Multimedia and Broadcast Contests
Check each contest to see if it is for an individual or if a team entry is allowed. If team entry is allowed, you will need to scroll down on the NSMC registration page to see the list “Team Contests” to register students for the event.
Online Submission Requirements
- Publication Requirement for Contests 36-39: The entry must have been broadcast sometime between April of this calendar year and the submission date for the fall convention and during the current school year for the spring convention.
- Use of Outside Material for Contests 36-39: Students must provide documentation that all audio, video and photographic material included in an entry belongs to the school submitting the work. This can be done by including evidence of subscription, purchase, license agreement or contract in the YouTube or Vimeo video description of your entry or by emailing it to Broadcast Coordinator A.J. Chambers, MJE. Failure to do so will result in no award and disqualification. (Example: Big Horns Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music)
For ALL ONLINE SUBMISSION CONTESTS:
- Use this link for specific submission instructions for preparing broadcast contest entries. For questions contact staff@jea.org or A.J. Chambers
- Do not enter videos with a link to a shared Google Folder.
- Entrants must attend a two-hour group critique. Entrants who do not attend the entire critique will be disqualified.
- No entry may have been submitted for a previous JEA contest.
- If an online submission entry is by a team of two students, each student must be entered in the contest and pay, but only one team member is required to be in attendance at the convention at the critique session.
36: BROADCAST NEWS STORY (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Students enter as individuals or in pairs.
Total Running Time (TRT) 1:30 to 5:00 minutes. A news story shows a clear reliance on the news values of timeliness, proximity, conflict, impact and prominence.
A package is a prerecorded story containing (usually) a reporter’s voice-over, videotaped shots and sound bites.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Adherence to broadcast style (short sentences, present tense, conversational, clear). Contains all the necessary information and exhibits news judgment. Video sound bites are well-shot close-ups, relevant and interesting. A variety of shots are used and are steady and in focus. Editing is free of glitches and jump cuts, and natural sound is used effectively. Overall, the script and video complement each other, telling the story in an interesting and informative manner. The voice-over is effective and delivered with clarity. Time limit is met + or – 3 seconds.
37: BROADCAST SPORTS STORY (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Students enter as individuals or in pairs.
Total Running Time (TRT) 1:30 to 4:00 minutes. Broadcast sports stories may be focused on a news event and be timely stories that address serious topics related to athletics. For example, these may include investigative reports about facilities, drug use, injuries, budgets, scholarships, rules and regulations, etc. Or, the story may be a feature that covers sports-related people, art or culture. This may include profiles, reviews or other sports stories related to community events, figures or places.
A package is a prerecorded story containing a reporter’s voice-over, videotaped shots and sound bites.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Adherence to broadcast style (short sentences, present tense, conversational, clear). Contains all the necessary information and provides a new perspective. Video sound bites are well shot close-ups, relevant and interesting. A variety of shots are used, steady and in focus. Editing is free of glitches and jump cuts, and natural sound is used effectively. Overall, the script and video complement each other, telling the story in an interesting and informative manner. The voice-over is effective and delivered with liveliness and clarity. Time limit is met + or – 3 seconds.
38: BROADCAST FEATURE STORY (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Students enter as individuals or in pairs.
Total Running Time (TRT) 1:30 to 4:00 minutes. A broadcast feature story is one that covers people, art or culture. This may include profiles, reviews or other stories related to community events, figures or places.
A package is a prerecorded story containing a reporter’s voice-over, videotaped shots and sound bites.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Adherence to broadcast style (short sentences, present tense, conversational, clear). Contains all the necessary information and provides a new perspective. Video sound bites are well shot close-ups, relevant and interesting. A variety of shots are used, steady and in focus. Editing is free of glitches and jump cuts, and natural sound is used effectively. Overall, the script and video complement each other, telling the story in an interesting and informative manner. The voice-over is effective and delivered with liveliness and clarity. Time limit is met + or – 3 seconds.
39: BROADCAST COMMERCIAL/PSA (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Students enter as individuals or in pairs.
Total Running Time (TRT) must be exactly 30 seconds or 1 minute. The piece entered must be produced for school announcements or TV programs. Commercials should publicize school events, activities and social functions. PSAs should attempt to shed light on an issue or situation of importance to teens.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: A strong overall impact is critical. Judges will watch for solid videography; editing, audio, graphics/effects and pacing will all be considered. Content material should be accurate and appropriate to the message being delivered. Entries must not exceed either the 30- or 60-second maximum length.
40: VIDEOGRAPHY (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Individual entries only.
Total Running Time (TRT) 1:30-2:00 minutes. When NSMC registration opens, a theme will be released via social media, email distribution lists and online at jea.org. Contestants must shoot a video essay addressing some aspect of the topic. It is up to each entrant individually to decide the way in which they present the broad topic provided.
No interviews may be included. This is a story told by video and natural sounds ONLY. NO MUSIC TRACKS SHOULD BE USED — including recording someone singing as anything more than a short clip of NAT sound. Use of any stock footage or earlier recorded footage is not permitted.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: The judges will evaluate overall videography skills displayed including, but not limited to, creative angles, sequences, use of proper technique, ability to utilize natural sound, development of a story line addressing the general topic and the overall impact of the piece. Time limit is met + or – 3 seconds.
41: PODCAST (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
*Students enter as individuals or in pairs.
Total Running Time (TRT) 5:00-10:00 minutes. When NSMC registration opens, a theme will be released via social media, email distribution lists and online at jea.org. Students will produce a scripted podcast following the contest theme provided. Upload the podcast to a preferred hosting platform (e.g., SoundCloud, Podomatic, Anchor, Podbean, etc.) and provide a link. Be sure the podcast is set to public.
Reminder: Do not use copyrighted sound effects or music in the podcast, unless they fall under limited fair use exceptions. So, either do not use any sound effects or music in the podcast, create your own using instruments or audio editing software, use copyright-free, royalty free or items in the public domain.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: The judges will evaluate originality, creativity, clarity, journalistic value, technical value and adherence to the time limit.
42: VIDEO PACKAGE EDITING
*Individual entries only.
Students entering this contest will be evaluated on their ability to edit video and audio in their creation of a news package. JEA will provide a collection of video/audio clips for contestants to choose from. Clips will include interviews and b-roll. Contestants will download all of the clips, choose what elements to use in the final product, edit using their own equipment and submit the exported final package to the judges. The total time allowed for the contest including giving the instructions and downloading materials is three hours.
The final TRT is to be 1:30. Entries outside +/- 3 seconds of the required time will be disqualified.
Students may not receive help from anyone and must work in the contest room. Do not add any additional video or sound. Name keys or lower thirds may be added using their school’s standard graphics.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: All video editing equipment (laptop with video editing software, extension cord, headphones, etc.) Be sure the laptop has enough memory to download a number of video clips, edit the material and export the video. Bring an external hard drive if necessary.
SUBMISSION NOTE: When the entry is complete, it must be exported as an .MPEG4, MP4 or .MOV file and named with the Contestant ID ONLY. Contestants should remain in the room until the judge has the entry saved, and is sure it opens and can be viewed by the judges.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Attention-grabbing introduction; effective use of interviews; transitions that move the story along; storyline is effectively developed; structure is well thought out; b-roll that supports interviews; effective use of natural sound; editing free of glitches; time limit is met + or – 3 seconds.
43: ONLINE NEWS PACKAGE
*Students enter as individuals or in a team of no more than three students.
Students will create a multimedia news package and post it to their own school’s news website. Only students may post the material, so they should come prepared for the contest with the knowledge and appropriate passwords to do so. No tech support will be available in the contest room.
The comprehensive online news package should include a main story with photo(s) that are captioned and credited, and two or more of these or similar elements: audio, infographics, interactive reader feature, links to related information, pull quotes, sidebar, slideshow, social media coverage, video (b-roll/nat sound), video story package (no more than 3:00 TRT).
Note: This is an all-day event. See the convention program or app for the specific time and place for the morning orientation meeting. At the orientation, teams will receive the specific topic and then have between three-four hours to gather information for the online package and then about three hours to edit, post and submit the assignment.
This contest may require students to leave the convention hotel to compete. They will be accompanied by JEA contest chaperones, but not directly supervised the entire time.
Deadlines will be enforced so plan accordingly. Problems with technology will NOT be an excuse for missing the deadline. Do not wait until the last second to post material. The entry must be posted to the school’s website by the deadline, and a Google Form must be completed. A link to the form will be provided by the lead judge. Only students entered in the contest can produce the video/photo/copy etc. for the entry.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: All hardware/software needed for producing an online multimedia package (laptop computer, power cords, cameras, memory cards, memory card readers, video cameras, digital recorders, power strip, microphones, tripods, headphones, editing software, etc.)
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR:
Overall Content: Overall package includes the required content and provides comprehensive look at assigned topic; goes beyond the text to enhance reader’s experience; video/audio is used for impact and enhances story content; each element is captioned and credited as needed; package includes multiple layers of coverage beyond just text and photos; use of elements beyond the main story (photos, videos, pull-quotes, polls, etc.) that promote/enhance story content and prevent long blocks of text.
Broadcast Conventions: Steady camera work; editing free of glitches, jump cuts; interesting, focused and varied shots; sequencing is logical; video/audio is good quality following appropriate broadcast conventions (b-roll, interviews, sound quality, lighting, framing); general broadcast style evident (short sentences, present tense, conversational tone).
General Conventions: Written material follows AP style; contains few convention errors (spelling/grammar); copy focuses on a clear, interesting, central, specific angle; copy illustrates overall mastery of journalistic writing (accuracy, balance, clarity/conciseness, objectivity and timeliness); copy effectively considers audience interest; answers all important five W’s and H.
Package Presentation: Content is accessible and easy to navigate; text formatted with no large blank spaces, missing paragraph breaks, strange fonts, odd symbols, etc.; photos display at a proper resolution & proportion, are not oddly cropped and do not show up in the story more than once.
44: BROADCAST ANCHOR
*Individual entries only.
All contestants will attend a brief, orientation meeting in the morning to get assigned times for receiving the contest prompt, reporting to finalize/practice their script and competing live for the judges. Each contestant will have the same amount of time to compete.
Contestants will write and read a script that must include an introduction, three stories and a sign-off. Contestants will be evaluated on the ability to develop that script from the information provided as well as the ability to “report” on a convention-related story based on a topic they are given.
The anchor report will include three total stories. Every contestant will be given three sets of notes. From those, they will choose two to use in the report. For the third item, they will only get a convention-related topic, and will have to go and get information (facts/quotes) to write a story to include in the final script.
Contestants will receive the contest prompt with the story notes and topic at the time they are assigned in the orientation meeting.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Note-taking materials (pencil/pen, notebook), timing device. Students may use a watch with a second hand, a stopwatch or a mobile phone switched to airplane mode. The final script may be written on paper or on a device such as a laptop or tablet.
Note: A countdown clock will be provided in the contest room, but there will NOT be a teleprompter. Students may use their own teleprompter app or website on their own device.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: *This is an anchor contest. Judges always lean toward performance and ability to deliver the news. Professional dress is expected.
Script: Evidence of good news judgment; relevant 5 W & H information selected; strong angles presented; strong reporting of additional story; catchy, attention-grabbing lead; strong introduction; creative angles featured; details, word choice convey story with clarity; relevant quotes/paraphrased information used and attributed correctly; does not include reporter opinion; stories are balanced and avoid bias; correct broadcast style used (short, present-tense sentences are conversational and written for the ear); strong closing; overall a well-developed script.
Performance: 1:30 time limit met (+ / – 3 seconds); smooth transitions between stories; maintains eye contact; appropriate voice tone and inflection; professional delivery; strong on-camera presence and poise.
45: BROADCAST NEWSWRITING
Students will be given five recent articles from national and/or local sources that a news anchor would read without video or as a voice-over while viewers would see the shots of the event in progress. The news story must be based only on the materials provided. Total Running Time (TRT) 1:30. Follow additional directions given on the prompt sheet and by the lead judge.
Contestants must use a MINIMUM OF THREE stories in the final script; they do not need to use all of the provided stories, but may use all of them if you choose. Prioritize stories according to news value. Begin with an introduction, such as, “I’m AJ Chambers, and this is your morning news update.” Finish with some sort of closing, such as, “That’s a brief look at news. I’m AJ Chambers reporting.”
SUPPLIES NEEDED: 8 1/2-by-11-inch lined paper, pen, timing device. Contestants may use a watch with a second hand, a stopwatch or a mobile phone switched to airplane mode.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: News content is accurately conveyed; script exhibits good news judgment; relevant, important information selected; catchy, attention-grabbing lead; strong introduction; creative/strong angles featured for each piece presented; relevant quotes/paraphrased information used and attributed correctly; details and word choice convey each story with clarity; stories include all important 5 W’s and H; does not include reporter opinion; stories are balanced and avoid bias; includes clear, logical transitions between stories; correct broadcast writing style used (short, present-tense sentences are conversational and written for the ear); broadcast includes a strong closing; overall a well-developed script; sequenced appropriately; uses proper grammar; when judges read script, it meets the time limit (1:30 + / – 3 seconds)
46: BROADCAST PACKAGE
*Students enter in teams of two students
Note: This is an all-day event. All contestants must attend a brief, orientation meeting in the morning where they will be given the story package topic. Then they will have about four hours to gather information for a story package and then three hours to edit the material and submit the assignment. See the convention program or app for the specific time and place for the orientation meeting.
This contest may require students to leave the convention hotel to compete. They will be accompanied by JEA contest chaperones, but not directly supervised the entire time.
Total Running Time (TRT) for the entry is 1:30.
Deadlines will be enforced so plan accordingly. Rendering and copying is part of the process and will not be allowed after time has expired. All editing must be done in the contest room with no outside help from the adviser or other students. An additional room will be available to record voice-over.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: All hardware/software needed for producing a broadcast package (laptop computer with USB port, power cords, video cameras, memory cards, memory card readers, power strip, microphones, tripods, headphones, editing software, etc.)
SUBMISSION NOTE: Entries will be collected by the judges on a flash drive. When your entry is complete, export it and save as an .MPEG4, MP4 or .MOV file and name it with your Contestant ID ONLY. Teams should remain in the room until the judge has the entry saved, and is sure the submission opens and can be viewed by the judges.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Demonstrates effective broadcast style: short sentences, present tense, conversational; necessary and interesting information selected; includes facts that support assertions made; includes an effectively developed storyline; script and video combine to tell the story; all segments are on topic; includes strong organization including an attention-grabbing introduction; includes relevant and interesting sound bites; ambiance of event/location captured effectively with b-roll, natural sound; includes interesting and informative voice-over; includes correctly framed and focused close-ups; evidence of good editing, free of glitches and jump cuts; demonstrates effective use of pacing and transitional elements; meets the time limit (1:30 + / – 3 seconds)