• Journalism educators! Join IJEA today! Annual memberships for 2025-26 and lifetime memberships are available. Use our online form or fillable PDF to join!
  • Yearbook advisers! We are now accepting entries for the 2025 IJEA Yearbook Contest! The postmark deadline is Oct. 15, 2025, for books that cover 2024-25 school year.
  • Congratulations to IJEA member schools Huntley H.S. and Prospect H.S. on co-winning the IHSA journalism state title! The schools tied for 1st place at the IHSA finals April 25 in Normal.
  • Congratulations to IJEA Executive Director Linda Jones on receiving the national JEA's Lifetime Achievement Award! She was honored at the 2025 Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle.
  • Congratulations to IJEA member Leslie Fireman, journalism adviser at West Chicago High School, on winning the national JEA's Rising Star Award! She was honored at the 2024 Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.
  • Congratulations to IJEA Hall of Fame member Stan Zoller, MJE, on being the inaugural winner of the National JEA's Candace and John Bowen Adviser First Amendment Leadership Award! He was honored at the 2024 Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.
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 Hall of Fame Nomination Form

IJEA HALL OF FAME AWARD


THE AWARD: The IJEA seeks to honor individual scholastic media educators who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to the success and progress of IJEA and scholastic media education. Hall of Fame inductees must meet some or all of the following criteria:

Service to IJEA and to the education of student journalists in Illinois. This service may include:

  • Having significant numbers of students enrolled in his/her journalism or media program.
  • Being involved in IJEA and/or a regional press association as an active member, speaker, author, judge.
  • Coming to the aid of Illinois advisers or programs faced with prior review and/or censorship.
  • Mentoring new advisers, either formally through the IJEA-JEA Mentoring Program or informally over a sustained period of time as documented by the nominator’s letter.
  • Being involved in IHSA journalism sectional or state contests.
  • Writing journalism-related articles or books for statewide circulation.
  • Being recommended by one or more of the following in addition to a current IJEA Hall of Fame member: school administrator, other school personnel, media professional, former student currently active in media or journalism education.
  • Having a minimum of 10 years’ experience as a journalism educator/student media adviser.

Contributions to the field of student journalism. These contributions may include:

  • Speaking at conferences or teaching at journalism workshops — local, regional, state, national.
  • Judging scholastic media contests for other states or national groups.
  • Writing journalism-related articles or books for national circulation, including sharing original lesson plans via schooljournalism.org or other websites.

Outstanding personal achievements related to student journalism. These achievements may include:

  • Becoming an elected or volunteer leader of a regional, state or national scholastic journalism group other than IJEA.
  • Achieving JEA recognition as a Certified Journalism Educator or Master Journalism Educator.
  • Receiving awards from other scholastic media organizations.

PRESENTATION: Our Hall of Fame induction ceremonies generally take place at the Advisers Breakfast at the IHSA journalism state finals in the spring. The award is not necessarily given each year.

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS: Past recipients of this award are encouraged to submit nominations. Others who are aware of qualified candidates are invited to submit nominations.

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

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

    Please upload a one- to two-page letter of nomination in which you state your reasons for nominating this individual for the IJEA Hall of Fame and provide examples of why this candidate should be inducted. See criteria listed at the top of this form.


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

    Please upload a copy of your nominee's résumé.


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

      Please upload a minimum of one and a maximum of three letters of support for your nominee. Each letter should be limited to a single page. These letters may come from other IJEA Hall of Fame members, colleagues, students or former students, parents or others familiar with your nominee's work in the field of scholastic journalism.

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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    IJEA Hall of Fame Nomination Form