Quill and Scroll: A Complete Guide

Quill and Scroll recognizes high school journalists and publications for sustained, high-quality editorial work evaluated on a national scale. So, if you’ve built a portfolio of published articles, designs, or multimedia work through a school publication, this is your chance to translate that experience into a stronger college application

In this guide, we explain how Quill and Scroll works, who is eligible to participate, and how its awards and recognitions are structured.

• What Is Quill and Scroll?
• Quill and Scroll Awards and Prizes
• How to Qualify for Quill and Scroll Competitions
• How to Get into Quill and Scroll Competitions
• How to Win Quill and Scroll Competitions
• Quill and Scroll Previous Winners
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is Quill and Scroll?

Quill and Scroll is an international honor society and awards organization for high school journalism programs. Founded in 1926, it recognizes students, advisers, and school publications for excellence in reporting, editing, design, photography, broadcast, and multimedia journalism.

Quill and Scroll recognition is tied to school-based journalism programs, not open public submission. Most awards and competitions require students to be currently enrolled, affiliated with a recognized school publication, and supported by a journalism adviser.

The organization administers three major national competitions each year: the Writing, Visual, Multimedia (WVM) Contest, the Yearbook Excellence Contest (YEC), and the Private School Journalism Association (PSJA) Journalism Contest. Entries are evaluated based on published work, with judging criteria focused on journalistic quality, accuracy, editorial judgment, design execution, and consistency over time rather than timed prompts or creative exercises.

Quill and Scroll also operates an international honor society, with induction based on academic standing, ethics, and active involvement in student journalism. Together, its competitions and honor society function as a formal recognition system for students who demonstrate long-term commitment and performance in scholastic media.

Quill and Scroll Awards and Prizes

Quill and Scroll honors are tied to published work, category placement, and, in some cases, downstream scholarship and professional opportunities.

Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest

WVM awards are issued by category, with winners receiving plaques and formal national recognition. Certain categories also carry external opportunities beyond Quill and Scroll itself:

• News Writer of the Year (Category 16). Winning entries are eligible to compete for a School of the New York Times Summer Academy scholarship, valued at $7,500. The scholarship covers room and board but does not include transportation to New York City. Entries are evaluated by faculty from The New York Times.
• Climate and Environmental Writing (Category 15). Finalists and winners may have their work republished by the Youth Environmental Press Team (YEPT), a youth-led organization focused on climate and environmental reporting. Publication requires adviser permission. Once republished, writers receive $30 per piece, with optional opportunities for deeper involvement in YEPT, including Director roles paying $1,000 per semester.

Yearbook Excellence Contest

The YEC recognizes entire yearbooks, not individual contributors. Winning seniors are eligible to apply for a Quill and Scroll scholarship. 

Private School Journalism Association Journalism Contest

The PSJA Journalism Contest awards individual and school-level recognition:

• Individual Category Winners. First-place winners receive plaques, while second- and third-place winners receive certificates.
• Blue and Gold Award. Quill and Scroll tabulates placement points across all PSJA categories and awards the Blue and Gold Award plaque to the school that earns the highest cumulative score.

How to Qualify for Quill and Scroll Competitions

Because Quill and Scroll runs three separate contests, eligibility requirements differ by program and depend on which contest you enter.

Qualifying for the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest

Here are the key details students and advisers need to know before entering the WVM Contest:

• Deadline. Entries for the 2026 WVM Contest must be submitted by February 6 at midnight Central Time.
• Entry fee. Each individual entry costs $8.
• Categories. The 2026 contest includes 54 distinct categories spanning writing, photography, design, video, audio, and multimedia journalism.
• Publication window. Submitted work must have been published between February 6, 2025 and February 5, 2026.
• Submission format. All entries are submitted digitally using live URLs, PDFs, or JPGs, with one link permitted per individual entry.
• Published-work requirement. Only published work is accepted, and Google Docs are not permitted as writing submissions.
• Recognition rate. Quill and Scroll states that approximately 10% to 15% of entries in each category receive recognition.

Qualifying for the Yearbook Excellence Contest

Below are the key submission requirements and eligibility rules for YEC:

• Deadline. Entries for YEC are due by October 1.
• Entry fee. Each yearbook entry costs $8.
• School classification. Schools are judged in two size classes: Class A for schools with 1,000 or more students in grades 9–12, and Class B for schools with 999 or fewer students.
• Submission format. Yearbooks are submitted digitally using PDFs or JPGs shared via URL.
• Link requirements. Each yearbook entry must be submitted using its own unique link rather than a shared folder.

Qualifying for the Private School Journalism Association Journalism Contest

Here are the main eligibility requirements, deadlines, and fees for the PSJA Journalism Contest:

• Eligible schools. The PSJA Journalism Contest is open only to private and independent school students.
• Publication window. Submitted work must have been published between March 8, 2025 and March 6, 2026, with the exception of the Editorial Leadership category.
• Deadline. Entries must be submitted by Friday, March 6, 2026.
• Entry fee. PSJA member schools pay $20 per entry, while non-member schools pay $25 per entry.
• Judging. Entries are evaluated by professional journalists and journalism professors.

Qualifying for the Quill and Scroll Honor Society Membership

The Quill and Scroll Honor Society is a membership-based recognition for students who demonstrate sustained involvement and strong performance in scholastic journalism, rather than a contest judged on individual submissions.

To qualify for the membership, both the school and the student must meet specific eligibility criteria outlined below:

• School eligibility. Schools must publish a newspaper, magazine, yearbook, literary magazine, broadcast program, or journalism website to receive a Quill and Scroll charter.
• Charter terms. Once granted, a Quill and Scroll charter remains valid for the lifetime of the school or organization and does not require annual dues.
• Student eligibility. Students must be enrolled in high school, maintain at least a B average or rank in the upper third of their class, demonstrate strong journalism work, and receive adviser approval.
• Initiation fee. New members pay a one-time $25 initiation fee, which includes an official membership pin and a lifetime certificate.

How to Get into Quill and Scroll Competitions

Quill and Scroll does not use a single application or nomination pipeline. Entry depends on published work, contest selection, and adviser-managed submission, with requirements that vary by competition. Below is how students typically move from eligibility to entry.

1. Produce eligible published work through a school journalism program.

Timeline: Throughout the academic year

All Quill and Scroll competitions require previously published work produced through a school newspaper, yearbook, magazine, broadcast program, or journalism website. Drafts, class assignments that were never published, and unpublished Google Docs are not accepted. For yearbook entries, evaluation is based on the completed book rather than individual spreads.

2. Match your work to the correct Quill and Scroll competition.

Timeline: Late fall to early winter

Students must enter the competition that corresponds to their format and school type. For instance, the WVM Contest accepts individual entries across writing, photography, design, video, audio, and multimedia categories. The Yearbook Excellence Contest evaluates entire yearbooks submitted by member schools. The PSJA Journalism Contest is limited to private and independent school students and uses portfolio-style evaluation in many categories.

Selecting the wrong competition or category can invalidate an entry.

3. Confirm category rules and publication windows.

Timeline: Before preparing submissions

Each Quill and Scroll competition enforces a fixed publication window, and entries published outside these dates are not accepted.

For the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest, submitted work must have been published between February 6, 2025 and February 5, 2026 for the 2026 contest cycle. 

For the Yearbook Excellence Contest, entries are based on the completed yearbook from the most recent publication cycle prior to the October submission deadline, and individual publication dates for spreads are not evaluated separately. 

For the PSJA Journalism Contest, work must have been published between March 8, 2025 and March 6, 2026, with the exception of the Editorial Leadership category, which follows separate guidelines.

In addition to publication dates, some categories impose role-based eligibility requirements or limit the number of entries per student. These requirements must be checked at the category level before submission.

4. Prepare contest-specific digital submissions.

Timeline: January to February for most contests

All submissions are digital. Each individual entry must be submitted as a single URL, PDF, or image file, depending on the category. Folder links are not permitted unless explicitly allowed. Writing entries must link to published content and cannot be submitted as editable documents.

5. Submit entries and fees through the official contest portal.

Timeline: October, February, or March depending on the contest

Each Quill and Scroll competition has a fixed national deadline and a per-entry fee. For the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest, each individual entry costs $8, with fees applied per category submission rather than per student. For the Yearbook Excellence Contest, each yearbook entry costs $8, regardless of school size or publisher. For the PSJA Journalism Contest, entries cost $20 per entry for PSJA member schools and $25 per entry for non-member schools.

Submissions are typically coordinated by a journalism adviser, particularly for yearbook and school-level entries. Late submissions or entries submitted without payment are not reviewed.

How to Win Quill and Scroll Competitions

Judges do not apply a single standard across all entries in the different competitions. However, strong submissions have several things in common:

1. Enter work that fits the category exactly.

Misclassified entries consistently score lower, even when the underlying work is strong.

In the WVM Contest, judges expect entries to align tightly with category intent in both format and role. News entries should follow reporting conventions, opinion pieces should present a clear argument, and design or multimedia entries should demonstrate purposeful structure rather than visual experimentation alone.

At the YEC level, category fit applies to the book as a whole. Winning yearbooks follow yearbook conventions, demonstrate coherent theme development, and maintain balanced coverage across sections. Books that drift toward magazine-style layouts or lack a clear editorial plan tend to underperform.

Within the PSJA Journalism Contest, alignment means submitting work that reflects the stated category focus, particularly in portfolio-style entries. Judges reward coherence and intention across submissions rather than a collection of unrelated strong pieces.

2. Demonstrate depth, accuracy, and editorial judgment.

Strong WVM entries show careful reporting, verified information, and appropriate context. Judges look for evidence that the student made deliberate editorial decisions about framing, structure, and emphasis, so surface-level coverage or unsupported claims limit scores.

For YEC submissions, depth is assessed across the entire book. High-scoring yearbooks show thoughtful coverage of the school community over time, with captions, copy, and visuals that add information rather than repeat it. Editorial judgment is visible in both what is covered and what is intentionally left out.

In the PSJA contest, consistency matters more than peak performance. Judges favor portfolios that demonstrate steady standards, growth, and sound decision-making across multiple pieces rather than relying on a single standout entry.

3. Maintain clarity, organization, and execution throughout.

Clarity in the WVM Contest means logical structure, clean presentation, and intentional use of visuals or multimedia elements. Judges expect entries to be easy to follow and professionally executed. Disorganization or cluttered layouts weaken otherwise competitive submissions.

Across YEC entries, judges look for visual and editorial consistency from cover to closing pages. Winning books maintain a readable design, clear hierarchy, and smooth pacing across sections. Abrupt shifts in style or uneven quality across spreads reduce overall evaluations.

For PSJA submissions, the organization extends to how portfolios are assembled and presented. Judges expect clean navigation and clear labeling, with each piece contributing directly to the category’s focus.

4. Follow submission rules exactly.

Technical compliance is critical in the WVM Contest. Entries must meet publication window, link, and formatting requirements, and unpublished or incorrectly linked work is not reviewed. Judges do not adjust scores to account for submission errors.

In the YEC, correct classification and complete digital submission are essential. Books entered in the wrong size category or submitted with missing components can be disqualified regardless of editorial quality.

For PSJA, eligibility rules, entry fees, and deadlines are strictly enforced. Submissions that fail to meet private or independent school requirements or are submitted incompletely are not reviewed.

Quill and Scroll Previous Winners

Each year, Quill and Scroll recognizes top-performing students and school publications across its national competitions. 

These are the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest winners are listed below by award category:

The Yearbook Excellence Contest winners appear below, recognizing first-place yearbook staffs:

The PSJA Journalism Contest winners are shown below, highlighting first-place individual and school-level honorees:

First-place recognition signals work that stands out at the national level, not just within a single school. In competitive college admissions, results like these help validate a student’s role, responsibility, and impact within a serious journalism program.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do students submit for Quill and Scroll?

Students submit previously published journalism work through one of Quill and Scroll’s national competitions. Depending on the contest, submissions may include individual articles, photos, designs, multimedia pieces, portfolios, or entire publications such as yearbooks. Unpublished drafts or classroom-only assignments are not accepted.

2. How is Quill and Scroll work evaluated?

Entries are reviewed by experienced journalism educators and professionals using category-specific criteria. Judges assess factors such as accuracy, depth of reporting, editorial judgment, organization, clarity, and execution within the medium. Evaluation focuses on how effectively the work meets professional journalism standards in its format.

3. How is Quill and Scroll different from other writing competitions?

Unlike prompt-based or single-essay contests, Quill and Scroll evaluates newsroom work produced over time. Recognition is tied to sustained participation in student media, editorial responsibility, and published output rather than one-time submissions written specifically for a competition.

4. How do colleges view Quill and Scroll recognition?

From an admissions perspective, Quill and Scroll recognition signals validated journalism experience, particularly when awards reflect reporting, leadership, or sustained contribution to a publication. First-place wins and program-level awards carry the strongest weight, especially for students applying to colleges that value writing, media literacy, and demonstrated intellectual engagement.

Takeaways

• Quill and Scroll is a long-standing national organization that recognizes excellence in high school journalism through multiple competitions and an international honor society.
• Quill and Scroll awards are based on published work, not on prompts or open submissions, and typically require participation in a school-based journalism program with an adviser’s involvement.
• The organization runs three major competitions: the Writing, Visual, Multimedia Contest, the Yearbook Excellence Contest, and the PSJA Journalism Contest, each with its own eligibility rules, timelines, and evaluation criteria.
• First-place recognition reflects strong reporting, editorial judgment, and consistent execution within a real newsroom or publication environment.
• Working with a college admissions expert can help you position Quill and Scroll recognition strategically, connecting your journalism achievements to your academic interests and presenting them effectively in your college applications.