Golden Leaf Earns National Honors, Top Photography Awards from Faire Review

The Golden Leaf yearbook earned first place in the 2024-25 Faire National Yearbook Review for MJHS: Live Your Legacy, receiving national recognition for literary achievement, photography and sports coverage. Mt. Juliet High School’s yearbook was evaluated by an independent panel of professional judges and received an overall score of 982 out of 1,000 points.

In a letter to the school, the Faire National Yearbook Review panel praised the publication’s scope and execution.

“The effort and creativity that went into the 2024-2025 yearbook are truly impressive,” the letter stated. “You’ve created a wonderful historical document that highlights your culture, community, and commitment to your school.”

The Golden Leaf also earned Best Overall Yearbook Photography of 2025 and Best Overall Sports Coverage of 2025, two of the review’s highest honors. Judges cited the professionalism of student photography and the depth of sports storytelling throughout the book.

“The sports coverage, both written and photographed, captured a dynamic sports year and provided equitable coverage across many sports,” the critique stated.

Category scores reflected strong performance across all areas, including perfect scores in content and coverage and photography. Judges described the book as “an outstanding professional yearbook” and noted its “exceptional photography and photo editing,” while encouraging future staffs to incorporate more detailed quotes to strengthen authentic voice.

Faire National Yearbook Review is a national literary awards program that evaluates student publications using professional journalism standards. Yearbooks are scored across writing, design, photography and coverage, with top-scoring books earning first place and special distinction awards.

“This review confirms the level of work our students are producing,” said Mr. Judkins, yearbook adviser. “They are creating a publication that documents our school year with accuracy, creativity and purpose, and that will matter to students long after graduation.”