Here's what you'll need for the contests and convention:

• The INFORMATION sheet explaining how to enter all contests and critiques.
• The list of individual CATEGORIES and what judges will be looking for in each.
• Press Day and Contest REGISTRATION form, which includes costs.
• School DATA SHEET for overall newspaper/newsmagazine entries
• INDIVIDUAL ADVANCED ROSTER listing all categories and the students who produced them
• INDIVIDUAL ADVANCED CONTEST REGISTRATION form to attach to each student's entry.
• DAY-OF registration, which includes news event, interview, commentary, photography, broadcast plus yearbook, newspaper and newsmagazine page design.

Having problems downloading these PDF files? Get a free copy of Adobe Reader by clicking here.

Need further information? Contact OSMA executive director Candace Perkins Bowen at cbowen@kent.edu or 330-672-8297

Contests 2009

To see contest results from 2009, go here

To see Day Of winners from 2009, go here

OHIO’S STATE CONVENTION
April 3 & 4, 2009

Now that three top-notch scholastic media organizations are one statewide group, you can truly compare your work to others all across Ohio. And it’s time to prepare for doing just that!

First, if your school is not a member, join OSMA now. This means ONE membership fee for all your student media, ONE chance for pre-entered competition and critiques and ONE state convention with on-site competition, awards banquet and learning sessions for everyone.

Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA) began when Journalism Association of Ohio Schools (JAOS), Great Lakes Interscholastic Press Association at Bowling Green (GLIPA) and Northeast Ohio Scholastic Press Association at Kent State (NOSPA) joined forces to provide support for student media in every part of the state and those in nearby states as well. If you belonged to one of those – and even if you didn’t – OSMA is now the place for you.

LOTS OF COMPETITION, FEEDBACK

That means bigger and better competition. You’ll find advanced contest registration information -- from individual categories to overall critique details – in downloadable form on this page. With 50 categories, there’s plenty of options for everyone – including yearbook, MORE broadcast and MORE Web news options.

All entries will be returned during or shortly after the state convention April 3 & 4, 2009. Each critique will show your strengths and the areas where you could improve. There’s no better way to end the year than receiving awards for superior, excellent and honorable mention for your work from this year – and earning ratings for overall publications. This helps you get a head start on what you can improve to be even better next year!

ONE LOW MEMBERSHIP FEE

There’s only one membership charge per school. Yes, even if you have three or four student media outlets, OSMA’s membership fee is only $75 per school for the year. That covers all contests, pre-entered and on-site, mailings, Web site information and support.

STATE CONVENTION AND REGIONAL WORKSHOPS

Plan now to attend the second annual Ohio state convention, April 3 & 4, 2009, at Kent State University. Come Friday for competition, tours and specialized sessions plus the Awards Banquet for Advance Entry and Overall Publication results plus a great keynote. Come Saturday for more than 50 sessions covering all aspects of media. Information about reduced rate accommodations in Kent will be available for those who want to stay overnight.

Friday’s events open with registration at 1 p.m. and on-site Day-of Competition beginning at 2 p.m. With expanded categories and hands-on competition, as many as 12 students per school can participate. While the competition is going on, other students can tour campus or participate in special sessions during the afternoon.

Saturday’s sessions bring you classroom and newsroom pros, sharing tips and tricks to help you with every aspect of your student media. From writing and editing to layout and design, from advertising to posting on the Web, and from still photos to videography. If you need to know about ways to communicate better with your audience, we probably will have it on our program.

Can’t come to Kent in April? Next fall you’ll have plenty of other opportunities to jump-start your programs. OSMA’s five regions will each be planning a daylong fall or early winter workshop. Watch your mailboxes for postcards alerting you to details in August or September. State conventions in the future will probably be more centrally located, but Kent State’s new journalism building was a must-see for 2009.

In fact, keep watching the Center for Scholastic Journalism Web site. You’ll find lots of useful and interesting information posted there in the coming months.
http://jmc.kent.edu/csj

WANT TO BE A CERTIFIED JOURNALISM EDUCATOR?

Consider taking the test or using journalism credits you already have to earn this Journalism Education Association designation. It’s like that Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval you can show your administrators. Check it out on the JEA Web site. http://www.jea.org/certification/cje/index.html

Let Candace <cbowen@kent.edu> know if you are interested. If we have a handful of advisers who want to take the test at the state convention, we can make that happen.