Fall Fiesta Contests

Printable PDF GENERAL GUIDELINES Advisers of competitors must be members of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators at the time of pre-registration. Only one entry per school per contest except for uploaded contests and Yearbook Theme Package contest. Participants should arrive at their contest site 10 minutes prior to the start of the competition. Arrivals after the designated starting times...

Advisers of competitors must be members of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators at the time of pre-registration. Only one entry per school per contest except for uploaded contests and Yearbook Theme Package contest. Participants should arrive at their contest site 10 minutes prior to the start of the competition. Arrivals after the designated starting times will not be allowed to compete....

News Writing (Live Interview) Contest Overview Contestants will write a news story based on a set of notes compiled from background information and a live interview. The contest will be two hours long. Students may use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest. Checklist • Lead includes the most important ...

Contestants may be given a fact sheet which includes background information. Participants will conduct a live interview. In the two-hour competition, writers must write a feature story. Contestants may use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest.   Checklist • Lead catches the reader’s...

Students will write an entertainment review based on a performance. Each reviewer will form his or her opinion on the performance. Contestants may use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest. Checklist • Includes background. • Answers the appropriate question: “Is it worth what I’d have...

Within the two-hour contest, writers will take a set of notes compiled from a live interview and will write a sports feature. Students may use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest. Checklist • Lead showcases the most important aspect of the story idea. • Content reveals the writer’s...

Contestants may be given a fact sheet and will conduct a live interview. Students will determine which side of the issue to take and write an editorial. Students may use a dictionary and/or thesaurus. Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest. Checklist • Lead states the writer’s viewpoint. • Writer’s arguments are logically...

From a presentation, students will write a printed script in broadcast news style. Judges will evaluate by reading aloud. Total running time for the script is 90 seconds (5 second leeway given). Students using computers must save their entries as PDFs and have them completely printed by the end of the contest. Checklist • The story follows appropriate broadcast journalism style. • Intros and closings...

Contestants will have an hour to write headlines to specified counts for six printed stories and record answers on provided answer sheets. (Contestants may use only blank or plain lined paper for scratch paper.) Headlines can be written upstyle, downstyle, or in block letters, but contestants should remain consistent in style. Headlines do not end with periods. Students may bring and use a thesaurus,...

Designers will create one feature spread as either a broadsheet feature page or a tabloid double page spread for a specified topic. A week before the convention, contest materials will be on the TAJE website, taje.org, for contestants to download. Students must upload a completed PDF to tajecontest@gmail.com before the convention and bring a printed copy of the design to the contest. Checklist • Feature a domina...

Designers will plan a front page for a school newspaper. A week before the convention, contest materials will be on the TAJE website, taje.org, for contestants to download. Students will download a list of stories, art and photos of varying importance, sizes and lengths, and each designer will choose which to use. Students will build a nameplate from materials provided. Students must upload a completed...

Illustrators should bring pencils, pens and 8 1/2 X 11 illustration paper and/or board. Based on a live interview, artists will prepare an editorial cartoon which captures visually the position or statement expressed. Illustrations must be in black & white. The contest will be two hours long. Checklist • Visual message is simple and clear. • Artistic techniques are obvious, well-defined and developed. •...

Students who plan to use computers should bring a computer. Printers will be provided, but students may wish to bring their own printers. Photos will be on flash drives for these students. Templates will be in InDesign, but no software will be provided. Entries must be saved as PDFs and completely printed by the end of the contest. A team of two contestants will be provided a fact sheet from which...

Beginning designers will create one double-page layout for a specified section of the yearbook (theme, student life, academics, etc.). A week before the convention, contest materials will be on the TAJE website, taje.org, for contestants to download. Designers will select as many photos as they wish, crop and place photos. Students must upload a completed PDF to tajecontest@gmail.com before the convention. Students...

Advanced designers will create one double-page layout for a specified section of the yearbook (organizations, sports, individuals, specialty section, etc.). A week before the convention, contest materials will be on the TAJE website, taje.org, for contestants to download. Designers will select as many photos as they wish, crop and place photos. Students must upload a completed PDF to tajecontest@gmail.com...

Advertising designers will conceive, write and design an advertisement which includes the name of the business and essential information about it as well as its relationship to student readers. A week before the convention, contest materials will be on the TAJE website, taje.org, for contestants to download. Copy and headline size, placement of copy, headline(s) or catch phrases/slogans and illustrations...

Students will create an online package and post it to their own school’s website. Students will receive a contest topic and instructions and will then have five hours to complete their package. Contestants should post all content themselves and should have all passwords necessary to post to their site. Assistance posting to the contestant’s website will not be available. No other outside help...

Newspaper: Photographs must have appeared or will appear in the newspaper from Nov. 1, to Oct. 1, of the current school year. Yearbook: Photographs must have appeared in the most recent volume or will appear in the next volume of the yearbook. Photography Portfolio: Students should enter at least three but no more than five photos. Photographs must have been taken between Nov. 1, and Oct. 1, of the...

Students from the newspaper, yearbook or literary magazine staff can submit entries. Newspaper entries must have been published or will be published from Nov. 1, to Oct. 1, of the current school year. Yearbook and literary magazine entries must have appeared in the most recent volume or will appear in the next volume. Checklist • Photo shows attention to substantial content and detail. • Phot...

Students will submit ONE portrait photograph that has been published in their scholastic media within the last year or that will be published this year. It must not have been entered in a previous TAJE competition. The photograph should be a portrait, either a formal portrait or an environmental portrait, taken by the entrant. Checklist • Imaginative subject matter. • Technical quality and excellence. •...

Only students in their first year of any journalism, photojournalism or media class are eligible for this competition. Contestants will submit ONE photograph that has been published in their scholastic media within the last year, or that will be published this year. It must not have been entered in a previous TAJE competition. The photograph should be taken by the entrant and may be of any subject...

Categories and Criteria COMMERCIAL/PSA - 15, 30 and 60 second spots - to be judged all together. These should advertise a real product or service, promote a real or nonprofit organization or educate the public on an important cause. NEWS STORY - single story FEATURE STORY - single story SPORTS STORY - single sports story All video contest entries must be uploaded in the following manner: Videos ...

Photographers will have three hours to shoot specific assignments around the hotel in five categories. Schools are limited to six photographers total. Contest entries should clearly fit category. Images will be uploaded. Students need access to a laptop to turn in entries. Contestants will email their chosen photos to the web address given to contestants at the beginning of the contest. Students MAY...

Schools may enter three students. Students will be given four categories and will enter two photographs from any of the four categories. They can only enter two photos total. They will have two and a half hours to shoot and upload photos. Contestants will email their chosen photos to the web address given to contestants at the beginning of the contest. Students will be allowed to edit their photos...

Teams of 3-5 students using a single digital camera will go in search of photographs near the convention hotel. Teams will be given a list of items to photograph worth different point values. A maximum of 20 images will be submitted by each team, and the team with the highest point total will be named the winner. All photos must be taken with one camera. Rules For All On-Site Photo/Broadcast Contest...

Entries will be submitted on a SD card or flash drive in an MPEG4 or MOV file. Videographers will be given a topic by the contest moderator in which to tell a video essay. No interviews are allowed. All work is done in-camera. Video essay should address the topic and pay attention to sequencing. Story should be told only through video and sound. Contests are done by a single student; each school may...

Students will edit on their own equipment in teams of two. Each team will shoot and edit a complete broadcast feature story. All editing must be done with no outside help from the adviser or other students. The contest topic will be given at a brief meeting at the start of the contest. Entries will be submitted on a SD card or flash drive in an MPEG4 or MOV file. Any rendering or exporting should...