communication department

Volume XX Number 6

Competitions

Advice for Competition Managers

By Karen Baranich, Chair, International Competitions

Has your community seen fewer entries in the International Technical Publications, Technical Art, and Online Communication Competitions in the last few years? Would you like to boost participation and income? The Florida Technical Communication Competition increased the number of entries fourfold last year, from twelve entries to forty-eight. Here are ten suggestions to make your competition successful, courtesy of Mark Hanigan of the Orlando Chapter STC.

1. Send out something tangible—such as a postcard—to announce the competition and to point to the location of your call for entries and other important information.
2. Make sure that all of your competition materials are flawless in terms of layout, content, and best practices. Include a reminder that people can enter more than one competition. Remember that there are new entry forms this year; you can find them on the STC competitions Web page.
3. Read descriptions of competition categories carefully. Make sure your competition uses the same categories and definitions as the international competitions. Some of these are changing for this year, so verify categories in the Guidelines for Competition Managers, to be posted on the STC Web site in July.
4. Solicit any chapters adjacent to yours that are not having a competition. Offer to share revenue in the form of a rebate; this will encourage more proactive support from their leadership.
5. Plan carefully if you are exchanging entries with another chapter. Remember to factor shipping costs and time into your plans. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what each chapter expects to contribute and receive. Put your agreement in writing.
6. Try to assign each judge no more than three to five entries, depending on entry size. Train your judges well, make sure they understand the process, and tell them to provide substantive comments on the judging forms.
7. Price the competition so that it generates revenue for the chapter, taking into account all of the expenses associated with it. Remember to adjust fees if necessary to cover the $125 per entry necessary to send Distinguished entries to the international level.
8. Involve as many volunteers as possible in the process—many hands make light work! When asking someone to volunteer, do it personally—either face to face or by telephone—and privately so that the person is not put on the spot in front of others.
9. When asking someone to volunteer, offer two or more choices of specific tasks instead of a general request.
10. Be sure to thank all, sincerely and publicly!

Some things in the competitions are changing this year. Expect more dramatic changes next year. If you have questions, are not sure about something, or have suggestions, feel free to contact any one of the following managers:

Note that January 18, 2008, is the deadline for sending winners of the Distinguished Technical Communication awards as entries to the international competitions. Plan your competitions and awards so that you don’t wait until the deadline to send in your entries. Here’s to a successful competition. Good luck!

Competition Contacts to Be Posted

Lists of STC communities holding Technical Art, Technical Publications, and Online Communication Competitions will be posted to the STC Web site. The lists will include entry deadlines and names of community contacts, and will be continuously updated as more information is received.