Video: Here’s what’s so great about the IJEA All-State Journalism Team. Now go for it!

Since the spring of 2005, the Illinois Journalism Education Association has named an All-State Journalism Team, recognizing those students who have proven themselves indispensable to their respective school media (e.g., yearbook, print or online newspaper, print or online magazine, broadcast or other journalistic medium).

IJEA established the All-State Journalism Team as a way to recognize those students who are “most valuable players” — those students whose leadership, energy, dedication and expertise make their publications possible but whose main contributions often occur behind the scenes.

In this video Michael Geheren, a member of the IJEA All-State Journalism Team in 2012 and 2013, talks about why students should enter the competition and why advisers should nominate their MVPs.

All Illinois student journalists in grades 9-12 are eligible to be nominated by their advisers, who must be IJEA members. Nominations may not exceed two students per school.

The team is honored each year in Springfield at a luncheon hosted by the Illinois Press Foundation. Each member of the All-State Journalism Team receives a plaque. All members, their parents and advisers are invited to the event.

To learn more about the All-State Journalism Team, including how to apply and the team “rosters” since 2005, click here.