Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Why is the deadline for newspapers and magazines June 16th?

To permit timely returns of Medalists critiques, it is essential to have all newspapers and magazines submitted in June. We have more adviser-judges available to complete an evaluation at this time. We encourage yearbooks to submit their edition as soon as it is printed. The sooner we receive it; the sonner we can get it to an adviser-judge. Late summer and fall delivery yearbooks have until October 15th to send in their publications.

How do we get our publication evaluated by the CSPA?

Join as a Regular Member. Enter your newspaper, magazine or yearbook by completing the Membership Form [click here]. Make sure you check off the appropriate box on the form to indicate that you want Regular Membership.

How long is my membership for 2008-2009?

CSPA membership runs from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009 for both Regular and Associate Members. The first service provided to members is to evaluate their publication from the prior academic year (2007-08). This gives the staff a "baseline" to start their desired improvements during their membership year (2008-09).

If we don't want an evaluation this year, can we still be CSPA members?

Yes, by choosing an Associate Membership for your student newspaper, magazine or yearbook. You’ll receive all CSPA benefits except the written evaluation contained in a CSPA Critique booklet and a Medalist certificate. When you complete the Membership Form [click here], Make sure to check off the box on the form to indicate that you want Associate Membership.

We read about your 2008 Crown Awards. When are entries due for 2009 CSPA’s Crown Awards?

CSPA dates its awards by the year in which they are given. If your newspaper, yearbook or magazine was published during the 2007-2008 school year, it should be entered during 2008 for the Crown Awards that will be announced in March 2009. Enter now for those awards, using this form. Deadline: October 15, 2008.

What do we send for Crown Awards consideration?

For Regular Members: send a second set of newspapers, a second copy all magazine issues published for the year or a second copy of the 2008 yearbook. For Associate Members: send one set of copies of the publication.

Can we enter just the Crown Awards, without getting an evaluation, this year?

Yes, by entering as an Associate Member and then submitting your publication with your membership form and fee.

How is the judging for Crowns different from the publication evaluation?

The Crown Awards require a different judging process from the Medalist critiques. Crown Awards are judged at Columbia by panels of invited judges, working as a group to review each publication. Publications are judged on design, photography, concept, coverage and writing. These are the principles that organize our Fundamentals books and are the same categories that form the sections of the Critiques, used in our Medalist evaluations. The standards are the same across the board, but how they are applied differs from one process (Crown Awards) to another (Medalist critiques).

Is there a critique done for the publications when they are judged for Crowns?

No, for the Crown judging, there is no critique. As a group, the judges for Crown come to consensus on publications receiving a Gold or a Silver Crown. That's what we have the scorebook-based critiques. These critiques (filled with written commentary by an individual adviser-judge) provide the Medalist ratings based on a point score.

Do the Crown judges compare the critique scores when they judge Crowns?

The Crown judges do NOT have access to the Medalist ratings or point scores. The Crown process is more of a "holistic" approach to judging the entire publication, as an informed reader would do. The Medalist process is a detailed "dissection" of the publication, and the completed results are returned to the school with the judge's commentary written alongside the printed judging standards.

Are the Crowns judged at the same time as the critiques?

No, the two judgings are completed on separate schedules and in separate locations. The Crowns are done at Columbia in a jury style of judging with books, papers or magazines laid out on tables for the judges to consider.

The Medalist critiques are done by a single judge, using standard Critique scorebooks and common instructions, but working independently at home. The critique gives a single adviser-judge an opportunity to measure one book against the standard criteria while praising specific strengths and noting specific weaknesses. The Crown judging lets a group of judges consider a whole publication and compare it against other publications of similar type.

Do the Crown judges separate colleges/universities, high schools and middle/junior high schools?

The judging panel does judge each group separately. Colleges/universities form a separate group as do middle/junior high schools and high schools. All publications are compared against other publications from the same type of school or college.