25 Ways to Build an Award-Winning Newspaper

Rachele KanigelSan Francisco State University

kanigel@sfsu.edu

Why should you care about awards?

They•Boost staff morale•Help you get into college•Attract staffers to your newspaper•Help establish your newspaper’s credibility•May keep critical administrators at bay

To win awards you must:

•Put out a great publication•Innovate•Be a leader•Be bold and creative

and …..

ENTER CONTESTS!

1. Train your staff

• Train staffers in all aspects of putting out the newspaper -- design, photography, online, writing, reporting, editing.

• Incorporate team-building and leadership-development exercises.

2. Network with the pros

• Join professional organizations like SPJ, ACES, NAHJ, NABJ, IRE, NPPA, local press clubs and other organizations (many offer membership discounts and scholarships to students)

• Attend conventions and conferences -- like this one!

• Invite media professionals to speak to your class

3. When news breaks report it

• If you’ve got a website, use it to break news

Knight Errant, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School, St. Louis Park, Minn.

4. Have a conversation with your readers

Use your website to•Solicit story ideas•Poll readers•Get email addresses•Find out what’s happening on campus

The Kirkwood Call, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.

5. Get social

• Use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr to connect with readers, ask questions and report news

FHNtoday.com, Francis Howell North HS, St. Charles, Mo.

Harbinger Online, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.

6. Beef up your online edition

• Post Web-exclusive content• Break news online• Create photo galleries

7. Make use of new technology

• Social media• Live blogging• Multimedia slide shows• Video• Interactive graphics

8. Think about a redesign

If your paper is looking tired, consider a new look.

Look at design books, magazines, other newspapers for inspiration.

9. Take a stand • Fight -- and write -- for what you

believe in • Back up a strongly worded opinion

piece with facts• Make a compelling argument

10. Look for the unusual

Writers, photographers and multimedia producers should always be on the lookout for the fresh angle, the unusual story

Nathan Lau of San Francisco State University won a College Photographer of the Year award for this unusual sports action shot

11. Push projects

Go beyond day-to-day coverage with:• Special projects• Series• Special sections• Enterprise stories

12. Package stories well

Use:• Display type• Graphics• Sidebars • A logo• Info boxes

Striking, innovative design helped The Broadview at Sacred Heart H.S. in San Francisco win a Pacemaker award in 2012.

13. Explore deeper issues

14. Photographers: Look for the moment

• Shoot lots of images• Look for emotion• Capture special moments

2012 NSPA Picture of the Year Winners

First Place:Lauren AndersonImprints, Mesa MS, Castle Rock, Colo.

2012 NSPA Picture of the Year Winners

First Place, NewsGrace FinleyHornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.

2012 NSPA Picture of the Year Winners

First Place, Sports ReactionKate JacobsenThe Northwest Passage, Shawnee Mission Northwest HS, Shawnee, Kan.

15. Develop your talent

Don’t let your best reporters,photographers, designers, editorial cartoonists and columnists settle for being just the best on your staff.

Urge them to go the extra mile to become the best in the state -- or the nation.

16. Dare to be different

The professional press may not be able to afford to go out on a limb. You can.

Kylie Vandeven of The View, Park Hill South HS, Riverside, Mo., won first place for Page 1 Design from NSPA for this illustrated front page in 2012.

Kelsey Bell of North Star, Francis Howell North HS, St. Charles, Mo., won first place for news magazine cover for this page in 2012

17. Pay attention to ledes

Busy judges often make snap decisions in the first paragraph of a story. If your lede doesn’t grab them, they may not read any further.

18. Sweat the small stuff

Pay attention to details large and small. Misspelled words, headlines that don’t make sense and punctuation errors can put you in the reject pile before you can say “Oops!”

19. Review the competition

Look at previous winners from thecompetitions you enter. Read judges’notes. Analyze what made the winningpieces succeed.

20. If you’ve got a good story, tell it

Use personal experiences to craft compelling narratives.

Caitlin Johnson of Indiana University won a Hearst award for an opinion piece on her brother’s service in Iraq and Afghanistan

21. Speak to your audience

• Write about the issues students really care about.

• Cover your school like a blanket.

22. Plan to compete

At the beginning of each term obtain orcreate a list of the major state andnational competitions and theirdeadlines. Write the deadlines on yourcalendar.

23. Put someone in charge of contests

Make sure that a person or committee announces competitions at least a month before the deadline. Don't leave this to the last minute -- postmark deadlines are usually strict!

24. Hand out your own awards

Don't wait for the outside world to give your staff recognition. Honor your own staff. And don’t wait for the end of the term; do it weekly.

25. Enter contests

Remember, if you don’t enter you can’t win.

Contact

Rachele KanigelSan Francisco State University

kanigel@sfsu.edu