Writing

Category 1 — News Writing

• May be breaking news, an advance or event story. Subject matter does not need to relate to school activity. (Enter sports news in the Sports Writing Category.)
• Entries will be judged by news writing standards. Focus will be given to strong leads, concise writing, strong paragraph beginnings, use of sources and absence of opinion.

Category 2 — DEI, Social Justice Writing

• Coverage may include but not be limited to race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and other differences.
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, human interest, organization, writing style and form appropriate to the story.
• Focus will be given to strong leads, concise writing, strong paragraph beginnings, use of sources and absence of opinion.

Category 3 — Feature Writing

• All types of features are eligible, but profile stories should be in Category 4. (Enter sports features in the Sports Writing Category.)
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, human interest, organization, writing style and form appropriate to the story.

Category 4 —Profile Writing

• All types of profile stories are eligible, but general feature stories should be in Category 3.
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, human interest, organization, writing style and form appropriate to the story.

Category 5 — Staff Editorial Writing

• Must be a single editorial, not a series, expressing the opinion of the editorial board. Editorials may be written by one person, with no byline (unsigned). However, if a byline is used, it must be clear the opinion is that of the staff or editorial board.
• Entries will be judged on reader interest, appropriateness, clarity of purpose, structure and effectiveness.

Category 6 — Review Writing

• Reviews of books, movies, computer games, restaurants, plays, TV shows, music, concerts and other topics are eligible.
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, evidence of topic knowledge, style of writing, originality and reader interest.

Category 7 — Column Writing — Non Sports

• General opinion, personal and humor columns are eligible. (Review columns in Review Writing Category and Sports Column in the Sports Column Category.)
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, significance of material, suitable handling of topic, style of writing and originality.

Category 8 — Sports Column Writing

• General sports columns and sports opinions are eligible.
• Entries will be judged on timeliness, significance of material, suitable handling of topic, style of writing and originality.

Category 9 — In-Depth Reporting/Individual Writing AND

Category 10 — In-Depth Reporting/Team Writing

• Entries should cover an area purposely explored to correct existing weaknesses and/or better inform the public.
• Entries will be judged on quality of subject matter, use of sources, thoroughness of coverage and writing style.
• Individual: Must be a single article or a single story accompanied by sidebars written by the same individual.
• Team: Entries may be a series of stories contained in a single publication issue or website post. (Include that this is from a collection of students.)

Category 11 — Sports Feature Writing

• An article on sports topics published in newspapers, news magazines or online – may be entered in this category.
• Sports Columns should be entered in Column Writing. Game stories should be entered in Category 12.
• Entries are not limited to high school sports coverage. Judges will consider style and quality of writing, accuracy, interest and relevance to the primary audience. Game stories should be saved for Category 12.

Category 12 — Sports Game/Event Coverage

• These are stories generally written on deadline for online school media or for same or next day publication in a local newspaper or on a local news site.
• Entries will be judged on the depth of reporting, precision of language, absence of clichés and the inclusion of human stories within the re-telling of the event, game, meet or tournament.

Category 13 — Political Writing

• Coverage of school board elections and issues; school, local, state and national political campaigns and outcomes; and developments with political undertones are eligible for this category.
• Judges will consider evidence of topic knowledge, impact, timeliness, storytelling, writing style and form.

Category 14 — Health, Science, and Agriculture Writing

• News and feature reports on health, science or agricultural topics may be entered.
• Entries will be judged on evidence of topic knowledge, impact, storytelling, writing style and form.

Category 15 — Climate and Environment Writing

• News and feature reports on the climate and the environment may be entered.
• Entries will be judged on how impactful the news is to the community, storytelling, writing style and form.

Visuals/Photo

Category 16 — News Feature Photography

• This can be a photo that accompanied a news or feature story.
• Entries judged on appropriateness, composition, print quality and interest.

Category 17 – Sports Action Photography

• This is an action sports photo.
• Entries judged on appropriateness, composition, print quality and interest.

Category 18 – Sports Reaction Photography

• This is a sports photo that shows reaction by athletes, fans, officials or others at a school sporting event.
• Entries judged on appropriateness, composition, print quality and interest.

Category 19 — Photo Illustration

• An entry consists of a single photo and/or image altered or manipulated for storytelling of general topics or sports. The manipulation should be obvious and done for artistic value in the service of telling a story.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective visual communication, creativity, appropriateness, composition and interest.

Category 20 — Photo Slideshow

• Each entry is a single slideshow posted on a scholastic or professional website to tell news or feature stories, including sports, photographically.
• Entries will be judged on presentation, tempo, use of storytelling techniques (including use of titles, captions, credits, and/or audio), creativity, audience interest, and photo quality, framing and composition.
• Please submit the URL to the slideshow online.

Category 21 — Profile or Environmental Portrait

• This is a photo of a person or group of people that is staged by the photographer to help reveal something important about the character of the person or group.
• More than likely this will accompany a profile story.

Visuals/Design

Category 22 — Editorial Cartoon

• May be a single cartoon or cartoon strip.
• Entries will be judged on originality, reader interest, appropriateness, clarity of purpose and effectiveness.

Category 23 – Informational Graphic

• Entries visually communicate data or information. An entry consists of a single infographic.
• Judges will focus on creativity, accuracy, interest and effectiveness of communication.

Category 24 — News Magazine Front Page Design

• An entry consists of a single cover/front page of a news magazine.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Category 25 — Newspaper Front Page Design

• An entry consists of a single cover/front page of a newspaper.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Category 26 — Features Page(s) Design, Single Page

• An entry consists of a single inside feature page of a newspaper or news magazine.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Category 27 — Features Page(s) Design, Two-Page Spread

• An entry consists of a two-page spread of a newspaper or news magazine that centers on one topic.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Category 28 — Sports Page(s) Design

• An entry consists of a single sports page or two-page spread of a newspaper or news magazine.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Category 29 — Editorial Page(s) Design

• An entry consists of a single editorial or opinion page or two-page spread of a newspaper or news magazine.
• Judges will focus on design trends, effective layout, reader assistance, creativity and interest.

Multimedia

Category 30 — Video News Package

• Entries are a single news story reported on a scholastic or professional website.
• The story should report on breaking news or an issue of importance to your primary audience.
• The length may vary, but a reasonable news package is generally between 1:15 and 3 minutes.
• Stories longer than 5 minutes should be entered in Category 34: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 31 — Video Sports Package

• Entries are a single sports story reported on a scholastic or professional website.
• The story should report on an event, an athlete, a coach or an issue of importance to your primary audience.
• The length may vary, but a reasonable sports package is generally between 1:15 and 3 minutes.
• Stories longer than 5 minutes should be entered in Category 34: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 32 — Video Features Package

• Entries are a single feature story reported on a scholastic or professional website.
• The story should report on an event, a personality (student, administrator, educator), or an issue of importance to your primary audience. It can also be an arts review.
• The length may vary, but a reasonable features package is generally between 2 and 4 minutes.
• Stories longer than 5 minutes should be entered in Category 34: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 33 — Video DEI, Social Justice Reporting

• Entries are a single feature story reported on a scholastic or professional website.
• The story angle should include but not be limited to race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and other differences.
• The length may vary, but a reasonable features package is generally between 2 and 4 minutes.
• Stories longer than 5 minutes should be entered in Category 34: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 34 — Documentary Video

• Entries will be a documentary film of at least 5 minutes, produced by a student or a group of students.
• Film may take on any documentary mode, but it should be a journalistic endeavor, telling a story of students and/or issues that impact teenagers and their communities.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.
• Please submit as a link to a Vimeo or YouTube channel.

Category 35 — Audio Podcast: Single Episode

• Entries will be a single podcast or podcast episode produced by a student for a scholastic or professional website.
• The podcast can report on any subject of the student’s choosing.
• The length of the podcast may vary, but a good suggested length is no more than 15 minutes, probably shorter.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.
• Please submit as a link to an outside podcast host channel, such as SoundCloud or PodBean.

Category 36 – Interactive Informational Graphic

• Entries visually communicate data or information interactively. An entry consists of a single infographic with at least one interactive component.
• Judges will focus on creativity, accuracy, interest and effectiveness of communication.

Category 37 — News Show

• Entries will be student-produced news shows for the Web, for television or for school distribution.
• These should not be school announcements packages.
• Shows may run from 5 to 30 minutes.
• They should include at least two packages with seamless transitions.
• They may be studio-based, but that is not a requirement.

Category 38 — Multimedia Feature/News Package

• Entries will be feature packages that include a variety of elements on a web platform to deliver a story or series of stories that include multiple digital components.
• The elements can include any combination of writing, audio, video, photos, graphics, art, and/or animation.
• The package can cover a traditional news or feature topic, entertainment, health or any subject germane to your audience of readers, viewers and listeners.

Category 39 — Multimedia Sports Package

• Entries will be feature packages that include a variety of elements on a web platform to deliver a story or series of stories that include multiple digital components.
• The elements can include any combination of writing, audio, video, photos, graphics, art and/or animation.
• The package can cover a sports topic germane to your audience of readers, viewers and listeners.

Category 40 — Multimedia Opinion Package

• Entries will be feature packages that include a variety of elements on a web platform to deliver a story or series of stories that include multiple digital components.
• The elements can include any combination of writing, audio, video, photos, graphics, art and/or animation.
• The package can cover an opinion topic germane to your audience of readers, viewers and listeners.