Elements of the Contests
The UIL sponsors five journalism contests - News Writing (45 minutes), Feature Writing (60 minutes), Editorial Writing (45 minutes), Headline Writing (30 minutes) and Copy Editing (15 minutes). Students compete at the district level, and then the top three places advance to regionals. From regionals, the top three places advance to state competition.
UIL Journalism Handbook
The purpose of the UIL’s journalism program is not so much to train students to become professional journalists but rather to stress writing and higher order thinking skills.
Journalism Contest Sample Prompts
Editorial WritingEditorial writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on mechanical and stylistic precision, news judgment, and the ability to think deeply, to compare and contrast and to argue or defend a point of view persuasively.
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Feature WritingFeature writing teaches student to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly, and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on the same writing skills as other UIL Journalism Contests, as well as the ability to write descriptively.
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Headline WritingHeadline writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on the ability to discern key facts and to write with flair and style in order to tell and sell a story.
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News WritingNews writing teaches students 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.
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Copy EditingCopy Editing teaches student the vital skills of proofreading and editing to create accurate, clear and succinct writing. Emphasis is placed on the ability to find and correct grammatical, spelling, punctuation, AP style and factual errors.
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Visit the UIL Website for more resourcesThe UIL Journalism page has overviews, study materials and judging criteria for all the contest. Information will be located in the right margin.
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