Kansas Student Journalist of the Year

Scholarship Sponsored by Kansas Scholastic Press Association

Overview The Susan Massy Award is presented each year to the Kansas Student Journalist of the Year — the highest individual honor for a high school journalist in Kansas. The award commemorates Susan Massy, who taught in Kansas for 44 years (42 of those at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School) and advised yearbook, newspaper and online student media. As a long-serving, non-voting member of the KSPA board, Massy forged a strong connection between KSPA and the Journalism Education Association (JEA), helping many state winners advance at the national level. Eligibility and Prizes - Who may enter: Kansas high school seniors who meet the academic requirement (minimum overall GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale). - Classifications: Winners are selected in three school-size groupings — 1A/2A, 3A/4A and 5A/6A. - State awards: Each classification winner receives $750. One of those three is chosen as the single overall Kansas Student Journalist of the Year and receives an additional $500 (totaling $1,250). Only one overall winner is named annually. - National advancement and scholarships: The state-winning portfolio is forwarded to the national JEA competition. State winners are acknowledged at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention; national winners are announced during the convention awards. National scholarship awards are $4,000 for the top national winner and $1,200 for each of the five national finalists. Application — required materials and format All applicants must complete the online application form and upload supporting documents. Note: the form does not have a “save and return” option — plan to finish it in one session. Uploading files and images may take a short time (allow up to 30 seconds for each file to complete). Required items: - Online portfolio URL: A link to a web-hosted portfolio (examples: Weebly, Wix, WordPress, or any site). Printed portfolios or mailed materials are not accepted; submit a live URL. - Action shot: A photograph of you working in a journalistic context (e.g., on assignment, at publication night). - High school transcript: Official transcript or a counselor’s statement listing journalism coursework, grades and current GPA. Upload as a PDF. (Applicant must be a senior with at least a 3.0 GPA.) - Letters of recommendation: Three letters from people familiar with your journalism work. Each letter must be two pages or fewer; upload as PDFs. - Resume: Submit as a PDF. - Personal narrative essay: Discuss your scholastic media experience, how it shaped your present work and future goals, and describe challenges you faced and how you addressed them. The essay should display a strong, distinct voice. There is no strict word limit, but typical national winners’ essays are about 1,250–1,300 words. Tips for completing the form - Gather your PDF files (resume, transcript, three recommendation letters, personal narrative) before beginning. - Have your portfolio URL ready to paste when prompted. - Expect to complete everything in one sitting since there is no option to save and return. Portfolio construction and content The online portfolio is the primary way judges evaluate your work. Organize it so it demonstrates growth, range and the applicant’s personality. You may build the portfolio on any web platform. Expectations and format: - Organization: Arrange samples to show development over time and include a clear structure and navigation. The entry will be judged on organization and documentation as well as the narrative you submit. (The personal narrative essay itself does not have to be embedded in the portfolio.) - Design/voice: Let your individuality show through the portfolio’s concept and layout. - Media limits: Video/broadcast samples should not exceed 15 minutes. - Categories: Work examples should be grouped into appropriate categories. Recommended categories are: - Reporting and Writing - Editing, Leadership and Team Building - Web and Social Media - Design - Broadcast Journalism - Photojournalism - Law, Ethics and News Literacy - Marketing and Audience Engagement - Commitment to Diversity - Breadth: You do not have to include samples in every category, but entries that show versatility are favored. Labeling each work example For every piece you include, provide the following information (kept concise — under 100 words for the explanation): - Content category (from the list above) - Evidence of publication or use (if published, where/when it ran) - Any awards the item earned - A short explanation of the piece and its assignment, including any obstacles, special circumstances or why you chose it Judging and advancement - The Kansas committee evaluates entries using a rubric based on the JEA national contest criteria. Consult the KSPA/JEA rubric (available from KSPA) while preparing your entry. - State classification winners’ portfolios are forwarded to the national JEA competition. State winners are recognized at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention; national winners are announced at the convention awards ceremonies. Final notes - Printed portfolios are no longer accepted — submit a functioning web address only. - Keep all uploads as PDFs where requested and be patient during file uploads. - Review the KSPA judging rubric (available via KSPA resources) to ensure your portfolio meets the evaluation standards used for the JEA Journalist of the Year contest. If you’d like, I can help you outline your portfolio, draft the personal narrative, or create the concise explanations for each work sample.