Free speech essay contest for students

As part of Free Speech Week, October 20-26, the National Communication Association is sponsoring an essay contest. The winner will receive $100 and the winning essay will be printed in Spectra, the NCA's monthly publication.

Participants must be current college students and members of Lambda Pi Eta or Sigma Chi Eta. The essay topic is outlined below and is due by noon on Monday, October 20, 2008. Submissions should be in emailed to bmello@natcom.org in MS Word format.

"Recently, the University of Illinois issued a policy statement that prohibits faculty and staff from attending political rallies on campus and displaying support for a specific candidate in the form of bumper stickers, buttons and the like. In a 500-750 word essay, argue why this is or is not an infringement on free speech."

$20,000 college broadcast journalism contest

Fox News Channel is offering a $20,000 broadcast journalism contest for college juniors and seniors. Moreover, the winners may receive a paid internship or entry-level job at Fox News.

The "Fox News Channel College Challenge" requires teams of two to four students (juniors and seniors only) to research, write, produce and submit an objective broadcast news story selected from a list of provided topics. A panel of journalists from Fox News Channel will judge the entries.

The winning team will share a scholarship of $10,000 and the team's school will receive a matching grant of $10,000. In addition, the winning team and one administrator will be invited to appear on Fox News Channel to talk about the winning entry and their experience.

Members of the winning team, who are juniors, will be eligible for an internship at Fox News Channel. Members of the winning team, who are seniors, will receive an entry-level-job interview at Fox News Channel.

YouTube offers $10,000 contest for student journalists

YouTube and the Pulitzer Center are holding a contest that allows non-professional, aspiring journalists the chance to tell stories that might not otherwise be covered by traditional media.

The contest, dubbed "Project: Report," consists of three rounds. In each round, reporters will be given an assignment to complete. Each of these assignments gives people an opportunity to report on the important individuals, issues, and communities in their lives that others do not yet know about. You can compete is just one round, although only those who compete in all three will be eligible for the grand prize.

Winners from each round will receive technology prizes from Sony VAIO and Intel, and the grand prize winner will be granted a $10,000 journalism fellowship with the Pulitzer Center to report on a story outside of their home country.