Categories of Submissions

This Web design competition includes four distinct entry categories. A site may be entered in only ONE category. As in the AEJMC paper competitions, the entrant must choose the category.

Category 1: Department or School Sites

Informative or promotional Web sites created for a college, school or department of journalism or mass communication. Only sites related to journalism or mass communication will be accepted. These may include sites devoted to a program or major within the university, college or school. The site must be designed and built primarily by the qualified entrant(s). Sites built by staff members are NOT eligible.

Category 2: Teaching Sites

Web sites created as resources to enhance or promote research or teaching. Web sites in this category may include syllabi, tutorials, study guides, presentations of research findings and journalism projects. Sites related to individual courses may be included in this category. The site must be designed and built primarily by the qualified entrant(s).

Category 3: Journalism Sites

Web sites related to the coverage of news or feature stories, including student newspaper Web sites and student journalism projects. The design and production of the site must be directed by the qualified entrant(s); the entrant’s statement must make clear the contribution of the entrant to the design and production of the site.

The Journalism category is slightly different from the other categories. The sponsoring divisions would like to recognize the top online student publications from journalism and mass communication programs—but we do not have the resources to evaluate every student newspaper Web site every year. More important, the goal of this competition is to recognize the Web design work of faculty and graduate students.

With that goal in mind, we encourage the submission of publication Web sites and journalism project Web sites with content created by undergraduate students under these conditions:

  • The entrant for the site is the faculty member (or graduate student) who directly supervised the students who created the content of the site.
  • The entrant supervised and/or directed the design of the Web site. (Design includes site navigation as well as page layout and graphics.) Alternatively, the entrant created the design entirely and/or built the site.
  • The entrant provided significant direction on the overall site structure (e.g. organization of the named sections of the site).

The entrant should describe clearly his or her role in these activities in the “Statement” area of the Site Entry form.

Category 4: Creative Sites

Web sites that explore the technical and creative potential of new media with content that does not fit into the other three categories. These sites may go far afield from traditional journalism. The site must be designed and built primarily by the qualified entrant(s).