Frequently Asked Questions

Membership | Annual Mail-In Contest

Q: What is the cost of membership?
A: For a single year it is $30. If you sign up for two years, you pay $45. You may also renew your JEA membership through us, using a single form and single payment. Click on the Membership Form link on our home page.

Q: What do my students and I get for joining?
A: The JEANC board is committed to providing value to students and advisers. Members can enjoy the following: contests, conventions, and a scholarship opportunity. The mail-in contest, introduced in 2006, will offer students from newspaper and yearbook staffs to see how they compete with other publications across northern California. To compete, the adviser must be a current JEANC member. The state convention is returning to Sacramento in October, and we hope to bring it back every two years. Students whose adviser is a JEANC member will pay less to attend. Finally, the Arnetta Garcin Scholarship, which pays $500 to the Northern California Journalist of the Year, determines the California representative to the national contest. Twice in the past five years, the California winner has been a finalist in the national contest and earned another $2000 as a result. Students who submit a portfolio for this competition must have an adviser who is a JEANC member.

This Web site, which is available to everyone, including non-members, has recently been redesigned. We hope it will provide a clear and efficient way for us to communicate.

Q: What else does JEANC offer?
A: Any journalism organization is a valuable support network. Typically, the publication adviser at a school is alone. At the most, there might be two such teachers at one school: the newspaper and yearbook adviser. When you make connections with others across the state, you have people who can offer valuable suggestions and help you through tough times. Feel free to e-mail anyone on the board, many of whom have a great deal of experience along with a few awards.

Long-range, the board is looking at more ways to help advisers. As our ideas take clearer shape, we will let you know on this Web site.

Annual Mail-in Contest

Q: When will winners be notified?
A: Winners will be notified in December and work will be showcased on the JEANC website with all contest results. A gallery of 2006 winning work will be on display at the Northern California convention in Sacramento in October 2007.

Q: Will we get our entries sent back to us?
A: No. In order to lower costs and simplify the contest process, entries will not be returned.

Q: Can we submit PDF files or JPEGS instead of printed yearbook or newspaper pages?
A: No. In order to maintain consistent entry format equitable to all schools, you must submit only printed pages for each category. For yearbook entries, mount or tape together pages so each entry appears as a double-page spread.

Q: How will our entries be judged?
A: All complete entries received by the deadline will be judged together per category, regardless of the size of their school, publication or student staff.

Q: Who are the judges for this contest?
A: A variety of nationally award-winning advisers and professional journalists from outside California have been selected to rank entries for each category.

Q: Which publications are eligible to enter?
A: Your current adviser membership entitles you to enter both yearbook and newspaper divisions. For example, in this year’s contest, any 2006 yearbook and any newspaper issues from the 2005-2006 school year are eligible. You may submit up to two entries per category as long as they are not from the same student.

Q: Where can I learn more about JEANC and the benefits of membership?
A: Visit our website at www.jeanc.org today!

Additional questions? E-mail snichols@rocklin.k12.ca.us or call 916.632.6500 x6624.

Journalism Education Association —Northern California

Officers:

President
Sarah Nichols

Past President
Don Bott

Treasurer
Randy Hamm

State Regional Director
Lynn McDaniel