• It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sarah Doerner, IJEA’s longest-serving president. Sarah died Nov. 29 in Du Quoin at the age of 86. Services were held Dec. 7. See below for our tribute to this great journalism educator.
  • High school seniors! Get your portfolios ready for the 2025 Illinois Journalist of the Year Contest! Entries will be due Feb. 15.
  • The winners of the 2024 IJEA Yearbook Contest have been announced! Check out our article below for the full listing of honorees!
  • A big thank you to everyone who attended our 2024 Fall Conference, which took place Sept. 20 at Illinois State University. The sessions were amazing! Thank you to all of our presenters!
  • Advisers! Join IJEA today! Annual memberships and lifetime memberships are available. Use our online form or fillable PDF to join!
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA

IJEA James A. Tidwell Award Nomination Form

IJEA JAMES A. TIDWELL AWARD


THE AWARD: Each year, the IJEA seeks to honor a single outstanding high school media educator who has done exemplary work during this and the previous academic year. Please note that membership in IJEA is not required for this award. Qualified candidates are invited to self-nominate. The committee will consider the following in making its selection:

  • Minimum of three years’ advising experience, including this academic year.
  • Candidate’s résumé.
  • Candidate’s response to the five questions listed below ("QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES").
  • Work samples of students advised by the candidate during this and/or the previous academic year.
  • Letters of recommendation from those who know the nominee's work well.

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES: Candidates for the James A. Tidwell Award, co-sponsored by IJEA and the Eastern Illinois University Department of Journalism, must respond to each of the following five prompts in essay form. Candidates may write a single essay in which they address all of the prompts, or they may write five mini-essays. Responses to each prompt should be limited to 300 words or fewer:

  • Describe your journalism teaching/advising assignment, touching on the journalism curriculum, number of student participants, forum status of your student news medium/media and challenges facing your journalism program.
  • What recognition have you, your students and their news medium/media received in the past year?
  • What specific evidence can you provide of the positive impact your journalism students and their media have had on student culture and the school community?
  • What is your plan for getting school officials to recognize the value of the scholastic press and convincing them to support free and responsible student news media?
  • How would you use the platform of “Illinois Journalism Teacher of the Year” to address the issues of scholastic journalism?

PRESENTATION: The recipient is honored at the IHSA journalism state final. The award includes an honorarium in memory of Diana Peckham, IJEA co-founder and an IJEA past president.

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS: Past recipients and other advisers are encouraged to nominate candidates by gathering and submitting the required materials.

ANNUAL DEADLINE: This form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. March 15 of the current school year.

NOTE: Asterisks indicate fields in which a response is required.


  • SECTION 1: NOMINATOR'S INFORMATION


  • SECTION 2: NOMINEE'S INFORMATION


  • SECTION 3: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

  • Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: doc, docx, rtf, txt, pdf, Max. file size: 15 MB.

      Please upload the nominee's résumé indicating at least three years of advising experience, including the current academic year.


    • Drop files here or
      Accepted file types: doc, docx, rtf, txt, pdf, Max. file size: 15 MB.

        Please upload the essays written in response to the five questions listed above ("QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES"). Each response should be limited to 300 words or fewer. The responses may be put into a single document.


      • Drop files here or
        Accepted file types: doc, docx, rtf, txt, jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 15 MB.

          Please upload work samples of students advised by the candidate during this and/or the previous academic year.


        • Drop files here or
          Accepted file types: doc, docx, rtf, txt, pdf, Max. file size: 15 MB.

            Please upload three letters of recommendation from those who know the nominee’s work well. These can be from colleagues, students, former students or parents. If the nominator is NOT also the nominee, then one of the letters of recommendation should be from the nominator.


          • Drop files here or
            Accepted file types: jpg, png, Max. file size: 15 MB.

              Please upload a color headshot photo of your nominee. We will publish this on the IJEA website and in the IJEA newsletter if the nominee is selected.

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            IJEA James A. Tidwell Award Nomination Form