The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Cup

 

Q: What is the AJC Cup?

A: The AJC Cup began in 1927 and is one of the oldest news organization award programs in the country. This prestigious award honors one individual, chosen by your school’s faculty and administration, who best represents academic excellence, leadership, community service and extra-curricular involvement. A trophy is provided to you to present at your year-end awards ceremony or program. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also recognizes each winner in the newspaper and on AJC.com.

 

Q: How are students selected?

A: The winner from each school is chosen by the school’s faculty and administration, who best represents academic excellence, leadership, community service and extra-curricular involvement. The AJC is not involved in the selection process but is given the student’s information by a member of the school administration — principal, guidance counselor, etc.

 

Q: What schools are eligible to participate?

A: Over 200 public and private high schools in metro Atlanta (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett) are contacted by the AJC in early March via email and letter and invited to submit an honoree. There are also a number of schools outside the metro Atlanta area that are “grandfathered” into the program. Any contacted school that does not respond by the deadline (April 14) will not have an honoree in the 2020 program.

 

Q: Is there any cost to the school to participate?

A: No. The AJC covers the cost of the trophy and shipping.

 

Q: Where do I submit our high school’s honoree information?

A: Students are selected only by a school official or administrator. Submissions are not open to the public. Please contact us at AJCCup@ajc.com.

 

Q: What information is required for my school to submit?

A: The online form guides you through a list of questions. The form requires you to submit a brief description of the student’s accomplishments that can be used by the AJC for news coverage. Please note the form has changed slightly from prior years. We are interested in knowing more about the student and what makes their story and accomplishments inspiring to others.

 

Q: Do I need to submit a photo?

A: Yes. We are also asking you to submit a head shot photo of the winner that we may also use for news coverage. We highly recommend their senior class photo. Please submit it in a jpeg format. You should upload this at the time when completing your winner’s information within the submission form.

 

Q: What is the deadline for submission?

A: You must complete the online submission form no later than Friday, April 14. This is a firm deadline due to publication deadlines and trophy production deadlines. You may submit your form early — we’d love to get your winner’s name as far in advance as possible.

 

Q: How is a student’s information used by the AJC?

A: The AJC recognizes these students publicly and the information submitted by the school (accomplishments, photo, etc.) are used to create the lists and stories. The AJC does not collect or publish personal contact information or share or sell school or student information with any third party.

 

Q: How do I know if the submission was received?

A: The school official who submitted the submission will receive an automatic confirmation message immediately after submission. For any other inquiries, send an email to AJCCup@ajc.com.

 

Q: Are parents/guardians of the winning students notified in advance their child has been chosen for this honor?

A: That is a decision made by each school. The AJC does not contact the student’s family directly.

 

Q: Is there a scholarship associated with the AJC Cup?

A: No. The AJC Cup serves as a special recognition of the student’s character and accomplishments, but there is no financial award.

 

Q: Why does my school not have a winner?

A: We contact all eligible high schools in metro Atlanta by both email and by letter inviting them to participate. If schools do not provide the AJC with winner information by the deadline, they are not included due to production and publication deadlines. In some cases, there are schools that meet the requirements but do not respond to our requests with an honoree.

 

Q: When will my school receive the trophy?

A: Trophies are sent directly to your school. Submissions received by April 14 will be shipped to arrive before the school’s graduation/senior event. Please note that we must have a physical address, not a P.O. Box, to ensure delivery of the trophy to your school.

 

Q: How does the student receive their trophy?

A: Each school is responsible for presenting the AJC Cup to its selected student. The presentation process is at the discretion of each school.

 

Q: Who can I contact with any additional questions?

A: You can send inquiries to AJCCup@ajc.com.