• Congratulations to IJEA Executive Director Linda Jones on receiving the national JEA's Lifetime Achievement Award! She will be 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.
  • 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.
  • 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
Congratulations to our 2025 Newspaper & Digital News Media Contest winners!

Congratulations to our 2025 Newspaper & Digital News Media Contest winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, IJEA Newspaper Contest Coordinator • April 20, 2025
Take a bow, Illinois high school journalists! This year our annual IJEA Newspaper & Digital News Media Contest received nearly 900 entries from almost 30 schools. In recognition of the outstanding work that Illinois high school journalists produced from March 2024 to March 2025, we are proud to announce our 2025 winners. Check inside for the results!
Congratulations to our 2024 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Congratulations to our 2024 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, IJEA Newspaper Contest Coordinator • April 28, 2024
Congratulations to all of our participating advisers and students! This year's competition received more than 1,000 entries from a total of 30 schools. The quality of entries was outstanding! Best of luck to everyone as you wrap up the school year. You make us proud to be associated with Illinois scholastic journalism!
Montage of 2023 publication winners

Congratulations to our 2023 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, IJEA Newspaper Contest Coordinator • May 14, 2023
Illinois high school journalists truly rose to the occasion during the 12 months covered by the 2023 IJEA Newspaper & Digital News Media Contest to document the post-pandemic return to in-person learning and extracurriculars throughout the state. Once again, these students made us proud to be associated with Illinois scholastic journalism!
Congratulations to our 2022 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Congratulations to our 2022 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, Illinois JEA Board Member • May 10, 2022
With a pandemic affecting nearly every aspect of their lives, Illinois high school journalists truly rose to the occasion during the 12 months covered by our 2022 competition. Overcoming one challenge after another, these students made us proud to be associated with Illinois scholastic journalism!
NewspaperWinnersMontage

Congratulations to our 2021 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, Illinois JEA Board Member • June 21, 2021
From the initial lockdown to the arrival of multiple vaccines, Illinois high school journalists saw it all during the 12 months covered by our 2021 competition. Facing one challenge after another, IJEA student journalists and their advisers truly rose to the occasion! Check inside for links to the winning entries.
Congratulations to our 2020 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Congratulations to our 2020 Newspaper & Digital News winners!

Dave Porreca, CJE, Illinois JEA Board Member • May 14, 2020
Whether it was dealing with a Chicago teachers strike in the fall or a statewide closure of schools in the spring, Illinois high school journalists have overcome one challenge after another this year. Check out the best of their work as we announce the winners of our 2020 Newspaper & Digital News Contest!
The 2017 IJEA Yearbook Contest General Excellence Winners (top to bottom; left to right): West Prairie High School (Division 1), Taylorville High School (Division 4), Meridian High School (Division 2), McHenry High School (Division 5), Glenbrook South High School (Division 6), Richmond-Burton High School (Division 3)

Congratulations, 2017 IJEA Yearbook Contest winners!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and At-Large Board Member • January 10, 2018
Whether it was copy writing, sports coverage, photography, graphics, layout and design, divider pages, theme development or overall coverage of the 2016-17 school year, Illinois high school journalists shined in IJEA's 2017 Yearbook Contest. Check out the complete results inside.
Adviser Steve Steele, left, and his Taylorville journalism students display their IHSA sectional team championship plaque after tying Urbana University High for first place at the Normal Illinois State University sectional in 2015. Students will compete at seven other sectional locations for the chance to qualify for the IHSA state final at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for 2016.

Start preparing for IHSA Journalism Sectionals

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • April 20, 2017

Illinois student journalists with striking skills in photography, strong creativity in yearbook theme development, and solid sports writing chops will travel to seven different sectional sites on April...

Abigail "Abbe" Murphy was named the 2017 Illinois Journalist of the Year by IJEA. Runner-up was Marissa Martinez of University of Chicago Laboratory High School.

Meet our 2017 Illinois Journalist of the Year: Downers Grove North’s Abigail “Abbe” Murphy

By Amanda Bright, MJE, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • March 4, 2017
The editor-in-chief of the awarding-winning Omega newspaper of Downers Grove North High School is our choice for top high school journalist in Illinois. Check inside for more about Abbe and runner-up, Marissa Martinez!
IJEA Blog: Entries are open for the 2017 IWPA Communications Contest

IJEA Blog: Entries are open for the 2017 IWPA Communications Contest

Cora Weisenberger, IWPA High School Contest Chair • January 27, 2017
The IWPA High School Communications Contest showcases the excellent work of Illinois students, with the winners in each category automatically advancing to the national competition. The deadline for entries is Feb. 21.
The five division winners of the 2016 IJEA Yearbook Contest include, top to bottom, left to right, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Glenbrook South High School, and Richmond-Burton Community High School, Brown County High School and Calhoun High School. Congratulations!

Congratulations, 2016 IJEA Yearbook Contest winners!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • January 5, 2017
Whether it was copy writing, sports coverage, photography, graphics, layout and design, divider pages, theme development or overall coverage of the 2015-16 school year, Illinois high school journalists shined in IJEA's 2016 Yearbook Contest. Check out the complete results inside.
'Empower your students' for great scholastic journalism at 2016 IJEA Fall Conference

‘Empower your students’ for great scholastic journalism at 2016 IJEA Fall Conference

August 15, 2016

URBANA — Now that the Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act is the law of the land in Illinois, there is no better opportunity to "Empower Your Students" than at the IJEA Fall Conference. The...

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