The Official Site of the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association

MIJA

The Official Site of the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association

MIJA

The Official Site of the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association

MIJA

Individual Contests

We wanted to share with you the lists of contests for 2024 JDay so that you can be best prepared to enter the various categories.

A complete document with instructions, rubrics and how to enter is now available here. Please contact the MIJA office at [email protected], if you have any questions. 

MIJA board members are made up of volunteers who are advisers and educators just like you. Please contact us with any concerns or suggestions on how we can improve the contest process.

Thank you, and good luck! 

Donald Johnson, Jamie Muñoz and Michelle Kennedy, J-Day Contest Coordinators

 

HOW TO ENTER: Use these 2024 Instructions to MIJA Schools/Teachers/Students document to enter the 2023 contest! 

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT, ADULT AND BUSINESS RECOGNITIONS

(Must be received by midnight of the listed due date.)

All overall contest categories are divided by four school enrollment sizes, so all publications compete with schools of similar size. Enrollment size classifications are included on instructions for the contest.

  • Broadcast – overall show – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • Announcements Only – student anchors read announcements.
    • Announcements/Video – student anchors read announcements mixed with video coverage.
    • Newsmagazine – student anchors introduce video coverage; no announcements are read.
  • Online – overall website – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • Each paid membership publication may enter one overall news website for critique.
  • Radio/Podcast – overall -due Feb. 10, 2024
    • A talk show program (radio/podcast) that is no more than 10 minutes in length.
  • Newspaper/Newsmagazine – overall – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • You will submit one set of TWO different issues of your newspaper/newsmagazine for evaluation.
      • One issue must be an early issue (September or October), and the other two issues may be any you wish.
      • Newspapers will be judged independently of newsmagazines.
  • Yearbook – overall – 
    • Overall Yearbooks are critiqued after they are published.
      • 2023-2024 were due June-Sept. 2023
      • 2024-2025 will be due June-Sept. 2024. Details will be announced in May 2024.

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT RECOGNITIONS

  • Broadcast Individual Entry Categories – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • All submitted pieces must have been aired via web, in-school system, etc., between August 1, 2023 and the contest deadline.
    • Each paid publication may enter up to eight videos in any combination of the categories.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • News Story – current or breaking news events or topics, maximum length 2 minutes
      • News Feature – feature package tied to a current news topic, maximum length 3 minutes
      • Human Interest Feature – feature package about an individual or topic of interest to viewers, maximum length 3 minutes
      • Mini-Documentary – program focused on a single topic, maximum length of 10 minutes
      • Sports News Story – current sports news or game package, not a highlight reel, maximum length of 2 minutes.
      • Sports Feature Story – feature package covering an athlete or sports program or sports-related topic, maximum length of 3 minutes.
      • Commercial/PSA – commercial for an actual sponsor or a public service announcement on any topic, maximum length of 30 seconds of original material.
      • Live Sports Broadcast – Team continuous coverage of a live broadcast or livestreamed sporting event, maximum length of 5 minutes. Focus is on the concert of the team’s camera work, audio, graphics  and talent. 
      • Lives Sports Broadcast — Talent continuous coverage of a live broadcast or livestreamed sporting event, maximum length of 5 minutes. Focus is on the talent and the storytelling.
  • Print/Online Writing –  Individual Entry Categories – due Feb. 10, 2024 (total of up to eight entries in any
    combination of categories)

    • All submitted pieces must have been published to the entire school via web or print publication between August 2023 and the contest deadline. Online submissions must be part of a regularly occurring online publication, and not just loaded to a random site, for the purpose of entering state contest.
    • Each paid publication may enter up to eight online pieces in any combination of the categories.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • Breaking News
      • News Writing
      • Feature
      • In Depth Feature
      • Editorial/Op-Ed
      • Review
      • Sports Reporting
  • Print Design–Individualsdue Feb. 10, 2024 (total of up to four in any combination of categories)
    • All submitted pieces must have been published to the entire school via print publication between August 2023 and the contest deadline. 
    • Each paid publication may enter up to four pieces in any combination of the categories.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • Page Design–Cover
      • Page Design–Centerspread/Double Truck
      • Page Design–Inside Page
  • Social Media Reporting – Enter by submitting a social media outlet, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Judge will choose a time block of up to a week in the judging period, Feb. 12 to March 12, to look at the media feed for content.
  • Radio/Podcast Individual Categories – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • All submitted pieces must have been aired between August 1, 2023 and the contest deadline.
    • Each paid membership publication may enter up to eight total radio broadcasts or podcasts in any combination of the categories.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • Newscast/News Feature– A newscast or news feature that is no more than 10 minutes in length.
      • Radio News Package– Current events program that is no more than 10 minutes in length. Content should include current events, political events, sporting events and/or highlighting a local event affecting the community.
      • Sportscast/Sports Feature– A sportscast or feature that is no more than 10 minutes in length.
      • Public Service Announcement – An announcement of general public interest not more than 60 seconds in length. Must be written, produced and aired on your station.
      • Promotional Announcement– A single spot promoting school, station, programs or community events that is no more than three minutes in length.
      • Sports Play-by-Play– Play-by-play of a sports event that is no more than 10 minutes in length.
      • Talk Show– A talk show program (radio/podcast) that is no more than 10 minutes in length featuring issues of social importance, how-to programming or sports talk. (limit: one entry in this category).
  • Yearbook Individual Categories – due Feb. 10, 2024
    • All submitted pieces must have been published or plan to be published in the current 2023-2024 yearbook and they must have been produced between August 1, 2023 and the contest deadline.
    • Each school may enter up to eight yearbook entries in any combination of the following categories.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • Overall theme/concept: Please choose four of the following to submit in a single PDF: cover, endsheet(s), title page, opening and/or closing spread, divider spread or graphic treatment(s) that help to explain theme or concept of the yearbook. Theme copy is expected to be on these pages.
      • Packages/Yearbook writing – Limit of eight per school in any combination:
        • Traditional Package is defined as design, writing, mods, photography, illustrations in one completed spread on one topic.  Traditional packages must be classified as one of the following sub-categories:
          • Academic package
          • Sports package
          • Student Life package
          • Club/Organizations Package
          • Portrait/People package (should include mods as well a portraits)
        • Non-Traditional Package is defined as design, writing, mods, photography, illustrations in one completed spread on more than one topic as in chronological or umbrella coverage.
        • Yearbook Design is defined as the arrangement of photos, illustrations, type and text in a way that compels the reader to read.
        • Yearbook Specialty Design is defined as the arrangement of photos, illustrations, type and text in a specialty spread, such as an interrupter, trends page, divider, etc.
        • Yearbook Writing is defined as writing that exemplifies excellence but cannot be entered in the package category because it is not yet on a spread or the spread is incomplete.
        • Yearbook Modsis defined as a smaller amount of text with accompanying photos or illustrations that support a page’s main story. It is often considered the yearbook equivalent of a sidebar.
  • Graphics Individual Categories – due Feb. 10, 2024 (total of up to eight entries in any combination of categories for each program, but due to overwhelming numbers of entries, only TWO Action Sports.)
    • All submitted pieces must have been published or plan to be published in a publication, such as newspaper/newsmagazine, yearbook or online, between August 2023 and the contest deadline.
    • Each paid membership publication may enter no more than eight entries in any combination of the categories, except only TWO for Action Sports.
    • Non-members must pay a fee of $5 per entry and may only submit one entry per category:
      • News Photo – Photograph of a school, community or national news event.
      • Academic Photo – Taken in class or covering activity of the curriculum.
      • Student Life/Organization Photo (not sports) – Taken of the activity of a club or other organized group. Photo that covers activities that do not occur during the traditional academic day (i.e., club activities, school play, dances, homecoming, outside of school, off campus, trends, etc.).
      • Sports – Active photo of an athletic competition that captures motion, emotion and the competitive spirit of the athlete. (Only TWO entries allowed per program.)
      • Sports Feature/Reaction Photo – Photograph of emotional response to athletic competition by fans, athletes, coaches or other people involved.
      • PortraitPhotograph, either posed or candid, showcasing the personality or newsworthy aspect of a person or group of people.
      • Photo Illustration – Digital or darkroom manipulation of an image or a group of images to illustrate a concept.
      • Artwork/Illustration Original artwork or original computer artwork used to establish a theme or mood with the intent to enhance any news/feature/sports article.
      • Editorial Cartoon – Student-produced illustration containing a political or social message that usually relates to current events or personalities.
      • Infographic – A visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data; may include a photo illustration the relays information.

JDAY ON SITE CONTESTS

Each adviser may also sign up one student or team (depending on the contest) for one of the on site contests. The categories are below:

QUESTIONS:

Please contact the MIJA office at [email protected] with any questions.