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• Creative & Digital Design Contest Home
Revamped and NEW awards for 2022-23! Members, submit your best work at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/Awards. Three deadlines in 2023: Jan. 15, April 14, May 1. Check out our new awards including Photo of the Year/Photography Portfolio of the Year/Designer Portfolio of the Year.
2022-23 CSC Creative & Digital Design Contest Information
Each year, CSC recognizes outstanding work by the membership in the area of creative and digital design. Contests for 2022-23 have been revamped with new awards being offered. See below for all the details. These contests are open exclusively for current CSC members. Direct any questions to the contest coordinator or CSC Committee Chair Gene Cassell (gene.cassell@washburn.edu). See the bottom of this page for descriptions of each contest. Submit your entries at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/Awards.
| DEADLINES! Deadlines are clearly marked and all submissions must be entered in the CSC Awards Portal by the correct deadline to be considered. Take careful note of which contests fall under which deadline. The first deadline is Jan. 15. The second deadline is April 14. The final deadline is May 1. |
Contest Entry: To enter a 2022-23 creative & digital design contest, CSC members must submit materials online in the
CSC Award Portal at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/Awards.
Email submissions will not be accepted. In the online submission, please make sure to 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.
Contest Types: There are 23 categories available for CSC members to submit their work with each category split into University and College division entries for a total of 46 contests. New this year are awards for photo of the year, photography portfolio of the year and designer of the year. Descriptions for each contest are available at the bottom of this page.
YOU MAY ONLY ENTER A PIECE OF CONTENT IN ONE CONTEST. DO NOT ENTER THE SAME THING IN MULTIPLE CONTESTS.
Divisions: Separate contests will be judged in all categories in two divisions – University and College. The University division is all NCAA Division I schools. The college division is everyone else, including NAIA, NJCAA and high school programs.
2022-23 Creative & Digital Design Contest Descriptions
Posters: There are a total of two poster contests as poster contests have been combined. These are publications that 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. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Media Guides: These are publications that are produced by an institution to provide information to the media about an upcoming season. There is a contest for fall, winter and spring media guides. This contest also includes multi-sport guides as well. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Conference Media Guides: These are publications that are produced by a conference to provide information to the media about an upcoming season. There is a contest for fall, winter and spring media guides. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Game Day Programs: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for 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 that are produced as a single-issue program to be sold throughout the season (no changing copy) should be entered in the special programs category.
There must be three different versions of a series of game programs submitted or the game program will be disqualified. These are for fall, winter and spring publications. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Game Notes: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for game notes. These are changing publications that are produced for each game or group of games and have a primary purpose provide a preview of a game/match. Game notes are produced for each game throughout the season. There are three separate contests for both divisions – fall sports, winters sports and spring sports.
Three versions (updates) of each game notes entered are required for judging. Fall sports include: Football, Bowling, Cross Country, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey. Winter sports include: Basketball [W/M], Indoor Track & Field Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Rifle, Skiing, Swim & Dive, Water Polo [M], Wrestling Spring includes: Golf, Rowing, Lacrosse, Tennis, Outdoor Track & Field, Water Polo [W], baseball and softball. If your sport is not listed among the above sports, please submit to the season in which your sport primarily competes. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Postseason Guides: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for postseason books, pamphlets, or guides. These are publications that 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 could not be entered in last year’s contest. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which for conference publications.
Video Recaps: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for this video contest, where entries are focused on a match/game. All video entries must be developed
In-House and not from an outside agency and cannot be longer than 90 seconds in length.
If the entry is longer than 90 seconds it will be disqualified. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Game Day Graphics: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for this contest. There is a contest for fall, winter, spring and entries from the previous academic year are allowed for all spring championships, which could not be entered in last year’s contest. These are
In-House produced graphics (non-motion) used to promote a program or game through social media outlets.
No more than five graphics can be entered and each graphic be entered separately. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Statistical Milestone Graphics: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for this contest. There is a contest for fall, winter, spring and entries from the previous academic year are allowed for all spring championships, which could not be entered in last year’s contest. These are
In-House produced graphics (non-motion) used to promote an athlete/coach/program breaking a significant number mark in a program (number of hits, kills, points, coaching wins, program wins, etc.).
No more than five graphics can be entered and each graphic be entered separately. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Fall/Winter/Spring GIFs: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for motion graphics/GIFs. There are separate contests for the fall, winter and spring and entries from the previous academic year are allowed for all spring championships, which could not be entered in last year’s contest. These are
In-House produced
motion graphics used to promote an athlete, program, game and/or event through social media outlets. No more than four from any one sport can be entered in one of the three seasons of contests. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Video Hype/Pregame: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for this video feature contest, where entries are focused on pregame or “hype” videos. There are separate contests for the fall, winter and spring and entries from the previous academic year are allowed for all spring championships, which could not be entered in last year’s contest. These can include in-stadium/arena videos starting lineup videos. All video entries must be developed
In-House and not from an outside agency. An entrant could have multiple entries, several of which could place in this contest.
Online Magazines/Special Event Program: Two divisions (University and College) are offered for online magazines/special event programs. Defined as any program not associated with a game day program (I.E. - Hall of Fame) or an online magazine promoting the athletic department. These are publications that are produced by an institution intended for distribution to the general public and viewed through the web or mobile apps or by mail.
Photo of the Year: Any single-game photo, submitted with cutline from a sporting event submitted as a pdf file. Two divisions (University and College) are offered for the contest. A photographer must be a dues-paying member of CSC. Any photo from the 2022-23 academic year can be submitted.
Photographer of the Year: No more than 25 photos from a single photographer submitted as a pdf with one photo on a page with cutlines. Photos from the 2022-23 academic year can be submitted. Two divisions (University and College) are offered for the contest. A photographer must be a dues-paying member of CSC. Only one entry for a photographer.
Designer of the Year: Any design work of no more than 25 pieces from a single designer submitted as a pdf with one design on a page with descriptions. Designs from the 2022-23 academic year can be submitted. Two divisions (University and College) are offered for the contest. The designer must be a dues-paying member of CSC. Only one entry for a designer.
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. 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 publications contests such as media guides and game programs.
- The CSC member at the school entering a guide, or the winner on the certificate must be a dues-paying CSC 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 CSC member must have control over the design and content.
- 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.
- For the Photographer and Designer of the Year Awards … the recipient must be a dues-paying member of CSC to win the award.
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
If you have a specific contest question, please contact Publications Contest Committee Chair
Gene Cassell of Washburn at
gene.cassell@washburn.edu or (785) 969-7577.