Visual representations of community in scholastic photojournalism: A thematic analysis of award-winning photographs from the National Scholastic Press Association’s Photo of the Year contest

Leslie Klein (PhD student and Carter Research Fellow) (2023, August). “Visual representations of community in scholastic photojournalism: A thematic analysis of award-winning photographs from the National Scholastic Press Association’s Photo of the Year contest.” Paper presented to the Scholastic Journalism Division at the 106th annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Washington D.C. Third Place Student Paper, Scholastic Journalism Division.

Abstract: While journalism awards can enhance social capital and signify quality, they often reinforce a limited, negative perspective of what is newsworthy. This study builds on existing research examining award-winning photojournalism by focusing on the understudied population of student photojournalists. Via a qualitative analysis of 229 photographs from the National Scholastic Press Association’s Photo of the Year Contest, this research analyzes major visual themes and prevalent news values in award-winning scholastic photojournalism. The results indicate that student journalists visually represent high school as a place for connection, collaboration, and citizenship and present a uniquely positive portrayal of their world. These findings suggest that student journalists prioritize news values that are relevant to their local communities, and, in the process, redefine what is considered newsworthy.