DEADLINE: SEJ's Student Op-Ed Contest — Unmuting the Student Press on Climate and Environmental Justice Issues

In honor of Student Press Freedom Day, SEJ invites high school and college students to enter SEJ's Student Op-Ed Contest: Unmuting the Student Press on Climate and Environmental Justice Issues.

To Enter:

Please write an opinion editorial (op-ed), 750 (minimum) to 1,000 (maximum) words, on the topic of self-censorship/freedom of the press in student media related to climate and environmental issues. Enter the contest.

Prizes:

First-prize winner will:

• Receive a one-year SEJ student membership or renewal for free.
• Have the op-ed published in SEJournal (in May 2022). ["EJ Academy Opinion: On the Mafia To-Do List? Take Out the Trash," May 18, 2022.]
• Take over the @SEJorg Twitter account on World Press Freedom Day, May 3
• Participate free of charge in an online workshop on Freedom of Information and environmental journalism with SEJ FOI Task Force members Tim Wheeler and Bernardo H. Motta (in May 2022).
• Full mentorship program in environmental journalism led by Dr. Bernardo H. Motta for one full year.

Runner up(s), second and third places, will:

• Receive a one-year SEJ student membership or renewal for free.
• Participate free of charge in an online workshop on Freedom of Information and environmental journalism with SEJ FOI Task Force members Tim Wheeler and Bernardo H. Motta (in May 2022).
• Full mentorship program in environmental journalism led by Dr. Bernardo H. Motta for one full year.

Contest Rules:

• Eligibility: Must be a student eligible for the SEJ student membership. STUDENT: Individuals are eligible to be a Student Member if: (1) They are pursuing a college or university degree or a high school diploma and (2) in the majority opinion of the Board of Directors or its designee(s), they will contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the Society. Student Members shall have all the rights and privileges of the Society, except that they shall not be entitled to hold office.
• Watch the Student Press Law Center's open op-ed workshop.  
• The op-ed must include climate and/or environmental justice topics and discuss self-censorship or freedom of the press issues on student media with real examples and proper attribution.
• Submissions: The full article must be original, written individually by the student named on the submission, and submitted before 11:59 p.m. ET on April 8, 2022 on the appropriate Google Form.  

Deadline: April 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Any questions about the contest must be directed to Dr. Bernardo H. Motta at bmotta@rwu.edu with the subject line "SEJ SPFD Contest."

We look forward to reading your submissions!