Journalism CONTESTS

--- Writer: Rosie
--- Feel free to edit, just don't forget to attribute it to yourself. :-)

1 Division Press Conference

Who: All the schools in Mandaluyong; 3 representatives from the same school for each category. Contestants are allowed to join two categories, provided that they don't have the same schedule. (In the event that they do, don't panic. There are some ways to fix that.)

What: The usual categories... News, editorial, feature, sports, copyreading and headlining, photojournalism, and editorial cartooning.

Where: Contests are held in one of the division schools... Last year, we were the host. I have no idea where it is this year. I'm guessing Mandaluyong High.

When: Mid-school year

Why: Because it's cute? Hahaha. Just a chance to hone the writing skills of people. And kick each other's ass. How: Basically, it's the first in a series of contests, so it feels like "do or die." Don't worry though. The outcome of this does not affect the line-up for the regionals. It's done the usual way: contest then awarding.

Pre-contest Drama: Training in the school. The most relaxed training you're ever going to get.

Awards: Medals for top 3, certificates of recognition for 4th to 7th place. Certificates of attendance for everyone (yay!) and special awards for the "overall highest pointers." (Like when you join feature and editorial and you win 4th in one and 1st in the other. 07-08, sounds like someone we know, huh? Peace Ate Karen!) There is also an award for the school with the highest collective score (the higher the place of the contestants, the higher the score.)

Remarks: I know the pressure is on, but it's not that hard to win. NOT because the others are not good enough. Trust me, there are good writers in the other schools. It's because there are like 20 or so of you in each category, so there's a nice probability of winning. BUT it's not good to count on luck and chance. Praemonitus, Praemonitas. (Forewarned, forearmed.)


2 Regional Press Conference

Who: Everyone in the region. Word of caution, the people you'll see here are the best of the best. And don't be surprised at the number of people present. We're talking every school who gives a damn about journalism. And that's almost every school that ever existed. One category per person, unless there's someone brave enough to take on two.You'll be pitted against 150 people or so. I remember there's less than 1% chance of winning (wow that sounded supportive... We were so paranoid we actually computed!!! Don't emulate that. Hahaha.) It is the prerogative of the adviser as to who's going to join.

What: Same categories. There is also an election (for juniors) for the editor's guild. This is an opportunity to make friends (and/or enemies.)

Where: Some big school. I don't know. Last year, St. Scholastica's in Marikina.When: A few months after the aforementioned.

Why: To select the NCR representatives for the nationals.

How: The sports and photojournalism are held at least a week BEFORE the other categories. (This is because sports writers and photojournalists cover the same game; the photojournalists will have to be present during the contest day of the other categories, for layouting.) BRING THE SCHOOL PAPER or suffer disqualification. Usually lasts the entire day (or into the night if it's far.) Awarding is around three weeks to a month later.

Pre-contest Drama: Training in the school and training in some other places... Involves speakers, warm juice, cold sandwiches and contest-ish workshops. Before the contest itself (like an hour before) there are lectures for each category given by a member of the judges. PAY ATTENTION. It's best to cater to their preference.

Awards: Top ten for each category, top 3 get the medals and the chance to go to nationals. Certificates for 4th to 10th place. Again, everyone gets certificates of participation. (One more for your portfolio, Seniors.) Others include highest individual pointer, highest school pointer, school paper adviser of the year and the journalist of the year award.

Remarks: When you feel like "Oh my God I can't do this there are too many people and they all look like they know what they're doing," just think: Everyone's feeling that way. Just do it. No regrets. Just do your best, don't underestimate your contenders but don't overestimate them either. Each is as bad as the other.

3 National Press Conference

Who: People from all over the country... You know, the top 3s from each region. That means, 3 people for each category from every region. Now, it's not just the students, you have to deal with the teachers as well when it comes to the "social" aspect.

What: The. Biggest. Journalism. Contest. And the most fun. (I promise. It is.) And the longest. (It lasts for one school week, longer if you're unlucky with flights.) Involves planes, parades, sleeping in schools, dealing with everyone from crazy kids to overbearing adults, partying with your contenders and sneaking out in the middle of the night for campfires. Might even involve miscommunication; you never know just how many dialects there are in the Philippines until you hear them being spoken... All at the same time. There are the usual categories, and then there's radio broadcasting, tagisan ng talino, talent contest, the wikipedia online writing contest and some others I totally forgot.

Where: Some far place that would most likely involve an airplane. Last year, it was Koronadal, South Cotabato. According to the veterans, it's going to be somewhere in Visayas next. (It goes, Mindanao-Visayas-Luzon or something. I also heard that they pick the place by drawlots. I don't know how true that is.)

When: February. Word of warning... It usually coincides with "prom season," so if you get in, there's a chance you won't be able to attend. Or you won't want to. Or you will attend because of the "theory of force." Whatever. Hahaha.

How: When you get there, which depends on the available flight, you will have to go through the long and winding registration process. There are freebies, so, yay! Haha. Then you do the parade of delegates. There is no shortage of food, don't worry. The various contests go on for the next three days, then on the fourth day it's awarding. (Yes, the judging is THAT fast.) Fifth day, you can go home. If you don't want to, or you can't, you can explore the place.

Pre-contest Drama: Training in the school, and training by the NCR journalism teachers. (There's a three-day workshop in RELC, Marikina, where you start by 7 a.m and end at 7 p.m... Yep, 12 hours. For three days. They encourage you to stay in, and it's better if you do. Everything is free the food is superb, the company is likely to be great, and the acommodation is excellent. Unless you have obsessive-compulsive control freak paranoid parents, then you can't. It would seriously make you feel like you're on vacation. The downside is that they'll train you to tears.)The pre-contest training is where you'll learn where you're going, what is expected of you, what you'll go through, and it's also where you can try out for extra contests. (Remember, extra contests mean extra responsibilities AND perks. From experience, radio broadcasting is waaay fun.)

Awards: Top 7. Top three get the big-ass trophies, certificates of recognition for 4th to 7th place, and everybody gets certificates of recognition. Then there are the awards for the "extra" contests. Remarks: I don't know where to start. Hmm. Let "Praemonitus, Praemonitas" suffice for now. There are too many things to say. :-)


4 Teodora Valencia Search for the Ten Outstanding Campus Journalists and Papers (NCR level)

Who: Two people from each school, one for English and one for Filipino

What: Basically one of the biggest tortures in the history of journalism contests. There are 6 categories; news, editorial, feature, sports, copyreading, and science writing. And yes the, uh, lucky people who get picked will have to go through everything in their respective medium. That means, 6 hours of nothing but writing. The campus newspapers are also entered in the contest.

Where: Some school. Of course.

When: January.Why: To, er, award the top ten journalists in the region.

How: *My brain is going "Bad memories!!!" Hahaha. I mean, I was in major personal turmoil during this time so... You know.*
Here's the thing... You sit down, they give you two pieces of paper--one is blank, the other is your material. Then you write for whatever category. When you turn that in, they automatically give you the next two pieces of paper. And so on, until you get to the last category, by which time your hands will be aching like hell. If memory serves me right, it's more vexing than college entrance tests. Prepare pens. Seriously.

Pre-contest Drama: Oh. Heck. I can't say anything much. (Since I was warned 3 days before.) It's basically a test of versatility, and there really ain't much ways you can prepare, if you ain't already. (Translation: Grit your teeth and do it.) Training in school... You know, like div press con.

Awards: Top ten for each category. (We weren't actually present during the awarding.) I think the top three get the medals and everybody gets certificates, as usual.

Remarks: Basing things on probability, again, good chances of winning. I mean, you get 6 chances to win, and there are ten places. I think Brian (Filipino) got a 3rd and a 4th place; I got a 3rd (in science) and a 6th (in features). See. Good chances.


***BASIC ADVICE for writing contests***

Rosie says: Don't forget your PAPER. Hahaha. I swear, I was so nervous during those contests I didn't bring the paper for drafts and such. I remember during the regionals I was so spaced out that I went to the contest room with only one freaking pen. It was actually one of my most priced possessions: the white parker pen I won during the spelling contest. (See below.) Anyway. I ended up begging for paper from people I didn't know, and hoping that the pen wouldn't run out of ink. Also, MIND YOUR HANDWRITING. Some judges are picky and they don't read the article unless the handwriting is good. Not too big, definitely not too small, and always, always, legible. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Usually, they'll give you a piece of paper with everything you need to do. ("Write the title" wasn't on the instructions so I didn't... Uh, in case you have bad panic tendencies too, don't forget your title.) Oh yeah, kind of unrelated, but if you ever meet Mrs. Palanca (National Director of the Editor's Guild who resides in this region) DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS YOU ARE SPOKEN TO. Do not laugh or talk too loud in her presence, and do not, for heaven's sake under any circumstances, disobey her. Don't even look her straight in the eye when she's in a bad mood. She can make the teachers cry, people. Careful.

5 Y-JAM Spelling Bee (Division level)

Who: Schools you are very familiar with. One person from each year level, and you will be playing as teams.

What: Spelling!!!

Where: I'm guessing Kaban ng Hiyas. Or City Hall.

When: Depends on when Mr. Lito Cinco gets the funds. Haha. We joined the "1st Spelling Bee," so I don't know where to base it. It happened before the regionals though.

How: Three rounds. Yes, this is scored as a team, but the spelling is done individually.First round... each person from every year is given ten words (easy, promise. You'll stab yourself if you don't get more than seventy percent.) Then the scores are added, and the top four schools are picked out.Second round... ten words, rotation of members. It's oral. You pick out a word from a box or something, they say the word, then you spell it over a microphone. Since there are four of you, two people will spell twice. After this round, two teams remain.*I'm getting nostalgic. I was soooo proud of my groupmates!!! Haha.*Third round... The two teams go through it again. The team with the most points win.

Pre-contest Drama: Ma'am Frias gets a little carried away sometimes... Kidding! Peace ma'am! I remember spelling around 500 words during training. (After school, which meant I was excused from CAT... Haha.)

Awards: The top four schools automatically get prizes (nice, nice stuff... ) It's just a question of who gets the biggest trophy. :-)

Remarks: If you are Mico Subosa, then don't even attend the training. Hahaha. The words can be classified under "frequently misspelled by people who don't pay attention." I remember our winning word, spelled by the then Junior's representative, was "calaboose."

6 Others

...RMSEC, or Ramon Magsaysay Student Essay Contest

*The RM Awards are Asia-wide... But this is a National Contest and if you win you go up to international.Open to all students, journ students are often the most hassled to do this. It works like: pick a RM awardee, write essay, submit through e-mail. Catch: from what I know, unless you have that certain "chutzpah" that sets yours aside from the usual essays (like if you're actually a red cross volunteer yourself, if you've met the awardee personally, or if your father IS the awardee) you don't really have much of a chance. HEY. I am not discouraging you. I am tipping you. Choose your slant wisely. Wink, wink. Make it sound different.

...Y-JAM thingies

Y-JAM holds those essay contests and such, I just don't know exactly when and what they're called.

---------------------------------------Editors, add please :-). :-)