Contest Guidelines For all

Entrants may submit in multiple areas, but only one entry per person in each area. Entries from previous years are ineligible.

Contest Area guidelines and criteria

Short film

Guidelines:

• Film must be 7 minutes or less,
• Must be uploaded to a video-sharing site like YouTube:  attach the link; do not send the video as an attachment

Criteria for judgment: 

• Creative elements
• Technical elements
• Theme/storytelling

Coordinator: Prof. Frances Roberson (froberson@atu.edu)

 

Newspaper article

Guidelines:

• Article can be news, sports, feature or opinion

Criteria for judgment:

• Lead: Lead is original and fits well with the rest of the article. It invites readers into the article and does not mislead readers.
• Focus: Focus of article is clear. Everything contributes to the article’s overall angle.
• Organization: Article is strongly organized with clear transitions and logical connections that create a sense of being tightly woven together.
• Writing style: Writing is strong and effective with a variety of sentence structures. Article is tightly written and utilizes active verbs and vivid word choice. Article demonstrates original writing. 
• Mechanics: Article is free of grammatical, spelling, word usage and punctuation errors.

Coordinator: Prof. Tommy Mumert (tmumert@atu.edu)

 

Photograph

Guidelines:

• Photos can be color or black & white.
• Image size limited to 10MB (physical photo size is at the discretion of the photographer)
• Photo must be shot during the current academic year.
• Editing and image cropping are not allowed:  the image must be presented as it was originally taken with the camera.

Criteria for Judgment:

• Focus
• Composition
• Creative approach to subject

Coordinator: Dr. Hanna Norton (hnorton@atu.edu)

 

Short play

Guidelines:

• Plays should be 20 pages or fewer

Criteria for judgment:

• Structure
  • Is there a beginning, middle, and end?  Does the main character change in some way?
• Creativity
  • How is this play somehow unique?
• Stageability
  • Could this play be acted out at most high school or college theatres?

Coordinator:  Dr. David J. Eshelman (deshelman@atu.edu)

 

Short speech

Guidelines:

• This speech will have a “Tell Us About Your Hobby” theme. 
• Write and present a short (2 – 3 minute) speech about your favorite hobby.

Your speech should have:

• An introduction where you tell us your name, what grade you’re in, your school, your hobby, and how long you’ve done this hobby.
• A body where you tell us what your hobby entails and why you like it.
• A conclusion where you sum up your speech.
• You should practice lots so that you sound poised, confident, and enthusiastic about your hobby.

Criteria for Judgment:

• Organization of your speech
• Verbal Delivery (enthusiasm, volume, articulation, and rate)
• Non-Verbal Delivery (gestures, facial expressions, and how well you use a prop that relates to your hobby)

Coordinator:  Dr. Virginia Jones (vjones7@atu.edu)

 

TV News Package

Guidelines:

• Package length must be :45 to 1:30
• Package must include voice-overs, soundbites, and b-roll
• Must be uploaded to a video-sharing site like YouTube:  attach the link; do not send the video as an attachment

Criteria for Judgment:

• Camera:
  • Focus, white balance, exposure, framing, audio, shoots b-roll from varying angles and focal lengths.  
• Script Writing:
  • Reporter tracks include a lead (current situation or problem), background information (the “why”), supporting facts or details, and future developments (what’s next). Clear story angle. Soundbites are short and give perspective or opinion.
• Editing: 
  • Uses b-roll that matches script. Uses Nat sound. Avoids jump cuts and frames of black. 

Coordinator:  Prof. Christie Kellar (ckellar1@atu.edu)

 

Yearbook Spread

Guidelines: 

• Spreads should be 1-2 pages from a previous or upcoming yearbook, all the student’s own work.

Criteria for Judgment: 

• Layout and design
• Photography
• Headlines/captions
• Relation to yearbook theme

Coordinator:  Prof. Megan Toland (mtoland1@atu.edu)

** Prizes will be awarded to the entries that meet criteria, as determined in the sole discretion of the competition organizers.  The organizers reserve the right not to award a prize in any category if, in their judgment, no entry meets the criteria for award in that category.