Applications for 2021 virtual workshop open

Update: Thanks for your interest in the workshop. Our 2021 application is now closed. Look for the 2022 application to go live in January.

For 70 years, the California Scholastic Press Association high school journalism workshop has provided students the opportunity to learn about the industry from talented professionals in the business.

Applications for this year’s workshop are now open. Again planned as a virtual workshop, it will be held July 12-16, 2021 and will cost $50. (Financial support is available for qualified students.)

Students may join from anywhere in the world, and will learn from a roster of journalists eager to share their real-world experience, spark students’ curiosity and develop critical thinking skills.

Apply now for the workshop! New deadline — Sunday, June 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT
(application will open in a new tab)

Instruction includes live lectures, small group mentoring sessions with a faculty member and optional networking and social time with counselors who are recent graduates of the program.

The workshop is open to rising high school students (grades 10-12) and graduating seniors, or the equivalent for international students. Students must be 15 years old on or before the start of the workshop.

Students must be available to attend live classes in person from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT (including breaks), with one additional required hours TBD on Tuesday-Thursday.

Students also must be proficient in the English language. All classes, assignments and feedback will be conducted in English.

Reliable internet and access to a device for completing basic reporting and writing assignments on deadline is also required.

Enrollment in this year’s workshop is limited, so don’t wait — apply today!

Want to sponsor a CSPA student? Donations are being accepted to cover the cost of students with financial need for this year’s virtual workshop. All donors will be thanked with a presence on the website.

Click on the image above to donate.

UPDATE: CSPA Workshop going virtual for 2020

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the board of directors of the California Scholastic Press Association has made the difficult decision to move the 2020 workshop to a virtual format.
“For more than two-thirds of my life, the CSPA Workshop has been the certainty of my summer,” said Todd Harmonson, senior editor of The Orange County Register and CSPA chairman and president. “I could not conceive of a July without a return to San Luis Obispo to teach with all our other volunteers and work with a new class of student journalists.
“But we simply cannot do that during a global pandemic and ensure the health and safety of you, our students, as well as our faculty.”
The workshop will take place July 6-10, 2020 and will be offered to students free of charge. Previously accepted students have been notified, and will be offered the opportunity to participate in the virtual workshop, which will differ from the traditional in-person workshop in terms of content.
The enrollment of the virtual workshop will also be increased to open it to additional students, but it will be capped.
UPDATE: The capacity for both the workshop and the wait list has been reached. Our application is now closed.

Apply for the 69th annual CSPA Workshop now!

The California Scholastic Press Association will hold its 69th-annual high school journalism workshop on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from July 5-17, 2020.

CSPA Workshop graduates do more in 13 days than most people do all summer. Whether you’re an experienced student journalist, a beginner or simply a student interested in improving your writing skills, you’ll find the CSPA Workshop beneficial.

Our curriculum covers a wide variety of journalism-related areas, including writing, editing, photography, blogging, newspaper and television production, and social media. Students will also tour the local television station and government center and enjoy an afternoon at the beach.

Tuition is $1,975 (plus a processing fee for online transactions) and includes lodging and all meals. Apply here: http://bit.ly/cspa2020

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with the first acceptance notifications expected within 30 days of application submissions, potentially well before the March 31 priority deadline! Don’t wait if you want to be a part of the class of 2020!

Want to know more about the workshop? Click here for a rundown of our curriculum and some of our notable classes and instructors.

Mark your calendar – 2020 workshop dates set!

Planning is already underway for the 69th edition of the California Scholastic Press Association High School Journalism Workshop.

Again hosted on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the workshop will take place from July 5-17, 2020.

Tuition, which includes 13 days of instruction, all meals, an on-campus dorm room and transportation to all workshop activities, is $1,975 (plus a transaction fee for online payments). Need-based financial aid is available, and no money is due until students are accepted to the workshop.

Applications for the workshop will open on Thursday, Jan. 9, and the deadline for priority consideration for this year’s class will be Sunday, March 29 at 11:59 p.m.

 

 

What you need to know about the CSPA Workshop

CSPA Workshop graduates do more in 13 days than most people do all summer. Whether you’re an experienced student journalist, a beginner or simply a student interested in improving your writing skills, you’ll find the CSPA Workshop beneficial. It’s an opportunity not only to sharpen journalism skills but to become a better writer, to improve your time management and to learn how to communicate and cooperate with others in a professional environment. You also will learn cutting-edge digital skills to go along with the journalistic principles that are vital in any medium.

Every summer, 25 students come to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, for 13 days of learning and fun. Our curriculum covers a wide variety of journalism-related areas, including writing, editing, photography, blogging, newspaper and television production, and social media. We even take a trip to the beach (no work required there).

Want to know more about the workshop? Here’s a rundown of several of our courses, which represents only a small sample of everything our students learn each summer (courses and instructors subject to change):

Continue reading “What you need to know about the CSPA Workshop”