1st Place, Feature Writing – Sports
2023-24, Division 2, Yearbook Verbal
By Abby Minnick
Ceniad
East Lansing HS
Y-04. Feature Writing – Sports
A single story that goes beyond traditional news coverage of a game or season to spotlight an unusual aspect, a controversy, team life, a key athletic competition or any other human-interest angle (who, why and how) relevant to student athletics.
Judging Criteria
- Clear, relevant, engaging human-interest angle
- Solid lead that draws reader into story
- The conclusion ties back to the central point of the story and leaves an impression on the reader by using a powerful quote, vivid anecdote or important point that acts as a “kicker.”
- Meaningful student quotes that enrich story and reflect effective interviewing
- Evidence of adequate research
- Story meaningfully adds to sports coverage; may include personality profile, informative, interpretive (why), and/or human-interest feature specifically related to sports.
- Adheres to rules of good journalism including: short paragraphs, effective transitions and use of active voice, freedom from editorial comment, careful editing and proofreading to eliminate mechanical errors, correct use of grammar