Quill and Scroll

Quill and Scroll
Name	Quill and Scroll
Formation	1926
Type	Honorary society
Headquarters	Evanston, Illinois
Region served	United States
Leader title	Executive Director

Quill and Scroll is an international honor society recognizing excellence in high school journalism and student media. Founded in the 1920s, the society has connected student journalists with professional networks and academic resources while fostering ties to schools, newspapers, yearbooks, and broadcasting programs. Its activities intersect with prominent newspapers, universities, journalistic awards, and media organizations that shape careers in reporting, editing, photography, and broadcast.

History

Quill and Scroll was established in 1926 at Northwestern University with early support from figures linked to The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, The Washington Post, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The society's founding occurred amid contemporaneous developments at Poynter Institute, American Press Institute, Knight Foundation, Pulitzer Prize, and organizations such as National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. During the mid-20th century Quill and Scroll expanded alongside growth in student newspapers at institutions like University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Texas at Austin, and it engaged with journalism education trends linked to figures from Edward R. Murrow to Walter Cronkite. Later decades saw partnerships and interactions with media entities including CNN, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, and digital-era platforms affiliated with The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today.

Mission and Membership

The society's stated mission emphasizes recognition of student achievement and encouragement of careers related to newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, online journalism, and broadcast reporting, connecting members with professional pathways involving Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Committee to Protect Journalists, and academic programs at Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications, Northwestern Medill School, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Missouri School of Journalism, and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Membership criteria historically reference students at high schools and secondary institutions affiliated with districts or boards such as New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, Boston Public Schools, and private schools connected to Phillips Academy and Choate Rosemary Hall. The society has conferred membership upon students who later attended or collaborated with universities and newsrooms including Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, and Georgetown University.

Programs and Awards

Quill and Scroll administers honor rolls, contests, and recognition programs that parallel awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, Pultizer Prize-adjacent scholastic recognitions, and competitions akin to those from National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Society of Professional Journalists student chapters. Programs include annual citations, contests for reporting, photography, and yearbook excellence, and scholarships that have been compared to honors from Fulbright Program, National Endowment for the Arts, Gannett Foundation, Knight-Wallace Fellowship, and fellowships like Nieman Fellowship and Knight-Bagehot Fellowship. Students have advanced to internships and awards at major outlets and institutions including The New Yorker, Time (magazine), The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Reuters, ProPublica, BuzzFeed, Vox Media, Vice Media, and public broadcasters such as NPR and BBC News.

Publications

Quill and Scroll issues newsletters, directories, and commemorative booklets for members and advisors, joining a tradition of scholastic publications similar to alumni and professional periodicals from The Columbia Journalism Review, Editor & Publisher, American Journalism Review, The Nieman Foundation, and university-based journals at Annenberg and Medill. The society's materials highlight exemplary student work that parallels features in outlets like Sports Illustrated, The Economist, National Geographic, The Atlantic Monthly, and photographic showcases akin to those in Magnum Photos exhibits and competitions affiliated with World Press Photo.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The organization is governed by a board of directors and officers who have often come from editorial and academic backgrounds associated with institutions and organizations such as Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism, Columbia University, University of Missouri, Syracuse University, Poynter Institute, Knight Foundation, American Society of News Editors, and professional bodies including ASNE and SPJ. Administrative headquarters have been located in the Chicago metropolitan area with operational links to college journalism programs at Northwestern, Columbia, and Missouri. Governance practices reflect nonprofit models used by entities like Associated Press, The Times (London), Gutenberg Project, and education-related foundations such as Carnegie Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Notable Alumni and Impact

Alumni lists include individuals who progressed to careers at major organizations and institutions: reporters and editors at The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and broadcasters at NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, NPR, and BBC News. Graduates have become prominent journalists, authors, and academics affiliated with Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia Journalism School, Stanford University, Yale University, Oxford University, and think tanks like Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations. The society's influence is evident in the professional trajectories of members who have won honors including the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, Emmy Award, National Book Award, and fellowships from MacArthur Foundation and Guggenheim Fellowship programs.

Category:Honor societies