McKinney High School (Texas) and Calvary Day School (Georgia) have earned Staff Excellence Blue and Gold Awards for their overall performance in the 2019 Quill and Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest.

The Blue and Gold Awards note the best high school journalism offers. Winners of this prestigious award have distinguished themselves in visuals and/or writing categories in the regular Yearbook Excellence Contest. The following schools earned 2019 Blue and Gold Awards based on their staffs’ overall performance in the Yearbook Excellence Contest. The Staff Excellence Blue and Gold represents the best overall. Congratulations to this year’s Blue and Gold yearbooks.

Below the Blue and Gold winners see a link to the list of the National Winners, who all are eligible for Quill and Scroll scholarships.

Class A (Schools with enrollments of 750 or more students)

Staff Excellence

• McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas

Comprehensive Visuals

• McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas
• Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas
• Westlake High School, Austin, Texas

Comprehensive Writing

• Texas High School, Texarkana, Texas
• Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kansas
• Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Class B (Schools with enrollments of fewer than 750 students)

Staff Excellence

• Calvary Day School, Savannah, Georgia

Comprehensive Visuals

• Richland R-1 High School, Essex, Missouri
• Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Savannah Christian Preparatory School, Savannah, Georgia

Comprehensive Writing

• Calvary Day School, Savannah, Georgia
• Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tennessee
• Geneva School of Boerne, Boerne, Texas

CATEGORIES

PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

Category 1 – Theme Development
Only one (1) entry can be submitted. Entry should include cover, end sheets, introduction, division pages and closing. It may also include images of other items that helped develop your theme. Entries will be judged on overall unity of theme package including theme copy, typography, graphics and color. Please save all digital files into a single folder and share the folder link.

Category 2 – Student Life
Spreads from student life sections may be submitted. (Mini-magazine coverage may be included). Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines, captions, layout and design.  Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted

Category 3 – Academics
Spreads from academics sections may be entered. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines, captions, layout and design.  Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted.

Category 4 – Clubs or Organizations
Spreads from clubs or organizations sections may be submitted. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, well-cropped and composed group photos, informative headlines, captions, ID’s, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted.

Category 5 – Sports
Entries from the sports section may be submitted. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines and captions, scoreboards, and layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted.

Category 6 – People
Spreads with either student, staff or faculty/administration coverage may be submitted. (Mini-magazine coverage may be included.) Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines and captions, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted.

Category 7 – Advertising
Advertisement spreads may be submitted. Entries will be judged on copy, typography, effective illustrations or photos, well-written headlines, layout and design quality.

Category 8 – Sports Action Photo
Spreads with sports photos may be submitted. Entries will be judged on composition, interest and effective cropping. Include the original digital photo file, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 9 – Academic Photo
Entries will be judged on composition, effective cropping and focus on students in learning/academic situations. Include the original digital photo file, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 10 – Student Life Photo
Entries will be judged on composition, effective cropping and focus on student life topics. Include the original digital photo file, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 11 – Clubs or Organizations Photo
Entries will be judged on composition, effective cropping and focus on student club or organization activities. Include the original digital photo file, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 12 – Feature Photo
Photos in spreads that emphasize the human-interest angle and focus on people in their environment may be submitted. Posed shots and portraits are NOT acceptable. Entries will be judged on composition, effective cropping and interest. Include the original digital photo file, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 13 – Graphic Design
Spreads may be submitted that embody contemporary use of graphics to enhance the content on the spread. Includes the use of typography, screens, placement, rule lines, logos and other visual elements. Entries will be judged on composition, creativity and interest.

Category 14 – Photo Illustration
Photo illustrations featuring special effects, modifications or manipulations of photographs to tell a story may be submitted. Entries will be judged on composition, effective cropping and interest. If you also include both the original digital photo file and the spread, share the link to the folder that includes both the spread and the photo.

Category 15 – Index
Entries must display creative use of graphics, typography, screens, photographs and/or featurettes to enhance the index presentation.

Category 16 – Headline Writing and Design
Spreads from any section may be submitted that demonstrate excellence in headline writing and design. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, effective use of typography and visual elements, and interest.

Category 17 – Caption Writing
Spreads from any section may be submitted that demonstrate excellence in caption writing. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, how well the captions complement photos or visuals, and interest.

Category 18 – Personality Profiles
Spreads from any section that demonstrate excellence in profiling a person in written and visual content may be submitted. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, visual and design elements, and interest.