At The West Volusia Beacon, we believe in fostering the next generation of journalists in our community and sharing the importance of journalism. In 2024, we will be launching our first annual journalism competition for students. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in April. There are four categories, outlined in detail below.
2024 rules & regulations
DEADLINE: The website for award submission will be closed at 5 p.m. EST April 1, 2024. The deadline will not be reopened.
ONLINE ENTRY: All entries are submitted using Google Forms. You can find the form here.
Please contact Elliana Dix with any questions at elliana@beacononlinenews.com.
ELIGIBILITY: Entries must have been written between April 12, 2023, and April 12, 2024. The contest is open to middle-school, high-school, college, and home-school students in Volusia County. Applicants cannot have had a work published in an official publication. Student publications are acceptable.
ENTRY FEE: There is no entry fee for this contest.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Finalists will be announced April 12, 2024. Winners will be announced at The West Volusia Beacon Journalism Conference, Wednesday, April 20, 2024, at Stetson University in DeLand. The West Volusia Beacon recognizes finalists and winners in its publication and on its websites and social media sites. The West Volusia Beacon recognizes the right to publish the entrants’ work in its print and online publications as well as on social media.
NUMBER OF ENTRIES: One entry per student (and/or media outlet) is allowed. All are encouraged to select their highest-quality work. Entries may not be submitted in more than one category.
SUBMISSION: The submission format required for each contest is indicated. In most categories, a URL link to a website or a PDF file of the printed page.
QUESTIONS: Inquiries about The West Volusia Beacon Student Journalism Competition and Awards should be directed to Elliana Dix, Development Coordinator, at elliana@beacononlinenews.com.
CATEGORIES:
Local News Story: Judges will consider the importance of the story to the community, timeliness, thoroughness of fact-finding, reporting, sentence and paragraph structure, and impact of headline and lead. Date of publication and name of writer(s). There is a limit of one entry per person.
General News Story: Judges will consider the importance of the story to the community, timeliness, thoroughness of fact finding, reporting, sentence and paragraph structure, and impact of headline and lead. Date of publication and name of writer(s). There is a limit of one entry per person.
Multimedia Storytelling: Any presentation that supports the telling of or enhances the impact of a single news story. May include but is not limited to audio, video, animation, and photography. Please provide a specific URL for all postings, including a username and password if needed. Entrants are responsible for web availability of entries between the deadline date and the following months. Incorrect URLs will not be judged. If your story is unavailable via your website by the contest deadline, you may submit PDFs or screenshots. Date of content must be verified by timestamp. There is a limit of one entry per person.
Local Feature Story: A single feature article that can be a profile or non-profile. This category is an opportunity to explore an interest in your community. Subject can be any person, place, thing or idea in your community. Judging will be based on local appeal, originality, and quality of writing. There is a limit of one entry per person.
Awards: To be determined. An awards ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20.
