A Bryant High School senior has earned one of the state’s top honors in scholastic journalism. She will now advance to the national competition.
Kaylee Anderson has been named the 2026 Arkansas Student Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Education Association (JEA). The award recognizes the top high school journalist in Arkansas for excellence across multiple areas of journalism including writing, editing, photography, design, broadcasting, leadership, and ethics.
Anderson was selected from a competitive pool of nominees across the state, with judges evaluating a portfolio that demonstrates strong storytelling, leadership, and journalistic skill across media platforms.
Part of what impressed judges was Anderson’s commitment to student journalism and press freedom.
“She’s been a leader, advocate for press freedom and active on social media platforms,” said Mark Hilburn, a judge and former Nebraska Adviser of the Year.
During her time at Bryant High School, Anderson served two years as co-editor-in-chief of the Hornet Yearbook. Her work has earned multiple state honors including Academic Design of the Year, Student Life Photograph of the Year, Superior Cover, and several other individual and group awards.
Her yearbook adviser, Justin Turner, said Anderson set the goal of winning the award early in her high school career.
“When she was a sophomore, Kaylee learned about the Journalist of the Year award and decided that was a goal she had for her senior year,” Turner said. “Since then, she’s worked to produce compelling stories, taken countless photos and worked to make our book the best it can be.”
Turner added that Anderson even expanded her skill set to meet the competition requirements.
“She knew broadcast was one of the categories, so she signed up for sports broadcast — not because she loves sports, but because she loves telling stories of all kinds.”
To enter the contest, Anderson created a portfolio website showcasing her work, along with written reflections explaining how each piece demonstrated the skills required in the competition rubric.
Anderson said the recognition made the years of effort worthwhile.
“I was so relieved to win because there was a lot of competition for it, and I wanted it really badly,” Anderson said. “I put a lot of work into it over the years, but it was really worth it.”
As the Arkansas Student Journalist of the Year, Anderson will now represent the state at the national competition. The JEA National Student Journalist of the Year will be announced during the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in April.
The national winner receives a scholarship and is recognized as the top high school journalist in the United States.
The Journalism Education Association, the nation’s largest scholastic journalism organization, supports student journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, promoting professionalism, and advocating for a free student press.
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