The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) offers more than 17 teaching competitions sponsored by divisions, interest groups, commissions, and leadership committees (DIGs). Whether you're a seasoned faculty member who has a lifetime of teaching, a new lecturer who has an innovative class assignment, or a scholar who specializes in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), AEJMC offers you the opportunity to share your work at the AEJMC Annual Conference. Scroll down to learn about these amazing teaching competitions!
Are you an AEJMC DIG that would like to include a teaching competition in this listing? Contact Amanda J. Weed, Standing Committee on Teaching, at aweed2@kennesaw.edu.
Best Practices in Teaching Competition
Submission Deadline: February 15, 2025
This competition honors innovative teaching ideas from JMC colleagues. Each year, the AEJMC Teaching Committee selects winners in a themed competition highlighting different areas across the journalism and mass communication curriculum. Winning entries are published in an e-booklet.
Key Submission Requirements
- Title
- 100-word abstract
- Explanation of the teaching practice or activity
- Rationale
- Explain how the assignment aligns with at least one of ACEJMC’s Professional Values and Competencies.
For more information, visit https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/jJHlItCPMvOLq
Questions? Contact Gabriel Tate, SCT Vice Chair, at gbtait@bsu.edu.
Advertising Teaching and Pedagogy Papers and Extended Abstracts
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2025
Papers or extended abstracts should focus on research relevant to advertising education, such as teaching methods, course case studies, use of technology, learning assessment, or curriculum revisions. Commentary on teaching philosophy is not acceptable for submission.
Key Submission Requirements
All submissions will go through the AllAcademic portal.
- Papers submitted to this competition must be double-spaced and use 12 point Times New Roman or equivalent font. Submissions should follow APA or any other reference style. The maximum length for any paper is 30 pages including tables, figures, and references. Any paper longer than 30 pages (not including a title page and/or abstract) will be disqualified and not assigned for review.
- The Ad Division also accepts Extended Abstracts (750-1500 words) following the Extended Abstract Call Guidelines for AEJMC. Submissions with any residual identifying information will not be considered for review and will automatically be disqualified from the competition.
For more information, visit https://community.aejmc.org/advertisingdivision/events/conference
Questions? Contact Juliana Fernandes, ADVD Teaching and Pedagogy Chair, at juliana@jou.ufl.edu.
Jinx Coleman Broussard Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Media History
Submission Deadline: March 15, 2025
The Broussard Award honors innovative, original, tested, and transformative teaching of media and/or journalism history.
Key Submission Requirements
- A three-page, abbreviated CV.
- A written description of the teaching idea that responds to judging criteria.
- Supplementary teaching materials that will aid instructors in implementing the idea.
For more information, visit https://mediahistorydivision.com/award-call-jinx-coleman-broussard-award-for-excellence-in-the-teaching-of-media-history/
Questions? Contact Bailey Dick at bdick@bgsu.edu.
Innovations in Teaching Competition
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
Share a successful teaching tip, an innovative idea for presenting a topic or an exercise that has just really *worked* in your classroom. Submissions should have a connection to narrative nonfiction, special interest publications, content management, digital publications, the freelance economy, design/layout (print or web), and/or the historical, cultural, political and artistic aspects of magazine media.
Key Submission Requirements
- Submission title
- Description of your teaching innovation (1-2 paragraphs)
For more information, visit https://forms.gle/4n1dqCp4E1UexFiU8
Questions? Contact Mackenzie Cato, Magazine Media Teaching Chair, at mcato8@kennesaw.edu.
Distinguished Educator Award
We give out the Distinguished Educator Award to one member of MCS who has made a significant contribution to mass communication pedagogy. This prestigious award can be a great way to acknowledge the professors whose teaching had a profound influence on your career.
Promising Professors Awards
For Junior faculty members who demonstrate excellence and innovation in teaching, we will give out the Promising Professors Awards to spotlight their excellence in teaching. Any faculty who has taught no more than five years full-time and graduate students who have primary responsibility for teaching at least one course can apply for the awards.
Adjunct/Instructor Awards
Adjunct/Instructor Awards are granted each year in recognition of the outstanding contributions and teaching excellence of adjuncts and instructors.
Service-learning Awards
The committee offers the Service-learning Awards to faculty members for their service-learning courses. This award is a great way to acknowledge projects that encourage students to become involved in the community.
Teaching Ideas Competition Awards
All of our members are encouraged to submit their teaching ideas to the Teaching Ideas Competition awards. The awards build upon the idea of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), which treats teaching as part of research agendas.
All Submission Deadlines are
April 30, 2025
Key Submission Requirements
- Faculty who have primary responsibility for teaching at least one course.
- All entrants must be members of the MCS Division.
For more information, visit https://community.aejmc.org/mcsd/awards/teaching
Questions? Contact Liang Chen, Teaching Chair of MCS Division, chenliang@tsinghua.edu.cn.
Gutiérrez-Wilson Teaching Award
Submission Deadline: March 1, 2025
.The "Félix F. Gutiérrez and Clint C. Wilson II MAC Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation" recipient will receive a $500 cash prize and an engraved award that will be presented at the 2025 AEJMC Annual Conference. Nominees for the Gutiérrez-Wilson MAC Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation must teach full-time and have been a MAC Division member for a minimum of two years.
Key Submission Requirements
- Cover Page
- Self-Nomination Letter
- Course Syllabus
Questions? Contact Paula Poindexter, MAC Teaching Award Committee Chair, at paula.poindexter@austin.utexas.edu.
Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
This competition seeks to focus on teaching methods that demonstrate new and effective ways to teach news considering new technology and innovation, specifically AI. This is a broad category, for sure, but we are seeking fresh and innovative ways that news is being taught.
Key Submission Requirements
Ideas will be judged for their originality, innovation, ease of application, completeness and writing. In addition, judges will take into account whether the ideas would work in more than one course and/or at different types of schools. All ideas should be:
- Original (not previously published or presented elsewhere)
- Classroom-tested (even if that is this semester).
Questions? Contact Elizabeth Smith at elizabeth.smith@pepperdine.edu.
Teaching Award Competition
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
The AEJMC Political Communication Division Teaching Contest seeks to promote teaching excellence and recognize innovative approaches to political communication education. Open to faculty and instructors at all levels, the contest invites submissions of class-tested activities, assignments, or projects that address specific learning objectives.
Key Submission Requirements
Contest entries must be 500 to 1,000 words and include a title
- 100–150-word abstract summarizing the teaching activity
- A detailed description of the activity and its learning objectives
- Rationale
- Explanation of learning outcomes.
- Supporting materials
For more information, visit https://forms.gle/qQvWvhSXmMZjYzVt8
Questions? Contact David Painter at dpainter@rollins.edu.
Teaching Paper & GIFT Competitions
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2025
Scholarship of Teaching: Highlight research that advances public relations education and pedagogy.
GIFT: Successful, class-tested assignments, in-class exercises, or teaching approaches that benefit students and instructors.
Key Submission Requirements
All submissions will go through the AllAcademic portal.
Scholarship of Teaching: 25 pages excluding abstract, references, figures and tables.
GIFT: Title page, one-page summary, citations, supplemental materials.
For more information on Scholarship of Teaching, visit the AEJMC Conference call for papers (pp. 18-19) at https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/AEJMC/75e1f437-036f-473d-bf5c-8129413b5d75/UploadedImages/2025_AEJMC_Paper_Competition_Call.pdf
For more info on GIFTs, visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IUJD4httBJuHnd8GRkMDwvI3ErSRmNYr/edit
Questions? Contact Minhee Choi at minhee.choi@ttu.edu or Sun Lee at sunlee@umd.edu.
Innovations in Teaching Competition
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
Submit a “teaching tip” – an innovation, new technique or exercise that can be applied to courses in graphic design, photography, video, or similar topics. Emphasis on innovation of pedagogy or technology.
Key Submission Requirements
- Usually includes a hand-out, video or URL to illustrate the technique.
For more information, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HL2QAZMKfH5y9RT5UWKZwHdGEhM_WogsU3aGX9hV0zA/edit?ts=659f2780
The Dr. Sandy Utt Excellence in Teaching Award
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
The “Teacher of the year” award is given to two members of the VisCom division for excellence in teaching courses with a visual component. Winner usually showcases a successful class or assignment.
Applicant must be a member of our division. Awarded to a tenured and non-tenured instructor each year.
Key Submission Requirements
- Supporting letter from a student or colleague
- One syllabus highlighting excellence or innovative practices in visual communication
- Examples of student work
For more information, visit https://form.jotform.com/240097490349159
Questions? Contact Denise McGill at mcgilld@mailbox.sc.edu or Elizabeth Spencer at liz.spencer@uky.edu.
GIFTs for Teaching in a Small Program
Submission Deadline: April 21, 2025
Great Ideas for Teaching in a Small Program seeks classroom-tested teaching activities, exercises and techniques to share with novice and veteran journalism and mass communication instructors.
Key Submission Requirements
- Activity objectives, details, description and rationale
- Connection to how the activity is designed for, or specifically suited for, teaching in small programs
- Debriefing of the activity, including typical results, and activity appraisal
For more information, visit https://forms.gle/e16ermwdxf65kLBn7
Questions? Contact Jackie Incollingo at jincollingo@rider.edu.
Graduate Teaching Showcase
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025
The Graduate Teaching Showcase amplifies graduate student teaching and pedagogy by showcasing examples of effective teaching to inspire instructors at all levels. We encourage participants to submit a specific activity or lesson plan they’ve used or one they’ve designed and want feedback on.
Key Submission Requirements
In a 400-word proposal, submissions should:
- Demonstrate the present relevance to teaching and learning in higher education
- Identify clear learning outcomes and goals
- Appeal to an interdisciplinary audience
For more information, visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X1PnncvBe3E8hasvr3oh-UKVziRjW1Y8/view?usp=sharing
Questions? Contact Elizabeth Cox, CSGE Teaching Chair, at escox@ou.edu.
Created by Amanda J. Weed, AEJMC Standing Committee on Teaching