2020-21 Publications and Digital Design Contest Now Open!
Direct Link To Online Awards Portal
CoSIDA.com/Awards
Program Overview
CoSIDA sponsors a variety of media guide/publication and digital design contests and an annual writing contest for its members, with every CoSIDA member at every level having the opportunity to receive recognition for his/her work. It's no small honor to earn an award since the judging is done by news media/communications professionals who use those publications in their work.
Deadline: Online submission closes at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the date of the contest’s deadline, either March 15 (ENTRIES NOW CLOSED) or April 29. Carefully check which contests have which deadlines by clicking on the "Contest Deadlines and Category Descriptions" above.
2020-21 Publications & Digital Design Contest General Information
Deadline: Deadlines are clearly marked and available here. Online submission closes at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the date of the contest’s deadline. Fall and some winter sports were due on March 15 and those entries are now closed.
The second and final deadline is April 29. Carefully check which contests have which deadlines by clicking on the "Contest Deadlines and Category Descriptions" above.
Contest Entry
Online submission is the preferred method to submit your entries. Email submissions will no longer be accepted unless under extenuating circumstances and APPROVED by the Content Committee chair.
Contests are only open to current 2020-21 dues-paying CoSIDA members.
WHY ONLINE ENTRIES ONLY? For the second year, the Publication and Digital Design contest is using an online portal for submission. The Committee is requesting all entries to be made online. With COVID and the number of coordinators and judges working remotely, as well as the added costs to mail/FedEx entries, it has been determined online entries is the best financial and time savings path for submissions. If you have any questions on this and run into difficulties, please contact the Contest Committee Chair Gene Cassell
(gene.cassell@washburn.edu).
Online submission can be found on CoSIDA.com/Awards and will utilize CoSIDA’s Awards Submission Portal with a fillable form. Please make sure you type the name of your school and your name EXACTLY how you want it on the certificate and ensure you have chosen the correct contest when submitting your entry. Again, this contest is only open to current 2020-21 dues-paying CoSIDA members.
Contest Types
37 contests are available for entrants to submit their work, including expanded infographic and video feature categories. Please read contest descriptions at the end of this document for basic information, and if you have further questions, please contact Gene Cassell (gene.cassell@washburn.edu) with questions.
At-large contests do not apply to any sport that has its own contest (football, basketball, etc.). If you are entering a guide or program that does not have its own category, please submit under single-sport (programs) or at-large (applicable season) categories. 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 – University and College. The University division is all Division I schools. The college division is everyone else, including NAIA, NJCAA, Canada, all other affiliations, and high school programs. The only Division I split applies to football guides, where FCS and FBS are separated. Click here for the District Breakdown for Publications & Digital Design Contests
Contest Rules
Review the General Contest Information and Judging Criteria document for complete rules and information.
- Places will be awarded in each contest. Here’s the breakdown. For contests exceeding 50 entries, this same placement is used for district competition. District places will not be awarded unless 50 or more submissions are entered.
- 1-3 entries one place
- 4-8 entries two places
- 9-14 entries three places
- 15-21 entries four places
- 22-28 entries five places
- 29-40 entries eight places
- 41+ 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 the university division and its other publications in the college division.
- 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 dues-paying CoSIDA member to win an award.
- All publications produced or designed solely by advertising agencies, graphic design houses or other companies outside of the athletic department will be disqualified. The SID must have control over the publication.
- Any publication submitted in the wrong division or category, or postmarked late, will be disqualified. Contest coordinators will not forward entries that are improperly entered.
National Recruiting Compliance Guidelines
Those who enter the Publications and Digital Design Contest are required to understand how the publications fit within NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA or U Sports compliance and recruiting guidelines. Each publication MUST be compliant under the rules of the governing organization of the school that is entering the contest.
Questions? Contact:
Gene Cassell, Washburn University
CoSIDA Publications and Digital Design Committee Chair
gene.cassell@washburn.edu
Riley Baker, Black Hills State University
CoSIDA Publications and Digital Design Committee Vice Chair
Riley.Baker@bhsu.edu
Past Results