions for high school students, including the Pacemaker Awards, which recognize top student newspapers, magazines, websites, yearbooks, and broadcasts. Pacemakers are widely regarded as the highest institutional honors in scholastic journalism.

Students may also enter individual categories such as news, feature, sports, editorial, opinion, photojournalism, and multimedia storytelling.

NSPA conventions include skill-based sessions, newsroom critiques, portfolio reviews, and workshops led by journalists and journalism educators. These events give students direct feedback on their reporting and production practices. Earning a Pacemaker or placing in individual contests provides nationally recognized credentials that support college and scholarship applications.

8. NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing

Dates: February 15, 2026
Location: Nationwide
Prizes: Certificates, national recognition

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards in Writing recognize exceptional high school writers nationwide. Although not exclusively a reporting contest, it is often listed alongside major journalism competitions for high school students because it evaluates the core skills used in news and feature writing.

Students submit two pieces:

• A response to an annual themed prompt (for 2026, the theme is “The Joy and Power of Reading”)
• A sample of their choice, which may include reported features, persuasive essays, or analytical pieces

Judges assess submissions for structure, clarity, originality, coherence, language control, and the writer’s ability to develop and connect ideas.

Recognition categories include Superior, Excellent, and Merit, with Superior being the highest distinction. State coordinators first review submissions before they advance to the national evaluation panel.

9. Quill and Scroll Writing, Photo, and Multimedia Contest

Dates: Varies per contest
Location: International
Prizes: Gold Keys, scholarships, publication opportunities

Quill and Scroll runs several journalism competitions for high school students, all focused on work that has already been published in school newspapers, yearbooks, or online outlets. Some of the contests you can join include:

• Writing, Visual, and Multimedia Contest. Students currently enrolled in school can submit work to the Writing, Visual, and Multimedia Contest. Sweepstakes recipients earn a commemorative plaque, and individual category winners become eligible to apply for a senior-year scholarship.
• Private School Journalism Association Contest. The PSJA Journalism Contest, run in partnership with Quill and Scroll, celebrates outstanding journalism from students in private and independent schools. Unlike single-entry competitions, this portfolio-based contest highlights sustained excellence across a full year of reporting and storytelling.

Winners receive Gold Key honors and may qualify for scholarship opportunities. The organization’s long history and publication-based criteria make its awards significant credentials for students building journalism portfolios.

10. Harvard Crimson Global Essay Contest

Dates: Full-cycle (Regional qualifiers and global finals) runs from February to March 2026
Location: International
Prizes: Publication opportunities, conference access, certificates

The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Contest is an international writing competition open to middle and high school students. Students submit an essay in one of three official categories—Creative, Argumentative, or Journalistic—each designed to develop a different style of real-world communication.

Each category uses a set of prompts focused on global issues, leadership, social challenges, and community impact. Examples from the 2025 contest include:

• Highlighting an individual or group who went above and beyond during a recent crisis.
• Examining workers in overlooked professions, such as caregivers or sanitation staff, and analyzing the significance of their contributions.
• Investigating how protest movements have adapted in the digital age and how online activism intersects with traditional demonstrations.

Students first submit a 500-word regional essay based on one of these prompts. Top regional submissions—selected by category—advance to the global round, where finalists expand their work into a 1,000–1,500-word essay.

Winners are recognized by The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University’s student newspaper, and may be invited to a virtual or in-person conference featuring writing workshops, editorial panels, and networking opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which journalism competitions are best for beginners?

Students new to journalism can start with contests that offer clear prompts and accessible formats. The New York Times Student Contest, Quill and Scroll categories, and Scholastic’s journalism entries are approachable options. These programs emphasize clarity, storytelling, and strong use of evidence, helping beginners develop foundational skills.

2. Do colleges value journalism competitions?

Yes. Colleges appreciate applicants who demonstrate initiative and strong communication skills. Participation in journalism competitions shows that a student can research issues, meet deadlines, revise work, and think critically—traits valued by competitive universities. National recognition from these programs can also strengthen a writing portfolio.

3. Are international students eligible for these contests?

Several contests, such as the Harvard Crimson Global Essay Contest, the New York Times Student Contest, and Quill and Scroll competitions, welcome international submissions. Students should review eligibility requirements, age restrictions, and submission rules for each contest before entering.

4. How do I choose the right journalism competition?

Students should consider their strengths, whether storytelling, multimedia work, opinion writing, or investigative reporting. Reviewing past winning entries, contest formats, deadlines, and judging criteria helps students choose the competition that best fits their interests and goals.

5. How can students prepare strong entries?

Strong submissions typically include detailed research, clear organization, credible sources, and multiple rounds of revision. Reading professional journalism and studying past winners also improves writing quality. Students can work with teachers, editors, or mentors to polish their drafts before submitting.

Takeaways

• Top journalism competitions for high school students help develop writing, research, and storytelling skills necessary for academic and professional success.
• Since these contests mirror real-world reporting expectations, students gain confidence and a deeper understanding of how to communicate effectively.
• Winning or participating in national competitions strengthens a student’s overall application and showcases initiative, curiosity, and academic discipline.
• Students looking for personalized guidance can consider our Academic and Extracurricular Profile Program, which helps students strengthen their academic and extracurricular profiles for competitive college admissions.