:: Category 03: Newspaper/Newsmagazine Feature Writing ::
Nature of the contest
You will listen to or watch a presentation — possibly an individual who qualifies as the subject of a feature article — of no more than 30 minutes. After a 15-minute question-and-answer period, you are to write a feature story according to the instructions given by the moderator. You will have 70 minutes to write, rewrite and complete the final entry. The final copy should not exceed 350 words.
What the judges will look for
Attention-grabbing leads; feature style as opposed to news style; colorful details; use of direct quotes and anecdotes with substance; copy that appeals to the readers’ interest; emotional impact of copy; accuracy; completeness; elimination of extraneous material; elimination of libelous statements; skills in the areas of grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.
Materials provided by WJEA
Fact sheet, assignment sheet, rule sheet, final copy cover sheet, extra writing paper, paper clips
Materials which contestant must provide
Pens, pencils, eraser, scratch paper, print or electronic dictionary, thesaurus, AP Stylebook
Tips
Do...
- write your contestant number on each page of your entry;
- write legibly;
- clearly indicate paragraph indentations;
- use AP journalistic style for copy editing, grammar, capitalization, etc.;
- prepare entries according to specifications on fact sheet and instructions given by the moderator;
- ask the moderator any questions.
- turn off cell phones and pagers.
Do not...
- Do not write your name or your school’s name on your entry.
- Do not leave the room until you have turned in your entry.
- Do not bring samples into the contest room.
- Do not bring food or drink into the contest room.
- Do not talk to other contestants.
- Do not bring a typewriter or computer into the contest room (separate electronic spell checkers and dictionaries are allowed).
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