John Swett Award for Media Excellence

Honoring Excellence in California Public Education Media Coverage

50th Annual Awards Contest

The story of public education in California is one of struggle and triumph. It deserves to be told. And those who tell it well deserve to be singled out for public praise.

The John Swett Awards for Media Excellence are CTA’s highest honor for media professionals, herald outstanding coverage of issues that touched California’s schools, community colleges and state universities.

Thanks to CTA members interacting with the media, vital school issues make it from the classroom to the newsroom, allowing the public and its elected representatives to make informed decisions about quality education and its future.This link between teachers and the media is strengthened by the rule in this competition requiring local chapters of CTA to nominate works by media professionals for the contest.

Judging is done by media peers — CTA removes itself entirely from the judging process.

The John Swett Awards are named after the founder of CTA and the state's fourth superintendent of public instruction. Newspaper, radio and television editors, reporters, producers and directors are all encouraged to enter.

Winners are awarded plaques at a special reception in their honor. A statewide CTA news release and full-page advertisement listing the winners in the Columbia Journalism Review give further credit where it's definitely due.

Meritorious nominees whose work was not judged the most outstanding in their categories receive Certificates of Merit.

Important Dates, Deadlines:

• January 1 to December 31, 2008
  • All media nominations must have appeared during this 12-month period.
• March 20, 2009 - deadline has been extended to March 25 
  • Deadline for receipt of nominations and supportive material at CTA headquarters. Late entries will not be accepted.
• May 15, 2009
  • Awards reception and ceremony at the CTA State Council of Education meeting in Los Angeles.