News Writing (UIL contest)

Last updated

News Writing is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League, and one of four in the Journalism category.

Contents

News Writing is designed to test students' ability to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly, and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on mechanical and stylistic precision, lead writing, use of direct and indirect quotes, and news judgment.

Eligibility

Students in Grade 9 through Grade 12 are eligible to enter this event.

Each school may send up to four students.

News Writing is an individual contest only; there is no team competition in this event. However, the school with the best performance in the four journalism categories (Editorial Writing, Feature Writing, Headline Writing, and News Writing) is given a special team award.

Rules and scoring

Students have 45 minutes to complete the contest; a time signal is given when 15 minutes remain.

Students are given a prompt and they are to respond with a news story. Students are given the option of either handwriting the story or using a computer (a portable printer is required).

The judging criteria are as follows:

All papers are read and critiqued, with the top six papers ranked. There are no ties.

Determining the Winner

The top three individuals will advance to the next round.

As the top six papers are ranked 1-6, there are no ties.

For district meet academic championship and district meet sweepstakes awards, points are awarded to the school as follows:

List of prior winners

2008

1A2A3A4A5A
1st Place: Erin Holland1st Place: Sarah Williams1st Place: Crystal Castro1st Place: Bethany Johnsen1st Place: Michelle Ward
2nd Place: Stormie McClurg2nd Place: Kaitlyn Hale2nd Place: Kristi Barrett2nd Place: Sarah Mills2nd Place: Rheanna English
3rd Place:Allyson Hochstein3rd Place:Kembra Gerner3rd Place:Jessi Taylor3rd Place:Jennifer Reel3rd Place:Karen Evans
4th Place: Ryland Darilek4th Place: Nick Loftis4th Place: Jessika Street4th Place: Alyssa Lopez4th Place: Erin Jentz
5th Place: Kelsea Urich5th Place: Katdie Norton5th Place: Dillon Fisher5th Place: Susan Xie5th Place: Taylor Jackson
6th Place: Hannah Jones6th Place: Brad Strickland6th Place: Lindsay Grossman6th Place: Luis Cordero6th Place: Erin May

2007

1A2A3A4A5A
1st Place: Dustin Schulte1st Place: Lauren Stewart1st Place: Matthew Hadley1st Place: Jennifer Reel1st Place: Walter Fick
2nd Place: Christina Soto2nd Place: Paige Cole2nd Place: Dawn Lipscomb2nd Place: Kylie Morrison2nd Place: Katy Turner
3rd Place: Emily Carson3rd Place: Kembra Gerner3rd Place: Britany McCraw3rd Place: Ahmed Mabruk3rd Place: Kristen Ditmore
4th Place: Lindsay Martinez4th Place: Nick Loftis4th Place: Kaycie Smith4th Place: Kelsey Jarzombek4th Place: Roman Flores
5th Place: Whitney Baker5th Place: Alyssa Word5th Place: Ashley Overstreet5th Place: John Dunavant5th Place: Kristen Lawrence
6th Place: Shayli Whitaker6th Place: Ashley Yeaman6th Place: Jennigale Webb6th Place: Claire Klimko6th Place: Lauren Winchester

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Academic Decathlon</span> Annual high school academic competition

The Academic Decathlon is an annual high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). The competition consists of seven objective multiple choice tests, two subjective performance events, and an essay. Academic Decathlon was created by Robert Peterson in 1968 for local schools in Orange County, California, and was expanded nationally in 1981 by Robert Peterson, William Patton, first President of the new USAD Board; and Phillip Bardos, Chairman of the new USAD Board. That year, 17 states and the District of Columbia participated, a number that has grown to include most of the United States and some international schools. In 2015 Academic Decathlon held its first ever International competition in Shanghai, China. Once known as United States Academic Decathlon, on March 1, 2013, it began operating as the Academic Decathlon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Interscholastic League</span> Regulatory organization in Texas, U.S.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organization of its type in the world.

Impromptu speaking is a speech that a person delivers without predetermination or preparation. The speaker is most commonly provided with their topic in the form of a quotation, but the topic may also be presented as an object, proverb, one-word abstract, or one of the many alternative possibilities. While specific rules and norms vary with the organization and level of competition, the speeches tend to follow basic speech format and cover topics that are both humorous and profound.

The National Forensic Association (NFA) is an American intercollegiate organization designed to promote excellence in individual events and debate. Founded in 1971, the NFA National Tournament is dedicated to a full range of literature interpretation, public address, limited preparation, and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The NFA sponsors the NFA National Tournament on an annual basis. The 2025 NFA National Tournament will be hosted by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

The Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, or TMSCA, is an organization for coaches of academic University Interscholastic League teams in Texas elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, specifically those that compete in mathematics and science-related tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas MacArthur High School (San Antonio)</span> High school in San Antonio, Texas, United States

Douglas MacArthur High School is a public secondary school on the northeast side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. The school, a part of the North East Independent School District serves students in ninth grade through twelfth grade, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. The school serves portions of San Antonio and the portion of Terrell Hills within NEISD. For the 2021-22 school year, the school was given a "B" by the Texas Education Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akins High School</span> School in Austin, Texas

Akins High School is located in South Austin, Texas, United States. The school is named after William Charles Akins, the first black teacher to work at a high school after desegregation in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Akins was established in 2000, and is the second newest zoned high school in AISD. With an enrollment over 2700, it is the 2nd largest school in AISD, behind Bowie High School. Akins High School competes in UIL 6A Conference in all athletic and academic competitions.

Current Issues and Events is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. The contest began in the 1990-1991 scholastic year, and has been conducted every academic year since then except for the 2019-2020 scholastic year, when the contest, among other UIL spring events, was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. The current state director is Bradley Wilson, PhD, a professor of mass communication at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.

Number Sense is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, using the same rules as the UIL. It is one of the UIL's oldest academic competitions: the first state title was awarded in 1943.

Calculator Applications is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in Texas, US. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, using the same rules as the UIL.

In the US state of Texas science is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, using the same rules as the UIL.

Accounting is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. The contest began in the 1986-87 scholastic year. Accounting is designed to test students' understanding of general accounting principles and practices used in the business environment.

Mathematics is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, using the same rules as the UIL.

Computer Applications is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League Computer Applications is designed to test students' abilities to use word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications software, including integration of applications. It is not the same as the Computer Science contest, which tests programming abilities.

Computer science is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League (UIL).

Literary Criticism is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League in the U.S. state of Texas. The contest began in the 1986–87 school year.

The Golden Pen Awards is the highest competition for budding writers (journalism) in both private and public schools in the Western Visayas, Philippines pursuant to the Sec. 1 Rule IX of Republic Act 7079 also known as Campus Journalism Act of 1991. The writing contest includes both students from the elementary and secondary level.

Aubrey High School is a public high school located in the city of Aubrey, Texas, USA and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Aubrey Independent School District located in east central Denton County and serves students in Aubrey and Krugerville. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

The University Interscholastic League Academic Contests, also known as UIL Academics, is a series of academic contests offered by the University Interscholastic League in the state of Texas. At the High School level, 30 contests are offered. At the Middle and Elementary School levels, 20 contests are offered. The UIL estimates that more than half a million students participate in its competitions in a given year.

References