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  • 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. We will be publishing a tribute to this great journalism educator in the coming days.
  • 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

IHSA Journalism Tournament


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Two Organizations, One Statewide Journalism Tournament


 


Since the spring of 2006, students throughout Illinois have had the opportunity to compete in journalism events in a statewide tournament administered by the Illinois High School Association.

The tournament begins with sectional competitions at seven locations around the state. The top three finishers in each event at the sectional sites then go on to compete a week later in the state final.

What makes this tournament so exciting is that the students do all of their work onsite under deadline pressure. They’re on their own with no one to lean on. It’s a true test of journalistic ability.

Students generally have just 90 minutes to complete their specific tasks, and then judges assess their work. The top six finishers in each event win state medals, and the top three schools take home IHSA trophies.

It’s an invigorating experience, one that thousands of students have participated in over the last decade — and it probably wouldn’t have happened without the dedication and vision of IJEA members.

Our board worked closely with IHSA officials in the years leading up to the inaugural tournament, tending to the details while holding fast to the big-picture ideal of a statewide competition that would put journalism students from all backgrounds on an even footing, if only for two days a year.

After helping to transform that ideal into reality, IJEA members have continued to be closely involved in the planning and management of the tournament.

Our members also sit on the IHSA advisory committee that meets a week after each state final and recommends changes for future tournaments. Our board of directors maintains a close working relationship with the IHSA administrator in charge of overseeing the tournament — Susie Knoblauch for many years, and Matt Troha beginning in 2014-15.

In the process we’ve created a true partnership between IJEA and IHSA, all for the benefit of Illinois high school journalists. To learn more about the past, present and future of the IHSA journalism tournament, we invite you to visit the links below.

 


IJEA’S PARTNERSHIP WITH IHSA:

The story of how IJEA helped to create the statewide journalism tournament


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IHSA Journalism Tournament