Chapter Competitions
Entrants || Judges
|| STACIEs || Winners
|| Dates/Locations || Contacts
|| Competition Help
Entrants' Overview
All technical communicatorsstudents, workers,
STC members and non-membersare eligible to enter the annual
Online Communication, Technical Art, and Technical Publications
competitions. This is an opportunity to be recognized for the excellence
of your work. The competition judges provide valuable peer reviews.
Winning an award is not only personally satisfying but provides
the thrill of being able to tell your manager or client that the
piece you produced was recognized by the Society for Technical Communication.
Who is Eligible
You may submit entries if you are a technical
communicator or a student of technical communication. You do not
have to be a member of the STC. You may enter as an individual or
on behalf of a group or subordinate. When you fill out the online
entry form, you must confirm that the owner of the work provides
permission for entry and public display of the work.
Entry Rules
The following rules apply to all competitions:
-
Entries must be in English and must contain
sufficient technical, scientific, medical, or similar content
to qualify as "technical" communication.
-
Entries must have been produced after September
1, 2007.
-
Although student entries are welcome at the
chapter level competition, and will be judged alongside all
other entries, they are not eligible to move on to the international
competition. All entries in the international competition must
meet the publication acceptance criteria.
-
Within a single category, only one entry from
the same contributors and from the same parent organization
may be submitted, except when the entries are on significantly
different topics. Entries that substantially duplicate other
entries are not eligible.
- Entries must have been originally prepared
for a client, employer, or publisher (except student entries)
and must have been accepted for publication (print or electronic).
-
Entries may not have been entered in any previous
STC competition unless substantial changes have been made since
the prior entry.
-
Entries must be suitable for public display.
Entries that contain classified or proprietary information or
that violate copyright laws are not acceptable. It is the responsibility
of the submitter, and not of STC, to determine that entries
do not contain classified or proprietary information and that
the holder of all copyrights has granted permission for the
entry's submission. Neither the STC nor anyone associated with
the competitions can be held responsible for loss of or damage
to an entry.
Registering Entries
See Entrants'
Registration for details about how to enter the competitions.
Sample Entries
Many prospective entrants have asked to see samples
of award-winning entries. We thank the companies that were willing
to allow us to share their entries with you. Please remember, though,
that each entry is judged on its own merit. Do not try to assess
from looking at these samples how your entry might fare. Also, remember
that whether or not your entry receives an award, you will get valuable
written feedback from the judges.
Award Winners from the Technical Publications Competition
Click the following links to view the sample described:
What About PDFs?
Many of you deliver your work in Adobe's Portable
Document Format (PDF). You can enter PDFs in the Technical Publications
Competition. Submit your entry to the Online or the Technical Publications
competitions, depending on how the entry will be used.
If your entry is designed to be used primarily
as an online application, submit three CDs as described for other
entries to the Online Communication competition. Enter it in the
Reference category. If the file is designed to be printed, deliver
three printed copies to the Technical Publications competition.
Your entry will be judged according to the criteria of the competition
you entered it in; no special considerations are given to PDF files.
PDFs in the Technical Publications Competition
If you enter a PDF in the Technical Publications
Competition, how you print or copy the PDF document can make a difference
in how your entry is judged. To present your PDF entry in the best
light, follow these tips for submitting the entry:
-
Print the PDF on the same size paper as designed
in the file.
-
Print the PDF double-sided.
-
If the page size is not 8.5 x 11, avoid scaling
the page to fit on letter size paper. Print it on the exact
size paper, or trim after printing (scaling usually adversely
affects the quality of the output).
-
If you use color, print the PDF on a color printer,
or make sure that any color elements look presentable and professional
when printed in grayscale.
-
Make sure the printed pages or copies do not
have streaks, spots, smudges, or other artifacts from the printer
or copier.
-
Bind the document neatly and professionally.
What can you enter in the Online Technical Publications
Competition?
Anything that conveys technical information via
electronic media within certain guidelines and exceptions. Here's
a rundown:
- PDFs
PDFs that are primarily inteded to be viewed online
of have interactive features, such as linked tutorials, supporting
Web sites, interactive forms, etc., may be appropriate to enter
in the Reference category. Review the descripton for the Reference
category to determine whether the entry fits in it.
- Online Help
This is the classic Online Competition entry. MS
Windows users can click on Help from the Start menu to see an example.
- Other Media
Interactive media, videos, and HTML-based content
can all qualify for entry into the Online competition as long as
the entry presents technical information. This does not preclude
entries whose primary purpose is to persuade or sell; however, we
will judge the entry only on how well the technical information
is presented and conveyed.
We understand that the lines between persuasive
and informative content can often be quite blurry, and that advances
in presentation technology can make finding the distinction even
more challenging. We are striving to keep up with these changes,
and to move and grow our competition with the times.
|