Calendar for 2016-17
AUGUST 2016
Sunday, Aug. 21
• Illinois Journalism Education Association (IJEA) Executive Board meeting, IHSA headquarters, Bloomington
SEPTEMBER 2016
Friday, Sept. 9
• Early registration ends for IJEA Fall Conference
Friday, Sept. 16
• IJEA Fall Conference, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• IJEA Board of Directors meeting, Illini Union
• Constitution Day
Monday, Sept. 19, to Friday, Sept. 23
• Qualifying Exam for National Journalism Quiz Bowl
OCTOBER 2016
Sunday, Oct. 2, to Saturday, Oct. 8
• National Yearbook Week
Tuesday, Oct. 11
• Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Circle entries for summer/fall yearbooks and digital-only media must be postmarked
Thursday, Oct. 13
• Journalism Education Association (JEA) Broadcast Adviser of the Year nominations due
• JEA Yearbook Adviser of the Year nominations due
• Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA) Fall Yearbook Critique submissions due
Friday, Oct. 14
• KEMPA Fall Conference, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Monday, Oct. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 23
• Free Speech Week
Wednesday, Oct. 19
• Early-bird registration ends for JEA/National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Fall Convention in Indianapolis.
• Registration and online submissions for Indianapolis Fall Convention JEA Write-offs must be completed by 6 p.m. CST
NOVEMBER 2016
Sunday, Nov. 1
• Quill and Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest entries must be postmarked
Monday, Nov. 7
• CSPA Fall Conference, Columbia University, New York City
Thursday, Nov. 10, to Sunday, Nov. 13
• JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, Indianapolis
Friday, Nov. 11
• Southern Illinois School Press Association (SISPA) Golden Dozen Yearbook entries must be postmarked
Sunday, Nov. 13, to Saturday, Nov. 19
• American Education Week
Friday, Nov. 18
• IJEA Yearbook Contest entries must be postmarked
DECEMBER 2016
Tuesday, Dec. 13
• JEA Diversity nominations due
• JEA First Amendment Press Freedom nominations due
• JEA Rising Star nominations due
• JEA Teacher Inspiration nominations due
Thursday, Dec. 15
• Bill of Rights Day
JANUARY 2017
Friday, Jan. 13
• Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association (NISPA) Yearbook Contest entries due
• NSPA Magazine Pacemaker entries due
• NSPA Online Pacemaker entries due
• NSPA Yearbook Pacemaker entries due
• SISPA Best Story entries must be postmarked
• SISPA Blue Banner Newspaper entries must be postmarked
• SISPA Yearbook Contest entries must be postmarked
Sunday, Jan. 29
• NISPA Newspaper Contest entries due
• NISPA Online Media Contest entries due
FEBRUARY 2017
Monday, Feb. 1
• Illinois High School Association (IHSA) journalism tournament registration deadline for schools
Friday, Feb. 3
• SISPA Advisers of the Year (newspaper and yearbook) nominations must be postmarked
• Quill and Scroll International Writing, Photo, Blog Contest entries must be postmarked
NOTE: The Quill and Scroll date has not yet been confirmed; it is based on last year’s deadline date.
Wednesday, Feb. 15
• IJEA Illinois Journalist of the Year entries due
Sunday, Feb. 19, to Saturday, Feb. 25
• Scholastic Journalism Week
Tuesday, Feb. 21
• Illinois Woman’s Press Association (IWPA) High School Communications Contest entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
• SISPA Winter Conference, Student Center, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)/JEA High School Essay Contest entries must be postmarked or uploaded
Friday, Feb. 24
• Illinois Press Foundation (IPF) High School Mini-Grants Program requests due
Saturday, Feb. 25
• IJEA Board of Directors meeting, 10 a.m., home of IJEA co-secretary Dan Kerns, Peoria
NOTE: This date has not yet been confirmed; it is based on last year’s meeting date.
Sunday, Feb. 26
• NSPA Journalism Honor Roll entries due
• NSPA Wikoff Scholarship for Editorial Leadership entries due
MARCH 2017
Wednesday, March 1
• IJEA Administrator of the Year nominations must be postmarked or emailed
• IJEA Hall of Fame nominations must be postmarked or emailed
• IJEA James A. Tidwell Award for Excellence in Scholastic Media Education nominations must be postmarked or emailed
• IJEA Lifetime Achievement Award nominations must be postmarked or emailed
Friday, March 3, to Saturday, March 4
• KEMPA Winter Advisers’ Seminar, Lake Lawn Resort, Delavan, Wis.
Tuesday, March 7
• Scholastic Press Association of Chicago (SPAC) Journalism Conference and McCormick Foundation H.S. Media Awards, Roosevelt University and Chicago Cultural Center
Wednesday, March 15
• IJEA All-State Journalism Team original deadline for nominations; extended to Friday, March 31
• JEA Aspiring Young Journalist nominations due
• JEA Student Journalist Impact nominations due
Wednesday, March 15, to Friday, March 17
• CSPA Spring Convention, Columbia University, New York City
Friday, March 17
• Northern Illinois Newspaper Association (NINA) High School Journalism Scholarship applications must be postmarked
Tuesday, March 21
• IJEA Newspaper and Digital New Media Contest entries due
Monday, March 27
• IHSA journalism tournament deadline for each registered school to complete its online list of participants
Friday, March 31
• IJEA All-State Journalism Team extended deadline for nominations
APRIL 2017
Thursday, April 6, to Sunday, April 9
• JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, Seattle
Friday, April 14
• Quill and Scroll Lester G. Benz Memorial Scholarship for College Journalism Study applications must be postmarked
Friday, April 21
• NISPA Spring Conference, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn
Saturday, April 22
• IHSA journalism tournament sectionals, seven locations to be announced
Friday, April 28
• IHSA journalism tournament state final and presentation of James A. Tidwell Award, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
MAY 2017
Monday, May 1
• IJEA Friend of Scholastic Journalism Award nominations due
Thursday, May 4
• IHSA Journalism Advisory Committee meeting, IHSA offices, Bloomington
Wednesday, May 10
• Quill and Scroll Foundation Scholarships in Journalism applications must be postmarked
Friday, May 12 (tentative)
• Illinois Press Foundation (IPF)/Eastern Illinois University (EIU) High School Journalism Workshop applications due
NOTE: This date is not yet confirmed; it is based on last year’s deadline date.
JUNE 2017
Saturday, June 3
• IJEA All-State/IJOY Awards Luncheon, Springfield (details to come)
• IJEA Board of Directors meeting, Springfield (details to come)
Sunday, June 4, to Friday, June 16
• IPF/EIU High School Journalism Workshop, Eastern Illinois University
NOTE: These dates are not yet confirmed; they are based on last year’s workshop dates.
Thursday, June 8
• NSPA/Student Press Law Center (SPLC)/Center for Scholastic Journalism (CSJ) Courage in Student Journalism entries due
Saturday, June 10 (tentative)
• CSPA Gold Circle entries must be postmarked for print news, print-online hybrid, all magazines and spring yearbooks
• CSPA memberships due for publications wanting Crown Award consideration
• NSPA Broadcast Story of the Year entries due
• NSPA Cartooning Award entries due
• NSPA Design of the Year entries due
• NSPA Multimedia Story of the Year entries due
• NSPA Newspaper Pacemaker entries due
• NSPA Picture of the Year entries due
• NSPA Story of the Year entries due
NOTE: These dates have not yet been confirmed; they are based on last year’s deadline dates.
Monday, June 12
• IHSA Board of Directors meeting, Bloomington, consideration of changes proposed by Journalism Advisory Committee
Thursday, June 15
• KEMPA Administrator of the Year nominations due
• KEMPA Advisers of the Year (newspaper and yearbook) nominations due
• KEMPA Friend of KEMPA nominations due
• KEMPA Literary Magazine Critique submissions due
• KEMPA Media Award nominations due
• KEMPA News Magazine Critique submissions due
• KEMPA Newspaper Critique submissions due
• Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation and Gallup Award entries due
Saturday, June 17 (tentative)
• NSPA Broadcast Pacemaker entries due
NOTE: This date has not yet been confirmed; it is based on last year’s deadline date.
No specific deadline date given
• NSPA Pioneer Award nominations
JULY 2017
Saturday, July 1, 2016
• KEMPA Spring Yearbook Critique submissions due
Monday, July 10, to Thursday, July 13 (tentative)
• JEA Advisers Institute, Las Vegas
NOTE: These dates have not yet been confirmed; they are based on last year’s institute dates.
Saturday, July 15
• JEA Administrator of the Year nominations due
• JEA Carl Towley Award nominations due
• JEA Friend of Scholastic Journalism nominations due
• JEA Future Teacher Scholarships nominations due
• JEA Lifetime Achievement Award nominations due
• JEA Medal of Merit nominations due
July deadline but no specific date available yet
• Dow Jones News Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year entries due