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Categories and Guidelines
Copy Editing: Students will be provided a story that contains errors of judgment, facts, AP style and grammar. Participants will be asked to edit a story for AP style, spelling and grammar, brevity, correctness, cliches, one word or two, getting words in the right order, punctuation, as well as sexism and racism. In addition, participants will be asked to answer a brief current events quiz on state, national and international news. Entrants may bring reference books with them; no reference books will be provided. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Entertainment Writing: When they register, students in this event should pick up a fact sheet and assignment. At the competition site, entrants will be allowed to bring in only notes and ancillary material (i.e., no complete stories). (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Photography: When they register, students should pick up a feature photo assignment sheet for a story they will cover on deadline. This category requires that students use a camera with a removable memory device. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Feature Writing: When they register, students in this category should pick up a sheet containing a feature story assignment that they will research prior to the designated competition time. At the competition site, participants will be allowed to bring in only notes and ancillary material (i.e., no complete stories); students will have one hour to compose stories on campus computers. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
First Amendment Writing: Students will have one hour to write an essay responding to a specific question or situation. The question or situation will be provided at the time of competition. At the contest site, entrants will be allowed to bring in only notes and ancillary material. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Page Design (Newspapers): Students will be positioned at campus computers with InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator software and will have one hour to design a newspaper section based on instructions provided. Students will have one hour to lay out a tabloid-sized newspaper page using InDesign CS. Stories and art will be provided for importation onto the page. Cutlines will be provided; however, students must write their own headlines (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Page Design (Magazines): Students will be positioned at campus computers with InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator software and will have one hour to design a magazine section based on instructions provided. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Media Ethics: One- to three-member teams will review an ethical scenario and spend an hour writing an essay on what their response to the situation would be. (Limited to first 15 teams.)
Media Law: Media law explores First Amendment issues related to the gathering and dissemination of information by the press through a study of the cases and legal principles established to protect freedom of the press and further the public’s right to know and individual rights of freedom of expression. Students will take a one-hour 100-question multiple-choice, true-false test on media law.
News Writing: Students will be positioned at campus computers and will have one hour to write a news story from facts and/or events that will be presented to them at the time of competition. Students may bring reference books with them; no reference books will be provided. (Limited to the first 15 entrants)
Public Relations: One- to three-member teams will study a fact sheet of a company/organization and a small budget for a PR campaign. They will then spend one hour writing a short report describing a proposed campaign and how to spend the money. (Limited to first 15 teams.)
Sports Writing: Students in this category should pick up instructions at registration. (Limited to first 15 entrants.)
Television Newscast/Anchoring: Students will be given a budget of news stories from which they will assemble a short segment that could be part of a local TV newscast. This category will showcase contestants' news judgment, broadcast writing skills and proficiency before a camera. Entrants will be taped reading from hard copy. (Limited to first 10 entrants.)
Radio Newscast/Anchoring: Students will be given a budget of news stories from which they will assemble a short segment that could be part of a local TV newscast. This category will showcase contestants' news judgment, broadcast writing skills and proficiency before a camera. Entrants will be taped reading from hard copy. (Limited to first 10 entrants.)
Editorial Cartoon – students will be given subjects/issues to choose from to draw an editorial cartoon. They will have one hour to complete the assignment.
Multimedia Package - Because of the time constraints, there will be no on-site competition in the multimedia category. It is not possible to conduct a competition with multiple teams in this category in just a couple of hours. SEJC will continue to work on ways to make this a competitive category in future conferences.
However, we are looking for 10 individuals to take part in a multimedia training session that will take place during the time when others will be competing in other on-site category competitions.
Students who choose to participate in this session will learn some of the basic storytelling tools used in multimedia journalism. Using some work that is pre-produced, students will learn how to edit and upload a video story, produce a Soundslides audio/photo slideshow and will learn how to use basic mapping tools to create an interactive, multimedia Web package.
This session is best suited for beginners with little to no experience in multimedia journalism, but who would like a primer on steps every student journalist can take to move their student media operation from print to online.
The session will be taught by Dr. Ralph Braseth, director of student media at the University of Mississippi and Mr. Arvinder Kang, director of media technology at the University of Mississippi. Limited to 10 participants.