2025 Courage in Student Journalism Award Nomination Form

The Courage in Student Journalism Award recognizes student journalists who have demonstrated exceptional determination and support for student press freedom, despite resistance or difficult circumstances. It is presented to a student news organization, student journalist or team of journalists who challenge censorship, onerous school policies, retaliatory funding changes or other obstacles to their ability to freely report on the issues that matter to their school community.

The college award is sponsored by the Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication.

Some additional information:

Each nomination must be based on circumstances or reporting that occurred, at least in part, between June 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. (We recognize that censorship and other press freedom challenges can be ongoing, so circumstances need not be confined to that time period.)
The nominees must be students and/or student media organizations at high schools or colleges within the United States.
Anyone can nominate a worthy student, and students are encouraged to nominate their own exceptional work.
You may submit multiple nominations by submitting separate forms.
If applicable, you may also nominate the same student(s) for SPLC's Student Freedom of Information Award. Find more about that at splc.org/awards.
Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on June 30, 2025.

Learn more about the award and past winners at splc.org/awards. If you have any questions, email us at splc@splc.org.

Nominee Information

Nominee Name(s)

You can nominate an individual student or a team of students. Provide all names here if multiple nominees.

Nominee Email(s)

Please do NOT use a school email address if possible, as sometimes school servers block emails from SPLC.

Nominee Phone Number(s)

Your Information

Your Name	Your Phone Number
Your Email Please do NOT use a school email address.	Your relation to nominee(s) For example: self, adviser, administrator, parent

School & News Organization Information

School/College Name

Type of School

Student Media Name

Type of Student Media

If other student media type,
please describe:

City

State

If other territory or province,
please list:

Courage Nomination

In one sentence, what did the nominee(s) do to earn this award? (Not to exceed 25 words. Don't worry, you will expand on this more below.)

Describe the resistance, difficult circumstances or other obstacles to student press freedom the nominee(s) encountered. Please include details about the reporting or situation leading up to those obstacles. (Not to exceed 300 words.)

Describe the actions the nominee(s) took to overcome the above obstacles and what the results of those actions were. (Not to exceed 300 words.)

What lasting impact did the nominee(s) actions and/or reporting have? (Not to exceed 300 words.)

Supporting Materials

Link(s) (required, if applicable): Please provide links to any relevant reporting, editorials, etc. If the circumstances also received outside media coverage, please provide links to those.

Letter(s) of support (encouraged): You may provide up to two letters of support from others that can corroborate, provide context or otherwise support the nominees. Letters are not required, but we encourage at least one. Letters may be uploaded here or emailed by the writer to splc@splc.org by 11:59 p.m. ET June 30, 2025.

Other materials (optional): You may upload up to three other supporting documents, if applicable.

Thank you! The college award will be presented at the Fall National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C. The high school award will be presented at the National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville.