“Annually, the Society of Professional Journalists presents the Mark of Excellence Awards, honoring the best in student journalism. Categories are first judged on the regional level. First-place regional winners advance to the national competition, and most are recognized at their respective regional SPJ conference. National winners will be showcased on spj.org. The Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best Student Newspaper carries a $5,000 prize each of the large- and small-division winners, courtesy of the Chronicle of Higher Education.”

2026 deadlines: Jan. 6 (earlybird); Feb. 11 (final).