National High School Journalism Convention
Inspiring student journalists and celebrating scholastic journalism —
each fall and spring, at the nation’s largest gatherings of high school journalists, teachers and advisers.
Presented by Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association
Attendance: 6,000+ fall and 3,000+ spring, pre-pandemic
Duration: Thursday to Saturday/Sunday, both fall and spring
Varying locations: Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Orlando and more
Sites: Convention hotels and nearby convention centers
Training: Hundreds of educational sessions led by educators and journalists
Awards: Top national honors for the past year for staffs, students and advisers
Competitions: Pre-submitted entries, on-site contests, quiz bowl, best of show
In depth: Eight pre-convention workshops, with three hours of instruction
Critiques: Face-to-face feedback with common-sense advice
Networking: Newsmakers, featured speakers and collegiate recruiters
Experienced advisers and administrators provide brief videos on how they make the most of our journalism conventions — and how powerful they are for successful programs.
It’s no small feat for an adviser to organize a convention trip. Get a jump start by looking through sample documents and forms. Then adapt them for your program.
Learn more about how the convention works, from registration to accommodations to sessions, including the sponsoring organizations, their support for student journalism.
It takes a large team of volunteers to make national convention strong. Speak on a topic or experience so others can benefit. Judge an on-site contest. Critique and collaborate with another staff on how they can improve their publication.
UPCOMING CONVENTIONS
Nov. 13-16, 2025
Nashville > fall site
Gaylord Opryland
April 16-18, 2025
Minneapolis > spring site
Minneapolis Convention Center
Fall 2026 • Orlando (Nov. 19-22)
Spring 2027 • Los Angeles (April 15-17)
Fall 2027 • Boston (Nov. 18-21)
Spring 2028 • San Francisco (April 6-8)
Fall 2028 • Washington, D.C. (Nov. 16-19)
Spring 2029 • TBD
Fall 2029 • Nashville (Nov. 8-11)
Spring 2030 • TBD
Fall 2030 • Orlando (Nov. 21-24)
PAST CONVENTIONS
Spring 2025 • Seattle
Fall 2024 • Philadelphia
Spring 2024 • Kansas City
Fall 2023 • Boston > program
Spring 2023 • San Francisco > program
Fall 2022 • St. Louis > program
Spring 2022 • Los Angeles
Fall 2021 • spring 2021 • virtual
Fall 2020 • spring 2020 • virtual
Fall 2019 • Washington, D.C.
Spring 2019 • Anaheim, California
Fall 2018 • Chicago
Spring 2018 • San Francisco
