2012-2013 New Jersey
College Newspaper Contest

Sponsored by

Entry Deadline for the 2012-2013 Contest is
March 8, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

New Jersey college newspapers are encouraged to enter the New Jersey College Newspaper Contest to honor their newspapers and the journalistic writing, photography and artistic skills of their staff members.

Content of print and online college newspapers published between March 1, 2012, and February 28, 2013, may be submitted.

Every New Jersey college newspaper is emailed contest entry instructions in mid-January. If your newspaper didn't receive this email, please call New Jersey Press Foundation at 609-406-0600, ext. 13.

The email will give detailed instructions for submitting entries digitally. The contest entry deadline is March 8, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Below are the contest instructions, or you may download the PDF: Contest Rules

There are 12 individual categories and two newspaper categories. Here is the list of the categories.

Newspapers may submit three entries for each of the 12 categories for individual student work and one entry for each of the two newspaper categories – a total of up to 38 possible entries per newspaper. Each individual entry may include two examples of a student’s work. The newspaper categories – layout and general excellence – are limited to one entry each, which may include two examples.

Entry Fees: $8 per entry for 1-27 entries submitted. The maximum is $220 per newspaper, for any number of entries over 27 and up to 38. The fee is for the number of entries submitted, NOT the number of examples, i.e., two examples are allowed for each single entry.

Four-year and two-year colleges will be judged as separate divisions, with separate awards presented in each.

All entries must be submitted in digital form as PDFs of the entire printed or online pages on which articles, photographs or illustrations appeared. The newspaper entries also must be submitted as PDFs.

For details, please refer to the Entry Instructions here or in the Contest Rules.

The top editor or newspaper faculty adviser must verify that each entry follows the rules of the contest and is presented as it appeared in newspapers delivered on campus or online.

All Entry fees must be paid by March 30, 2013 to be eligible.

Winners will be announced on this website on April 4, 2013. Winners may order duplicate plaques and certificates using this form.

Award recipients will be honored at the NJCPA Spring Awards Program & Luncheon on April 20, 2013. More details below.
 

Description of Contest Categories

Overview

Preference in judging is given to entries covering local campus events and college life. Quality journalistic writing, photography, artistic illustrations and design are the primary basis for evaluating entries.

Quality of ledes, handling of quotes, background and supporting information for articles, and smooth transition of story elements are considered as part of a holistic appraisal of each writing-category entry.

The quality of the entire newspaper is considered for the General Excellence category. The judges consider the overall "look and feel" of the newspaper and how it appeals to readers. Please read the category descriptions below for additional judging criteria.

Individual Awards

A maximum of THREE individual entries per category may be submitted by each newspaper. A student may be entered once in each category. Articles written by two or more staff members working as a team will be considered as one entry. However, that doesn’t prohibit a team member from submitting a second individual entry in that category. An entry consists of up to TWO writing samples, photographs or illustrations by the same student or team. A sidebar to a story may be submitted as the second writing sample in an entry.

NEWS WRITING: Coverage of a college-related event, situation or issue qualifies as hard news. To be judged on fairness, thoroughness, local interest and style. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

DEADLINE REPORTING: News coverage of a breaking news story that happened on or near campus no more than 48 hours prior to publication. This does NOT include sports or arts events, nor planned interviews or features. To be judged on fairness, thoroughness, style and the presentation of helpful information that kept the campus community up to date. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

FEATURE WRITING: An article on a place, object or situation that is college-related and/or of special interest to students (including sports features). While the standards of good news writing apply, feature writing is judged on originality and human interest. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

BIOGRAPHY / PERSONALITY PROFILE: An article about a person or small group of special interest to students (including sports personalities). While the standards of good news writing apply, feature writing is judged on originality and human interest. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

EDITORIAL WRITING: Editorial entries should be on issues of special interest to the college or to students. Judging will be based on writing quality, depth of thought, courage, public service and persuasive ability. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

COLUMN / OPINION WRITING: A column or opinion article on an issue of special interest to the college or to students (including sports columns, but NOT including arts & entertainment or critical writing). To be judged on quality of writing, depth of thought, courage, public service and persuasive ability. Does not include editorials, which are articles that represent the opinion of the newspaper rather than the individual writer. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

SPORTS WRITING: A sports news story based on college-related sports activities. Judged on quality of writing, originality, local appeal and lack of sports clichés. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry. Please note: Sports columns must be entered in the Opinion Writing category. Sports features must be entered in the Feature Writing category.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / CRITICAL WRITING: An article that recognizes opinion writing in such areas as art, theater, movie, book and restaurant reviews. Judging will be based on technical knowledge, writing quality and local appeal to college students. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

ENTERPRISE / INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: An investigative article or in-depth report that uncovers a newsworthy happening or series of happenings on campus. The judges will consider enterprise, initiative and resourcefulness of the writer or team of writers. Two writing samples may be submitted with each entry.

GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Any photo or photo series (picture story) of college or student activities. Entries will be evaluated primarily on composition, content and local appeal. Photographs of competitive sporting events and individuals participating in competitive sporting events must be entered in the Sports Photography category. Two photo samples may be submitted with each entry.

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY: Any photo or photo series of competitive college sports. Entries will be evaluated primarily on composition, content and local appeal. Two photo samples may be submitted in each entry.

EDITORIAL CARTOON / ARTISTIC STORY ILLUSTRATION: Entries will be judged on newsworthiness, originality and artistry. If the entry relates to other content on the page it will be evaluated on how well it illustrates that content. Two artistic samples may be submitted in each entry.

Newspaper Awards

Newspapers may submit one entry per category, with TWO examples per entry.

LAYOUT & DESIGN: The layout and design of specific pages or center-spreads will be considered in this category. Major judging factors include overall attractiveness, excellence of makeup, headlines, typography, special visual and verbal aids to the reader, and use of photos, illustrations and graphics. Newspapers may submit PDF tearsheets of TWO pages or center-spreads as a single entry.

GENERAL EXCELLENCE: An overall look at the coverage, writing quality, copy editing, style use and layout in the newspaper. Judging will take local appeal, effectiveness and readability into account. Newspapers should submit PDFs of TWO different and complete issues of the paper as a single entry.
 

PLEASE NOTE …

• All entries become the property of New Jersey Press Foundation.

• The contest will be judged by active and retired editors, senior reporters, photographers and graphic artists from New Jersey daily and weekly newspapers.

• The judges' decisions are final.
   

How to Submit Entries

Entries to the New Jersey College Newspaper Contest will be submitted using a web-based program at http://betternewspapercontest.com/. For best results, Better Newspaper Contest recommends using the most recent version of Mozilla Firefox to make your entries.

Below are directions for preparing and submitting entries.
Or download a PDF of the Contest Rules and Entry Instructions.

 If you have questions or problems, please contact John O’Brien at (609) 406-0600, ext. 13 or jjobrien@njpa.org.

Username and Password: Each person submitting entries will create a unique username and password.
 

Contestant Manager: The “Contestant Manager” controls what is entered in a contest for your newspaper or website.

Important: The first person who logs into the contest and makes two entries becomes your Contestant Manager. These first two entries may be test entries. You can delete them later, after responding to the confirmation email from Better Newspaper Contest and making actual entries.

The Contestant Manager can choose to make entries exclusively or authorize others to make entries. To allow others to make entries, the Contestant Manager must create a separate account for each person.

The Contestant Manager has access to all entries submitted to a contest for your newspaper or website, and can edit, disable or delete any entry.

The Contestant Manager can access account information and passwords for every person he/she authorizes to make entries.

Authorized Entrant: Each person the Contestant Manager gives permission to make entries is an “Authorized Entrant”.

While the Contestant Manager can see and edit all of the entries and account information, the Authorized Entrant only can see and edit the entries he/she made.

Scrapbooks: Potential contestants can save their work on the Better Newspaper Contest website in their own Scrapbook accounts.

Once a contestant has been made an Authorized Entrant for a contest, he/she can upload content from his/her Scrapbook directly into an entry.

Contestant Managers do not interact with user Scrapbooks.

Start early and become familiar with the process!

We strongly recommend that you start making your entries early. Certainly don’t wait until the day before the deadline!

Step-by-step directions for setting up accounts and making entries are available on the contest website – www.betternewspapercontest.com. Under “Contestant Login”, click on “Contestant Manager Help” or “Authorized Entrant Help”.

Or use these links for PDFs of the directions:

Contestant Managers
http://betterbncsupport.com/images/ContestantManager_Instructions_4_3.pdf

Authorized Entrants
http://betterbncsupport.com/images/AuthorizedEntrant_Instructions_4_3.pdf

When setting up the Contestant Manager, if you are not ready to submit actual entries, we suggest you make two test entries to learn the process. Later, these test entries should be “disabled” so they are not part of your official entries. 

CREATING USERS AND PASSWORDS

The first person who logs into the contest and makes two entries becomes your Contestant Manager. The “Contestant Manager” controls what is entered in a contest for your newspaper or website.

Go to www.betternewspapercontest.com.

Click on “Contestant Login".

Select "Contestant Manager” and choose “NJ College Newspaper Contest 2012-13" and your newspaper’s name from the drop-down lists.

In the password box, enter the temporary password bnc (case sensitive).

Press "Login".

Enter a new private password and the contact information requested. This password will be used by only by the Contestant Manager. Press "Submit."

Submit two entries. (These may be test entries that you delete later.)

You will receive a confirmation email from Better Newspaper Contest. Follow the directions in the message. You must respond to this email to validate your account.

Once confirmed as the Contestant Manager, begin setting up “Authorized Entrant” accounts for each person who will be permitted to make entries.

To do this, go to the bottom of the “My Account” page and click on “Add More”.

Enter the information for each Authorized Entrant and click on the “Enable” box.

For step-by-step directions, go www.betternewspapercontest.com and click on “Contestant Manager Help” or “Authorized Entrant Help.”

Contest definitions

Division: a specific contest, e.g., “Individual” or “Newspaper”

Category: a specific competition within a contest division, e.g., “News Writing” or “General Photography”. Each division has a number of categories, which have specific requirements and limitations that are explained in the contest rules.

Entry: a submission in a category. Each category permits a specific number of entries. For example, a newspaper may submit two entries in the “Deadline Reporting” category, but only one in the “Layout & Design” category. The contest rules provide specific information.

Some categories require multiple examples as part of each entry, e.g., several columns as part of a writing portfolio. In this case, ALL of the examples for the entry should be uploaded in a single PDF, e.g., two tearsheets containing the columns as separate pages in one PDF. For information on how to combine multiple tearsheets into one PDF, see “Preparing your entries” on the next page.

Preparing your entries

Keep the judges happy!

Don’t make them wait for your PDFs to be displayed because a file is too large. Entries that the judges cannot view will be disqualified.

Maximum entry size:

Each entry should be less than 5 MB. Smaller is better, faster.

Eliminate extra pages. Upload only the page on which the entry is located.

For multiple-example entries, combine all examples into one PDF.

Reduce the size of each PDF.

Extract pages from multi-page PDFs:

If your entry is part of a multi-page PDF, open the PDF and save it with a new name. Open the new PDF, go to “Document” menu, select “Extract Pages” and follow the directions. Eliminate all pages that are NOT part of your entry.

Combine multiple PDFs into one

Open the PDF that you want first in your entry and save it with a new name. Open the new PDF, go to the “Document” menu and choose “Insert Pages”. Navigate to the PDF that you want next in the entry and select it. Continue until you have inserted all of your pages.

Make PDF files smaller

For printing, most newspaper PDFs include high-resolution grayscale or color images. However, contest entries will be viewed and judged on computer screens at low resolution (72–96 dpi) and in RGB color. Changing the resolution and color mode of images are the two most effective ways to reduce file size without sacrificing the screen viewing quality.

Use lower resolution

In PDFs, the text is clear regardless of resolution. Resolution only relates to photos and graphics. Reducing resolution by half can reduce an image file size by 75%. The recommended maximum resolution of 96 dpi can be enforced in your Adobe Distiller settings.

You might create an Adobe PDF Preset called “NJPA Contest” with the recommended settings, and share it with all the Contestant Managers and Authorized Users in your company.

Or simply use the “Smallest File Size” preset, instead of “High Quality Print” or “Press Quality”.

Convert images to RGB color mode

Converting images from CMYK color mode to RGB will reduce image files by about 25%. This color conversion can be enforced in your Distiller settings.

Embed all fonts

Regardless, how you make your PDFs, make sure ALL fonts are embedded. The judges will not have the same fonts as you have. If the PDF is missing fonts, your entry will not display properly.

Redistill PDFs

After making final adjustments to your PDF, redistill it to make it smaller.

Changes you made to your PDF may not yield the expected reduction in file size until you redistill the PDF. This is true even if you reduce resolution or change color mode using a PDF editor, like Enfocus Pitstop or Quite a Box of Tricks, or use the native profiling/editing tools in Acrobat 6 or later.

To redistill, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat. Go to the “Advanced” menu, scroll down to “Print Production” and select “Acrobat Distiller”. Enter the settings recommended above or choose the preset that you created and be sure that ALL fonts are embedded.

Web entries

All website entries must be accessible online to the judges.

Provide a direct URL for each entry, to a permanent location on your web server.

If a username and password are required to access the website, please enter those details in the “Comments” box on the entry page.

If the judge cannot access your entry, it will be disqualified.

Also, upload a screenshot of each entry, in PDF or JPEG format, for the slide presentation of winning entries shown during the award ceremony.

Making entries

Headline or Title of Entry

Remember that you are submitting full-page PDFs, so please make sure your titles accurately identify the items the judges need to locate on the pages!

In the “Headline or Title of Entry” box, enter the headline of the article or photo being uploaded, exactly as it appears on the page.

DO NOT use just the name of the writer or photographer.

For categories that require more than one example per entry, you may use the name of the writer or photographer if it is obvious on every example in the entry. Otherwise, list all of the headlines or titles, separated by two slashes like this:  Title1 // Title2

DO NOT use commas, semicolons, colons, dashes or single slashes to separate entry titles. Often these punctuations marks are used in headlines, but two consecutive slashes are rare.

Credits

In the boxes labeled “Who should be credited for this entry?” you can enter up to four names of people who worked on the entry.

In the box titled “First Name” list the FULL name: Joe Green

In the box titled “Last Name” list that person’s title: Reporter, Editor, etc.

If more than four people worked on the project, enter: Editorial Staff, etc.

Official Entry Form

Once you have completed the entry form, click on the “Submit” button and you will be taken to the entry verification page, titled “This Page is Your Official Entry Form.”

From the verification page, you can “Submit Another Entry”, “Manage Entries” or “Logout”.

DO NOT hit the Back button or you may eliminate this entry!

Once the maximum number of entries is reached in a category, that category is no longer available unless an entry is “disabled” using “Manage Entries”.

You may print copies of the Official Entry Form for your use, but do not send them to NJPF.

The deadline for all entries is Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

If you have questions or problems, please contact John O’Brien:
(609) 406-0600, ext. 13 ● jjobrien@njpa.org