We have redone many of our old contest categories and rules! Please read the new descriptions and entry guidelines BEFORE submitting your students’ work. Any work submitted that is not in compliance with the new guidelines will not be judged for competition!
Critiques from convention will be compiled and sent to the teacher/adviser of each media program within one month of the event. Please be patient, there are a lot of you and only a few of us!
Individual Entries: $10 each
Overall Entries: $75 each
Make checks payable to:
Alabama Scholastic Press Association
Attn: Becky Robinson
Box 870172, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172
We do not accept credit card payments.
UPDATED GENERAL GUIDELINES
Students may only submit UP TO TWO ENTRIES per individual category. These entries should be reflective of the student’s best work and be a well-edited, high quality final product.
Students CANNOT submit the exact same piece/work in multiple categories unless it is edited or redone to fit the category guidelines OR is being judged under entirely different criterion. For example, the same broadcast segment may be submitted for consideration for News Anchor and News Story or the same poetry spread may be submitted for Poetry and Poetry Spread Design.
Please also note the new time and length requirements for each category. This is to help our judges make the best use of their time and provide your students with the best feedback for their work!
TRADITIONAL PRINT NEWS MEDIA
Entries for this category MUST have appeared in a print publication. Digital copies are acceptable (and preferred) for state convention judging. Please send entries as PDFs or .jpgs.
News Story: Your typical, hard or breaking news story. Must be written in third person.
News Feature Story: Any story that does not fall under hard or breaking news. These can be soft news stories, profiles, event coverage, or issue stories. Feature stories may be hard news, but they must contain additional elements that separate them from traditional hard news stories (in-depth interviews, more descriptive language, longer form, etc.). Must be written in third person.
Sports Story: Your typical hard or breaking sports story. This can include game coverage, season wrap-ups, etc. Must be written in third person.
Sports Feature Story: Any story that does not fall under hard or breaking sports news. These can be soft news stories, profiles, or industry issue stories. Sports feature stories may be hard news, but they must contain additional elements that separate them from traditional hard news stories (in-depth interviews, more descriptive language, longer form, etc.). Must be written in third person.
News Columns & Editorials: Columns must be personal opinion pieces written by three or fewer writers. Columns can be weekly features (dating column, fashion column, sports column, etc.), reviews (movies, albums, restaurants, etc.) or editorials. Editorials may be one writer or have a staff byline.
News Magazine Cover Design: Cover design for one specific issue of a news magazine publication or page 1 broadsheet for a newspaper.
News Magazine or Newspaper Spread Design: Spreads must be 1-4 pages in length. Every complete spread must be submitted as a separate entry.
News Art: Digital art, traditional art media (painting, collage, etc.) that has been scanned or photographed for print, illustrations, cartoons (single or strip) and advertisements.
News Photo: Photo of hard or breaking news only. Photo must be timely to the story it accompanies.
News Feature Photo: Any photo that is not timely or hard news. This can include portraits, event coverage (pep rallies, theater productions, etc.) or studio photography.
News Sports Photo: Any photo that relates to sports or sporting events. This can include game coverage, portrait or feature sports photos.
LITERARY MAGAZINES
Cover Design: Cover design for one single issue of a literary magazine. Each cover is considered a separate entry. Must be one single page.
Fiction, Long: Fictional, single-spaced stories up to 5 pages. ANY CONTENT AFTER 5 PAGES WILL NOT BE JUDGED.
Fiction, Short: Fictional, single-spaced stories 2 pages or under. ANY CONTENT OVER TWO PAGES ENTERED IN THIS CATEGORY WILL NOT BE JUDGED.
Creative Writing, Non-Fiction: Submissions for this category must be based in some factual event, person or idea. Any writing falling outside of these categories should be submitted to fiction, long or short. Stories should be no longer than 2 single-spaced pages. This category includes humor, drama and essay pieces.
Poetry: Poems should be 2 pages in length max and demonstrate some identifiable form of meter or prose. Poems should be submitted in the format they are meant to be read (i.e. spacing, line length, etc.).
Photography: Photos can be landscape or portrait orientation, and should ideally be edited in some way. Photographs should be original ideas and convey some form of artistic manipulation.
Single Art Piece: Art pieces can be of any media or size. Please submit the PDF of the art within the context of the publication it appeared in (i.e., the spread, cover). Artists may include a brief (no more than 1 paragraph) artist statement explaining their work or thought process. This statement must be included in the PDF submission, not sent separately.
Photography Portfolio: Portfolios must contain a minimum of 5, but no more than 8 pieces of work. Portfolios should represent the student’s best works and must have appeared in print. Photographs should be original and edited in a creative, non-news style.
Art Portfolio: Portfolios must contain a minimum of 5, but no more than 8 pieces of work. Portfolios should represent the student’s best works and must have appeared in print.
Poetry Spread Design: Spread design must be between 1-2 pages and make sense in the context of the poem it is accompanying.
YEARBOOK
Cover Design: Can be the front cover only or front and back outside covers.
Academic Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and feature classroom, career building or instructional content.
Student Life Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and feature student-centric events, themes or activities.
Organization Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and feature established student organizations.
Sports Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and feature sports-related games, activities or events.
Class Section Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and feature organized student headshots.
Division Pages or Spread: Spreads must be one single page or 2 consecutive pages and not contain any of the above content. Pages must be transitional only.
Sports Photo: Photos can be landscape or portrait in orientation and must capture a sporting event or activity (athletes, faculty/staff or students).
Feature Photo: Photos can be landscape or portrait in orientation and must tell a story. Photos should not just be any regular capture, but be well-planned and executed. Composition should be thought-out and subject matter must fall outside of day-to-day activities and stories.
Advertising Section: Can be senior advertisements, local advertisements for business or advertisements for the school. Please submit NO MORE than 2 consecutive pages; each page after 2 must be considered a separate entry.
Copywriting Portfolio: Portfolios must contain a minimum of 5, but no more than 8, individual stories. Stories should be thoroughly copy-edited for grammar and word usage, as well as tell a riveting story. Submissions for this category must be different from the Caption Writing Portfolios, although they may be from the same spread or section.
Caption Writing Portfolio: Portfolios must contain a minimum of 5, but no more than 8, individual captions. Captions should be thoroughly copy-edited for grammar and word usage, as well as tell a riveting story of the photo(s) they are describing. Submissions for this category must be different from the Copywriting Portfolios, although they may be from the same spread or section.
WEBSITES
If a web story appeared in a print publication or has been submitted for a print category, the story MUST be altered for best journalistic web practices (shorter, include interactive or engaging elements, etc.).
News Story: Your typical, hard or breaking news story. Must be written in third person.
News Feature Story: Any story that does not fall under hard or breaking news. These can be soft news stories, profiles, event coverage, or issue stories. Feature stories may be hard news, but they must contain additional elements that separate them from traditional hard news stories (in-depth interviews, more descriptive language, longer form, etc.). Must be written in third person.
Sports Story: Your typical hard or breaking sports story. This can include game coverage, season wrap-ups, etc. Must be written in third person.
Sports Feature Story: Any story that does not fall under hard or breaking sports news. These can be soft news stories, profiles, or industry issue stories. Sports feature stories may be hard news, but they must contain additional elements that separate them from traditional hard news stories (in-depth interviews, more descriptive language, longer form, etc.). Must be written in third person.
Web Columns & Editorials: Columns must be personal opinion pieces written by three or fewer writers. Columns can be weekly features (dating column, fashion column, sports column, etc.), reviews (movies, albums, restaurants, etc.) or editorials. Editorials may be one writer or have a staff byline.
Web News Photo: Photo of hard or breaking news only. Photo must be timely to the story it accompanies.
Web Feature Photo: Any photo that is not timely or hard news. This can include portraits, event coverage (pep rallies, theater productions, etc.) or studio photography.
Web Sports Photo: Any photo that relates to sports or sporting events. This can include game coverage, portrait or feature sports photos.
Web Art: Digital art, traditional art media (painting, collage, etc.) that has been scanned or photographed for print, illustrations, cartoons (single or strip) and advertisements.
Web Design and Navigation: Overall ease-of-use and layout will be considered in this category. Please only submit the URL for judging (may be in a Word doc or PDF).
*Please note Web Design and Navigation is different than Overall Web*
BROADCAST
News Anchor: Anchor must present news topics only. Clips or segments must be a minimum of 1 minute, but NO longer than 5 minutes total. May submit for single anchor or co-anchors.
Sports Anchor: Anchor must present sports topics only. Clips or segments must be a minimum of 1 minute, but NO longer than 5 minutes total. May submit for single anchor or co-anchors.
News Story: Submissions should cover timely and hard newsworthy topics. Clips or segments must be a minimum of :30 seconds, but NO longer than 3 minutes total. Entries will be judged on quality of the script, use of B-roll and cleanliness of audio and visual elements.
Sports Story: Submissions should cover timely and hard newsworthy topics. Clips or segments must be a minimum of :30 seconds, but NO longer than 3 minutes total. Entries will be judged on quality of the script, use of B-roll and cleanliness of audio and visual elements.
Feature Story (news and sports): Submissions include anything outside of hard news coverage (feature profiles, restaurant reviews, fun events, etc.). Clips or segments must be a minimum of :30 seconds, but NO longer than 3 minutes total. Entries will be judged on quality of the script, use of B-roll and cleanliness of audio and visual elements.
Creative Video: Creative videos can be fiction or non-fiction but must be presented in an artful or non-traditional reporting format. Videos must be a minimum of :30 seconds, but NO longer than 3 minutes total. This category includes, but is not limited to: commercials, creative short films, sketches, experimental video productions or sports hype videos.
Directing: Clips or segments must be a minimum of 1 minute, but NO longer than 5 minutes total. Submissions should demonstrate well-planned shows and concise story-telling.
Editing and Videography: Clips or segments must be a minimum of 1 minute, but NO longer than 5 minutes total. Submissions should demonstrate clean transitions, color correcting, high quality audio and sound, steady camera shots and angles, and smooth production.
PODCASTS
Podcast episodes must be a minimum of 10 minutes, but NO longer than 20 minutes. Submissions may be segments of shows or entire episodes as time restrictions allow. Podcasts should deliver content through engaging and well-spoken hosts, cover timely or newsworthy topics, and must have been published on a school’s media platforms. There can be one or multiple hosts.
Please only submit the URL for judging (may be in a Word doc or PDF).
SOCIAL MEDIA
Posts and content may be from any acceptable and widely used social platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), TikTok, Reels, etc.). Please only submit content from your official school’s social media accounts, not from personal accounts. All pages must be public.
Single Post: A single post entry must demonstrate clear audience interaction and include insight data for engagement. Posts should have a clear point or message. Can be a screenshot (PDF or .jpg) or a URL link (Word doc or PDF).
Social Video: Videos should be a minimum of :10 seconds, but NO more than 1 minute. Videos should be appropriate for a wide audience, well-edited and present a clear point of view or message. Do not submit click-bait videos, such as hauls. Please only submit the URL for judging (may be in a Word doc or PDF).
Page/Channel Development: Overall ease-of-use, cleanliness and page/channel layout will be considered in this category. Please only submit the URL for judging (may be in a Word doc or PDF).
OVERALL PUBLICATIONS
Schools are limited to only one submission per category. This entry should reflect the publication or production’s best and highest quality issue, edition, episode or segment.
Overall Print News: This category judges one specific issue of an entire print news publication. Judges will consider writing and grammar, editing, photography, design and layout, and overall attractiveness and excellence of the publication.
Overall Literary Magazine: This category judges one specific issue of an entire literary magazine publication. Judges will consider quality of writing and grammar, editing, photography, design and layout, art, and overall attractiveness and excellence of the publication.
Overall Yearbook: This category judges the entirety of the previous year’s yearbook (for example, the 2023-2024 yearbook would be entered for the 2025 competition). Judges will consider theme, design and layout, quality of photography, quality of writing and editing, and overall attractiveness and excellence of the publication.
Overall Website: This category judges the entirety of a media publication’s website. Judges will consider ease of navigation; layout and design; story, photo and video choice; copy editing and grammar, and overall quality and excellence of the website.
Overall Broadcast: This category judges the entirety of one single broadcast up to 30 minutes. Judges will consider quality of reporting and story choice, presentation of anchors, quality of sound, editing and graphics, and ease of transition between segments and/or clips.
Overall Podcast: This category judges the entirety of one single podcast episode up to 30 minutes. The submitted episode will be judged on story topic, host presentation and interactions, and professionalism of production. This category only takes into consideration the actual episode, not any additional art, shorts or other multimedia components.
Overall Social Media: This category judges one overall channel of a media publication or production. For example, The University of Alabama may choose to submit its Instagram page for judging, even though they also have a Facebook, X and TikTok. Judges will consider the quality of content for all posts up to six calendar months prior to competition; ease of navigation; page and audience interaction; and overall cleanliness and excellence.