Literary Magazine Contests
19: LITERARY MAGAZINE: LAYOUT (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
Prepare materials before the convention and upload a two-page facing spread in ONE PDF to the National Student Media Contest site. The day NSMC registration opens, the contest prompt and materials, including downloadable art, for the contest will be available. Be careful not to download the material for the prior convention. All contestants must attend the mandatory critique session Friday at the convention or the entry will be disqualified.
This is a general overview of the contest. Read all the instructions/rules on the prompt carefully.
Use any software you choose to create a two-page spread for the literary magazine pages assigned on the prompt. You may design in color or black-and-white. The spread must be submitted as a two-page facing spread in ONE PDF file. Each page should be 8 1/2-by-11-inches.
Design the spread using only the material provided. Give credit on all poems and art. You do not need to include all of the items.
Choose your own design format. Create folios with page numbers. Choose any fonts and sizes that you deem appropriate. Place the titles directly on the layout. Align poems any way you choose, but do not change the poem’s line breaks from the way the author wrote it.
Crop, size and place art as you wish. You may use Photoshop or a similar program to ethically alter the images.
Remember your work is being evaluated on design and layout but proofread carefully.
REMINDERS:
- Entries that use images or material other than what JEA provides will be disqualified.
- Do not include your name or school name on the design.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Clean layout and design relating to selected copy; impact, action or emotion in design; instructions followed; positioning of copy, title, art, photos and captions in relation to each other; use of current graphic trends.
20: LITERARY MAGAZINE: POETRY
You will write an original poem of 10-30 lines for a literary magazine using the theme provided. Title your poem and clearly indicate your lines through indentation and use of margins. You are to exhibit your understanding of poetry, its conventions, punctuation and potential to create a setting, convey a tone, connect to feelings and to delve beyond the surface.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Pen (erasable ink acceptable), 8.5-by-11-inch lined paper. Optional: correction fluid, eraser, electronic spell checkers, dictionary, thesaurus, Associated Press Stylebook. If you will be using a reference application on your cellphone (dictionary, thesaurus AP Stylebook only) you must ask for permission and set your phone on the table where the moderators can see it. Online sources may be used on a cellphone to access a dictionary, thesaurus or AP Stylebook, but contestants may ONLY access specific apps designated for those purposes, not general search engines like Google or Safari.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Originality and creativity in developing theme, concise writing and word choice. Judges will consider use of concrete language, figurative language and imagery; use of literary devices (simile, metaphor, repetition); cadence, verb tense, and development of tone and mood to create an emotional impact. Few convention errors.
21: LITERARY MAGAZINE: ILLUSTRATION
You will prepare a piece of horizontal art to accompany a poem provided on the prompt for a literary magazine. You will have two hours to sketch and hand draw your final entry, which must be submitted on your own blank 8.5-by-11-inch paper. Contestants must supply their own drawing supplies and may use any medium they choose, including, but not limited to, pencil, pen, charcoal, markers, pastels, watercolors, etc.
You may use color and/or black and white. Size of art and place in relation to the copy should be considered. You may not use professional materials like art tape, screens, letters or construction paper. Entries that do not follow contest directions will not be eligible for awards.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Plain 8.5-by-11-inch paper, scratch paper, eraser, correction fluid, any art supplies including, but not limited to, pens, charcoal, markers or pencils. Color and/or black and white is fine.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Adaptation of the art to the copy; originality in interpretation that captures the spirit of the poem prompt. Students will exhibit their control of the medium, design and artistic techniques. The work is a simple, accurate design to illustrate the context of the copy.
22: LITERARY MAGAZINE: PHOTOGRAPHY
You will shoot a photograph to accompany the poem provided on the prompt for a literary magazine. You will have approximately an hour and a half to shoot and submit one image for the contest. After shooting, select ONE image to submit. Return to the contest room between 5:15-5:45 p.m. to submit the image to the lead judge or one of the other contest supervisors. You will name your image with your Contestant ID Number.
The photo can be either vertical or horizontal. This is NOT a photo illustration. DO NOT manipulate the original image. No in-camera editing of the image will be allowed, so capture a proper exposure and the crop you need when you take the picture. Photos must be taken with a traditional camera, not a cellphone. The contest focuses on your ability as a photographer. Use standard lenses and filters. Creative filters or specialty lenses should not be used.
The entry must be a single JPG (no RAW files) viewable through any standard image-browsing program. Entries will be downloaded for judging in the contest room from your camera’s SD card. If you have a different type of storage media, bring an appropriate card reader etc. so the judges can save it on their computer.
Contestants need to make sure their camera is set to the proper local time and date. Images that do not show a timestamp within the time of the contests will not be considered for an award.
Due to the nature of this contest, students are not required to stay within the convention hotel; however, students need to adhere to policies and directives from their advisers or chaperones regarding leaving the property.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Camera with SD card or another size card with a card reader/cables to transfer the image to a laptop. Photos MUST be taken with a standard camera, not a cellphone. Contestants must set their camera to the proper local time and date. Images that do not show a timestamp within the time of the contests will not be considered for an award.
WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR: Photos that demonstrate original interpretation; photograph is framed in an interesting and visually striking way; photograph demonstrates good use of composition techniques and lighting to effectively communicate the interpretation of the poem; photograph offers effective contrast, depth-of-field and tone; the subject is not cliche. The work is a simple, accurate design to illustrate the context of the copy. Photograph will be judged based on the subject composition and technical quality.