College Sports Information Directors of America

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PUBLICATIONS CONTESTS GENERAL INFORMATION

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Deadline: It is simple have your entries postmarked by the due date. You have the deadlines well in advance. If it is postmarked after the date it is disqualified from the contest. No exceptions, no excuses.

Entry Forms: Entrants are required to TYPE all information. The entry forms are available in PDF and Word form at CoSIDA.com. Make sure that you type the name of your school and your name how you want it on the certificate. The coordinators have been instructed to copy the names directly on to the results sheet from your entry form.

Contest Types: If it is a sport that has its own contest then the book should be entered in that contest. If you are entering a book that does not have its own contest, then it is to be entered in the Single Sport Contest. Please make sure it is not in the new at-large category. If you are entering a book that is combined men and women you have the choice of putting the book in the sport’s contest or you can put it in the multi-sport contest. YOU MAY NOT ENTER THE SAME BOOK IN TWO DIFFERENT CONTESTS.

Divisions: We have two divisions this year – college and university. The university division is all Division I schools. The college division is everyone else. We will take books from the NAIA now as well.

How To Enter

For all contest entries, put the name of the contest, the division and district (in contests that call for it) on the outside of the envelope. All publications should be mailed to the appropriate contest coordinator. Please observe rules regarding entry blanks and deadlines. If entries are not properly entered, they will be disqualified. Three copies of each publication are required for an entry to be considered official. Programs and periodicals require three copies of three different issues from the same year.

STAPLE the completed entry form to at least one of your entries. Your CONFERENCE AFFILIATION and all other requested information must be indicated on the entry form in the appropriate places. Only dues paying members of CoSIDA may enter any of these contests.


District Breakdowns

District 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland,
Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick

District 2: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and
the District of Columbia

District 3: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia

District 4: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama

District 5: Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba

District 6: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana

District 7: Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Saskatchewan and Alberta

District 8: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, British Columbia and Yukon


Contest Rules

• Places will be awarded in each contest. Here’s the breakdown. For contests exceeding 50 entries, this same placement is used for district competition:

1-3 entries one place
4-9 entries two places
10-17 entries three places
18-25 entries four places
26-35 entries five places
36-46 entries eight places
47+ entries 10 places

• Ties are broken using the score from Judge #1.
• An entry must be submitted according to the division in which that sport actually competes. For instance, if a school is NCAA-I in ice hockey and NCAA-II in all other sports, it must enter its ice hockey in Division A and its other publications in Division B.
• All entries must be mailed to the appropriate contest coordinator. Only the entrant is responsible for assuring the entry is properly submitted.
• THE NUMBER OF NAMES ON THE AWARD CERTIFICATE IS LIMITED TO THREE. Should more than three names appear on the entry form, the certificate will be made out to the first three names listed. No additional certificates will be printed. No artists, companies or university departments other than Sports Information or Athletics will be allowed. Only SID types.
• Best Cover will be awarded in all contests (except posters).
• The SID at the school entering a guide, or the winner on the certificate must be a CoSIDA member to win an award.
• All guides produced solely by advertising agencies, graphic design houses or other companies outside of the athletic department will not be eligible for awards. An SID must have control over the publication.
• Any game program designed by an outside agency (i.e. Pro Sports, etc.) will be disqualified.

Reasons You Could Be Disqualified

1. No official entry form or improperly filled in.
2. Entry form not attached to each entry.
3. Entry postmarked late.
4. Entry sent to the wrong coordinator.
5. Entrant has not paid CoSIDA dues.
6. Entry submitted in the wrong division.
7. Entry has been totally produced by an agency, graphic house or outside entity.
8. Failure to indicate conference affiliation.
9. Not enough publications submitted for judging.

The CoSIDA Publications Committee has provided this list of contest definitions to be printed in the Digest. This should answer any questions about the contest in which your publication should qualify to be judged. Contest coordinators are not required to forward entries which are improperly entered. These entries will be disqualified, therefore please pay close attention to the guidelines and contact the appropriate coordinator if you have additional questions or if you need a clarification.

Game Programs: These are changing publications that are produced for each home game or group of home games and have a primary purpose of resale to the attending public. Programs which are produced as a single issue program to be sold throughout the season (no changing copy) should be entered in the special programs category. Three copies each of three different programs, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Conference Guides: This contest would include preseason preview and postseason review publications (not postseason tournament programs – see special programs) in all sports, but is not intended for record books or generic listings of number/record oriented material. This contest is also not intended for newsletters and other conference periodicals. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Football Guides: Three divisions are offered for football guides – Football Bowl Series, Football Championship Series and College Division. These are preseason publications that are produced once a year and have a primary purpose of providing information to the media. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Media Guide Contests: For the sports of baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, and women’s volleyball the contest is for preseason publications that are produced once a year and have a primary purpose of providing information to the media. Combined men’s and women’s publications may be entered in either that sport’s contest or the Multi-Sport Guide contest, but not both. In non gender-seperated contests, an entrant could have two entries, both of which could place in this contest. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Multiple Sport Guides: Two divisions are offered for guides or guides that include more than one sport or men’s and women’s sports of the same type combined (not necessarily a co-ed sport). These are preseason publications that are produced once a year and have a primary purpose of providing information to the media. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Posters: Five divisions (football, basketball, along with fall, winter and spring sports) are offered for posters on the university division. All of the college division posters are in one contest. These are publications which are produced to promote some aspect of the athletic program and distributed for general use by media, team members and fans or any combination of the same. This category is the one area that no grade sheets have been developed because judging becomes the singular impression provided by the poster upon the judges. Only one sample of each poster entered must be provided for the judges to consider. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest. An entry form must be attached to each poster.

Postseason Guides: Two divisions are offered for postseason books, pamphlets, guides. These are publications which are produced by an institution to provide information to the media about a season just past that has resulted in postseason play. Entries from the postseason of the previous academic year are allowed for all spring championships, which were not able to be entered in last year’s contest. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which for conference publications. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Single Sport Guides: Three divisions are offered for guides or guides which do not fit into other contest categories. These are preseason publications that are produced once a year and have a primary purpose of providing information to the media. Any NCAA-recognized sport or emerging sports that does not have a specific category would fit into this contest. A men’s and women’s combined book in an NCAA combined sport (fencing) should be entered in this category. Other men’s and women’s combined books for the same sport should be entered in multi-sport guides. Any sport which has 20 or more entries two years in a row will evolve into its own contest. A “Best In The Nation” award will be presented for each sport which has two or more entries. This award will be without regard for divisional classification. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest. Three copies of the guide, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Single Sport Programs: Three divisions are offered for programs produced in sports other than football or basketball. These are changing publications that are produced for each home game and have a primary purpose of resale to the attending public. Any sport which has 20 or more entries two years in a row will evolve into its own contest. A “Best In The Nation” award will be presented for each sport which has two or more entries. This award will be without regard for divisional classification. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest. Three copies each of three different programs, with entry forms attached to at least one (all three preferred), are required.

Special Programs: Three divisions are offered for special issue/single event publications. These are publications that are produced for special events and intended for sale or distribution to the general public. Single issue programs that cover an entire season also would fit into this category. This would apply for football, basketball, hockey, etc. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest. A copy of the program, with entry forms attached, is required.


Questions?

If you have a specific contest please contact Publications Contest Committee Chair Chad Grubbs of Hardin-Simmons University. His email is cgrubbs@hsutx.edu and his phone is (325) 670-1473.