NSPA awards ceremony

Winners of the NSPA Pacemakers, NSPA Individual Awards and NSPA Best of Show, will be honored at this ceremony at 1 p.m. Central Saturday, Nov. 21.

The ceremony is open to those registered to attend the virtual JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. The ceremony will be recorded and will be shared on the NSPA website on Monday, Nov. 23.

 

 

NSPA Best of Show competition

For a second time, the NSPA Best of Show contest will be offered virtually. The expanded competition will feature both Staff Recognition and Individual Recognition categories.

To participate, students from the student media outlet must be registered for the virtual National High School Journalism Convention.

The contest costs $20 per entry for NSPA members and $30 per entry for non-members.

Sign-up and pay for Best of Show when completing your convention registration. When this is completed, you are ready to use the new BetterBNC award platform to submit your Best of Show entries, except for yearbook submissions.

Note: Select the contest 2020 NSPA Individual Awards.
“All of Us” of Fall Convention Best of Show is the category with options 13A-13W available. All other NSPA categories are marked closed.

If your publication submitted NSPA Individual Awards this spring, you should use the same Open Call account to submit Best of Show awards. If you are using the BetterBNC site for the first time, creating an Open Call account is required and takes only a few minutes. After you are completed, NSPA must approve your account; however, you may begin submitting entries during the approval time.

DEADLINE: All contest entries must be submitted online by 11 p.m. Central Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Any yearbooks shipped to NSPA must arrive on or before Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.

Direct questions about the Best of Show competition to NSPA’s Gary Lundgren, gary@studentpress.org.

For personal assistance with the BetterBNC website, contact Cody, at 360-427-6300, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Pacific, or email cody@smalltownpapers.com.

 

NSPA Best of Show: Staff Recognition

The awards in this category are presented to the student media outlet. Only one submission is allowed in each category.

 

Yearbook

The 2020 yearbook should be entered.

If your staff has entered the 2020 yearbook Pacemaker competition, NSPA has an office copy and it can be used for Best of Show competition. A PDF file may also be submitted, but file size cannot exceed 200MG. Advertising pages should be deleted. High school yearbooks will be divided into equal categories based on number of pages. Junior-high/middle-school yearbooks of all page counts will compete in a separate category.

For yearbooks to compete in Best of Show competition, a copy must be in the NSPA office by Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Click this link for the list of yearbooks currently in the NSPA office along with shipping instructions

Submit your yearbook. 

Newspaper/Newsmagazine

Schools may enter one regular edition of their newspaper/newsmagazine in the regular and one issue in the special edition newspaper/newsmagazine category.

No edition may be entered in more than one category. Because of the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, a print newspaper or newsmagazine that was published digitally and not printed can be entered if it is shared with judges in the exact format shared with your school community (PDF posted on website or shared on Issuu).

Regular editions of newspaper/newsmagazines, published between Aug, 1, 2020, and the contest deadline, compete in one of these five categories and are submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13A. Broadsheet
13B. Tabloid (16 or fewer pages)
13C. Tabloid (17 or more pages)
13D. Newsmagazine
13E. Junior high/middle school

Note: Numbering of this convention’s Best of Show categories begins at No. 13, to match the BetterBNC award platform.

Special-Edition Newspaper/Newsmagazine

A special-edition newspaper/newsmagazine provides readers with an in-depth look into a relevant, timely and often complex topic. The best entries focus on contemporary teen and school issues covered from a variety of angles.

A special edition is a showcase for robust reporting. Homecoming, graduation and senior editions do not qualify, and a centerspread does not qualify as a special edition. A special-edition devoted entirely to COVID-19 coverage would be entered in this category.

A print special-edition newspaper/newsmagazine published digitally and not printed because of COVID-19 can be entered if it is shared with judges in the exact format shared with your school community (PDF posted on website or shared on Issuu). Special editions of newspaper/newsmagazines must be published between Aug. 1, 2020, and the contest deadline and are submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13F. Special edition

Website

An online news website actively updated throughout the current school year, competing in one of three categories and submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13G. Small high school website (enrollment of less than 1,500)
13H. Large high school website (enrollment of 1,500 or more)
13I. Junior high/middle school website (all enrollments)

Broadcast News Program

Entries consist of a single broadcast news program aired between Aug, 1, 2020, and the contest deadline.

Entries must be submitted via a direct URL (i.e., a YouTube or Vimeo link). The news program must be housed on a site or channel owned a school student media outlet and not a personal site or channel. News programs compete in two categories and are submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13J. High school broadcast news program
13K. Junior high/middle school news program

Literary Arts Magazine

The most current issue of the school’s literary arts magazine should be entered. Magazine staffs may upload a PDF or provide an Issuu link using the BetterBNC award platform.

13L. Literary arts magazine

NSPA Best of Show: Individual Recognition

The awards in this category are presented to individuals or teams of up to five staff members. There aren’t restrictions on the number of entries. All entries must be published by your student media outlet between Aug. 1, 2020, and the contest deadline and are submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13M. Editorial Leadership: This new competition, intended for individual editors not teams, requires an application submitted as a PDF file and using the BetterBNC award platform.

1. List your contributions to your high school student media program including positions held and job descriptions if needed.
2. Describe your leadership philosophy (200 words or less).
3. Describe your most proud leadership moment (100 words or less).
4. A statement of support from your adviser (100 words or less).

13N. Blog: Must reflect journalistic standards in topic, coverage and writing and should appear on your college student media outlet’s website. Submitted by URL from the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020) using the BetterBNC award platform.

13O. Podcast: Delivers relevant content through engaging audio storytelling and should appear on your college student media outlet’s website. Submitted by URL from the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020) using the BetterBNC award platform.

13P. Literary Magazine Design: Single-page or double-page spread appearing in a print literary arts magazine. Submit PDF file of the page or spread from most recent magazine using the BetterBNC award platform.

13Q. Newspaper/Newsmagazine Design: Single-page or double-page spread appearing in a print newspaper/newsmagazine. Submit PDF file of the page or spread published after Aug. 1, 2020 using the BetterBNC award platform.

13R. Yearbook Design: Single-page or double-page spread appearing in a print yearbook. Submit PDF file of the page or spread from most recent yearbook using the BetterBNC award platform.

13S. Photojournalism: News/feature photo appearing in print or online. An image file (JPG, TIF, PNG) is required along with a caption. Image should be from the current school year using the BetterBNC award platform.

13T. Broadcast News Story: Demonstrates broadcast news-gathering and reporting skills. Produced and aired during the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020). Submitted by URL using the BetterBNC award platform.

13U. COVID-19 Reporting: Reporting on the effect of COVID-19 on your student audience, news stories in this category are welcome from print, broadcast and online student media outlets. Submitted by URL for broadcast and online and PDF file for print and published during the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020) submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13V. Election Reporting: With a focus on how the 2020 election impacts your student audience, news stories in this category are welcome from print, broadcast and online student media outlets. Submitted by URL for broadcast and online and PDF file for print and published during the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020) submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.

13W. Social Justice Reporting: With a focus on equity and inclusion, news stories in this category are welcome from print, broadcast and online student media outlets. Submitted by URL for broadcast and online and PDF file for print and published during the current school year (after Aug. 1, 2020) submitted using the BetterBNC award platform.