To: Current CoSIDA members
Fr: Wade Steinlage (William Penn College), CoSIDA Stabley Writing Contest Chair
Re: CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest submissions accepted through Feb. 24
A reminder to all CoSIDA members that the Writing Contest Committee currently is accepting article submissions to the CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.
In our profession, we are called upon to use our writing skills each and every day and we create tremendous stories that captivate our audience. It is a major aspect of our job and an aspect that we take very seriously. For all of our hard work to recognize others, aren’t we deserving of some recognition as well??
Categories have changed a bit and now include the following five:
1) Event Coverage
2) General Feature
3) Coach/Administrator Profile & Historical Feature
4) Athlete Profile
5) Blog/Interview
We encourage you to submit as many stories as possible with the maximum of three (3) per category. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Best of luck!
Wade Steinlage
CoSIDA Fed Stabley Sr. Writing Contest Chair
Sports Information Director
William Penn University
201 Trueblood Avenue
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
The Contest
The CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest is open to all members of CoSIDA and is the only contest sponsored by CoSIDA that does not discriminate because of budget, athletic competition level, or size of staff. All entries are considered to be on a level playing field. The Contest is comprised of five categories (athlete, general, coach/administrator/historical, event, and blog/interview). Members may submit up to three stories per category.
Entries
1. All dues-paying members of CoSIDA are encouraged to enter the contest. Non-members of CoSIDA who work in a sports information/media relations capacity (graduate assistants, interns, student assistants and volunteers) are invited to submit stories as long as each entry is sponsored by a dues-paying member of that office.
2. Entries must come from a campus publicity office, a conference office, or a sports governing body that deals directly with college athletics. The stories must have been generated through the normal daily role of the office.
3. Entries must be postmarked no later than Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 to be considered for the 2010-11 contest (again, members may submit up to THREE entries per category). Entries must have been written/published between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.
4. For the first time, to save paper and money, EMAILED ENTRIES WILL BE ALLOWED.
5. An original version of the story, from the actual publication, must be submitted along with THREE photocopies of the story. The contest name must appear on the outside of the envelope. Raw manuscript (on institutional letterhead) or internet version of an article is acceptable for stories that were generated but never appeared in a printed medium.
6. Entries must be in prose form. No game notes, fact sheets, etc., may be submitted.
7. A copy of the entry form must be attached to your original, but not to the photocopies.
8. Entries will be judged on overall writing style, correct use of English, inventiveness, written presentation and the ease with which the reader acquires the information. Story layout and design are not factored into the judging process, although typographical errors may be counted against the story in the overall judging.
Judging
All entries shall be forwarded to a district representative, who will gather a panel of three judges. The stories will be judged by category only, with the top story in each category at the district level being forwarded to a national panel of judges.
The national judges will select the top story in each of the five categories and then they will determine the overall “National Story of the Year”. All of the national category winners will receive a 5x7 plaque, while the overall story of the year will receive an 8x10 plaque. All district winners that did not receive national recognition will receive certificates.
District coordinators reserve the right to re-classify an entry if it is not submitted for the proper category. Coordinators may also request additional writings samples from an entrant.
Writing Contest Entry Form
The entry blank is available above (in word doc and PDF format) as well as from a district coordinator. Be sure to use one entry blank per story, and remember to attach it to your original entry only, not the photocopies.
Any questions may be directed to your district coordinator, or to:
Wade Steinlage, Contest Chair
William Penn University
201 Trueblood Avenue
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
(641) 673-1025
or
Mark Adkins, Vice Chair
Norwich College
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663
(802) 485-2160
Where to Send Entries
Note which District your state falls in, below. These ARE NOT NECESSARILY the same districts as CoSIDA's Capital One Academic All-America program districts.
District 1
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec)
Scott Pettus
Northeastern Oklahoma State University
603 N. Grand Avenue
Tahlequah, OK 74464-2399
(918) 458-2071
District 2
(Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia)
Matt Jones
Delta State University
PO Box A-3
Chadwick-Dickson Field House
Cleveland, MS 38733
(662) 846-4284
District 3
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia)
Tom Schott
Purdue University
Room 15 Mackey Arena
900 North University Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1790
(765) 494-3145
District 4
(Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee)
Tim Brennan
Salisbury University
Attn: Athletic Department
1101 Camden Ave.
Salisbury, MD 21801
District 5
(Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Manitoba, and Ontario)
Joe Guistina
Lycoming College
700 College Place
Williamsport, PA 17701
(507) 321-4028
District 6
(Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas)
Mike Falk
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew Street
Allentown, PA 18104
(484) 664-3232
District 7
(Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alberta, and Saskatchewan)
Hillary Haynes
Nichols College
Center Road
PO Box 5000
Dudley, MA 01571
(508) 213-2352
District 8
(Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, British Columbia, and Yukon)
Darlene Camacho
Columbia University
Mail Code 1914
3030 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-2535