INFORMATION

The Futures Awards are designed to recognize excellent journalism by Utah high school students. Sponsored by the Utah College Media Alliance in collaboration with the Utah Press Association, the Utah Education Network and Amplify Utah, the contest is judged by Utah’s college journalists, journalism professors and professional journalists. The Futures encourage high school students who show an interest in journalism to pursue their media interests into college. Because of our new partnerships aimed at publishing some of your students’ work more broadly, we are asking you to agree to the terms and conditions of Amplify Utah and UEN.

The award ceremony for the Futures will be held on May 16, 2024, at the University of Utah’s Student Union. More details will be sent to contest entrants, but mark your calendar for a red carpet awards night to celebrate the best of journalism and media from Utah’s high schools. Oh, and there’s a cash award for the high school that accumulates the most points throughout the contest in each classification (6A/5A/4A & 3A/2A/1A).

Rules and instructions for the Futures were sent out via email to high school advisors at each high school, but in case you missed that email, click on the “Rules" link above for a list of categories for submission and rules for the contest. The Coverage Cup is returning as is the High School Journalist of the Year for writing, photo/multimedia and video/broadcast. Entrants for High School Journalist of the Year must be seniors and must have been on staff at least two years. Details are in the Rules.

Contest entry is easy:

First - Click on the “Register” link above to register your account to make entries. Use the registration code FUTURES. You may register individual accounts or a single account for your school.

Next - Use the “Login” link above and fill out the form to make your entry. Make sure you save you upload any necessary files, put in any necessary links, and save your entry at the end of the form.

A small note about entries - Each entry must be accompanied by a $5 entry fee. You may use a credit card or make arrangements to submit payment to Utah Press Association on behalf of UCMA. We recommend that each school should pursue funding from their high school administration. If that doesn’t work or you need any assistance in paying for entry fees, please contact Josh Petersen at joshua.petersen@utah.edu to find out about applying for entry fee grants. A limited number are available.

Finally - If you have any questions, email Josh Petersen at joshua.petersen@utah.edu for help.