Writing

These are individual contests, unless otherwise noted, so please use just one name per entry.

Category 1 — Editorial Writing ($5 per entry)

• 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 2 — News Writing ($5 per entry)

• 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.
• Pandemic stories should be entered in Category 3.

Category 3 — Pandemic Coverage (Single Story) ($5 per entry)

• This can be breaking news, or a single in-depth story about the pandemic’s impact in your school, community or state.
• Entries will be judged by news writing and reporting standards. Focus will be given to the impact of the story, the depth of the reporting, the strength of the writing and absence of opinion.

Category 4 — Pandemic Coverage (Series of Stories or Package) ($10 per entry)

• This should be a package of two or more stories about the pandemic’s impact in your school, community or state, produced by one or more reporters.
• The package can include a variety of story types — written, video, audio, graphics, listicles — produced for any medium or for multiple media.
• These can be the work of multiple students
• Entries will be judged on the depth of reporting and the precision of the writing and/or production.

Category 5 —Feature Writing ($5 per entry)

• All types of features are eligible, but profile stories should be in Category 9. (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 6 — Column Writing ($5 per entry)

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

Category 7 — Review Writing ($5 per entry)

• 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 8 — In-Depth Reporting/Individual ($5 per entry) AND

Category 9 — In-Depth Reporting/Team ($10 per entry)

• 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 10 — Sports Feature Writing ($5 per entry)

• 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 11.
• 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 11.

Category 11 — Sports Game/Event Coverage ($5 per entry)

• These are stories generally written on deadline for online school media or for 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 human stories within the re-telling of the event, game, meet or tournament.

Category 12 — Profile Writing ($5 per entry)

• Profile topics include personality sketches of newsmakers, sports figures, students, faculty, school personnel, or community members.
• Entries are judged on human interest, depth of reporting, organization, writing style and form.

Category 13 — Political Writing ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• 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

These are individual contests, unless otherwise noted, so please use just one name per entry.

Category 16 — News Feature Photography ($5 per entry)

• This can be a photo that accompanied a news or feature story.
• Entries judged on appropriateness, composition, print quality and interest.
• Please submit a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Category 17 – Sports Action Photography ($5 per entry)

• This is an action sports photo.
• Entries judged on appropriateness, composition, print quality and interest.
• Please submit a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Category 18 – Sports Reaction Photography ($5 per entry)

• 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.
• Please submit a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Category 19 — Photo Illustration ($5 per entry)

• 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.
• Please submit a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Category 20 — Photo Slideshow ($5 per entry)

• 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 a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Category 21 — Profile Portrait ($5 per entry)

• 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.
• Please submit a folder that contains an original file (.jpg) along with a page file (.pdf) that shows the cutline and how the photo was used on a page.

Visuals/Design

These are individual contests, unless otherwise noted, so please use just one name per entry.

Category 22 — Editorial Cartoon ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• 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 ($5 per entry)

• An entry consists of a single inside feature 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 27 — Sports Page(s) Design ($5 per entry)

• 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 28 — Editorial Page(s) Design ($5 per entry)

• 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

Quill and Scroll understands that multimedia stories and packages are often the work of multiple students, so you may include more than one name on these entries.

Category 29 — Video News Package ($5 per entry)

• 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 5:00 should be entered in Category 28: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 30 — Video Sports Package ($5 per entry)

• 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 5:00 should be entered in Category 28: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 31 — Video Features Package ($5 per entry)

• 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 a arts review.
• The length may vary, but a reasonable features package is generally between 2 and 4 minutes.
• Stories longer than 5:00 should be entered in Category 28: Documentary Video.
• Entries will be judged on news content as well as production values.

Category 32 — Documentary Video ($10 per entry)

• 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 33 — Audio Podcast: Single Episode ($5 per entry)

• 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 34 — News Show ($10 per entry)

• 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 a few packages with seamless transitions.
• They may be studio-based but that is not a requirement.