School Bell Awards FAQ
How does one distinguish between news and features? | |
News is factual reporting of events before or immediately after they take place. Features are articles with special human interest and do not lose their reader interest if not printed at a specific time. Features are more subjective and almost always carry bylines. A popular combination is the news feature, which is a human interest story based on actual news. All news stories, features and editorials will be included in one entry. | |
Should clippings of school-related sports coverage be included in entries? | |
Routine coverage of sporting events should not be included. However, outstanding accomplishments may sometimes become news items, in which case they should be included. Such news items may appear in the news section of the paper, as well as the sports section. | |
Does the attractiveness of the entry (art work, index, binding, etc.) influence selection by judges? | |
Although attractiveness has never been responsible for winning a School Bell, every effort should be made to have a neat, attractive, well-arranged, and bound entry. | |
| Should clippings of extracurricular activities, such as 4-H meetings, club activities, and class trips, be included in entries? | |
All school/education related activities should be included. However, many times, judges comment that they like to see articles dealing with the real issues. The more a newspaper has sent a reporter into the schools, the better the coverage looks to the judges. However, continuous coverage is everything related to education. | |
| When two associations nominate the same medium, is it necessary to submit two separate entries? | |
Only one entry is necessary but both associations should submit letters of nomination. | |
| Should pictures with cutlines be included even though no article is written? | |
| Yes. | |
How important is education association coverage? | |
| All entries are judged on total coverage of education. Association coverage can be part of the total coverage. | |
| Can cartoons be considered as editorials? | |
| Yes | |
| Are bound tear sheets an acceptable entry form? | |
| No. | |
Can an individual working for a local newspaper, radio or TV station whose local story was picked up by a statewide organization, such as the wire services, be nominated in Category 11? | |
No. Category 11 is for media which produce statewide stories. | |
In radio/TV entries, can a CD/DVD with a letter of nomination be submitted in that form? | |
No. Each radio/TV entry must be inside a hard cover such as a notebook and the letter of nomination must be visible and attached inside the notebook. Do not submit the letter inside an envelope. | |
Still have more questions? Email School Bell Award Staff Liaison, A. L. Hayes | |
