The Rules

Essay Rules

WHO: All Colorado students 6th-8th grade are invited to participate in the Essay Contest.

WHAT: The media literacy essay topic for this year is "How Does the News and Its Delivery Impact My View of the World?"
Essays should be two typewritten pages, one side only.

WHY: The purpose of the contest is to further critical thinking about the media’s impact and should be done as a school class project.

WHERE: Students 6th -8th grade can submit their entries with entry form to:

PRIIME TIIME TODAY
P.O. Box 3285
LITTLETON, CO 80161

The essay judges will be made up of a panel of community leaders who will read the essays and decide on the first, second, third and three honorable mention place winners.

Judges' criteria: Download the judging sheet they will use to evaluate your entry. (It is an Adobe Acrobat file.)

WHEN: Submission deadline is postmarked Monday, March 29, 2004.

PRIZES The state winner will be awarded a digital camera by Comp USA. The second place winner will receive a $200 savings bond. The third place winner will be awarded a $100 savings bond. Three honorable mention winners will be given a $50 savings bond each.

Video Rules

What exactly is this contest?
This is the fourth year for a television Public Service Announcement entry in the PRIIME TIIME TODAY annual media literacy video contest.

What is the topic?

How Does the News and Its Delivery Impact My View of the World?

Why?
The purpose of the contest is to further critical thinking about the media’s impact on how we make decisions in life.

Is there an example I can see?
Yes. Download the 2003 winner and view his entry. This is a large file and plays better if you download the whole file and play it off your hard drive.

Judges' criteria: Download the judging sheet they will use to evaluate your entry. (It is an Adobe Acrobat file.)

Who can enter the contest?
The contest is open to all Colorado high school students in grades 9 through 12 attending any high school in the state including home school students.

What is a Public Service Announcement? (PSA)
A public service announcement is an announcement that effectively focuses interest and marshals support for a community or area cause. For example, If your cause or point of view is that a third party presidential candidate should be allowed to be a part of the national debate process then you would produce your PSA to reflect that point of view. You might use interviews, "man-on-the-street" polling or other creative techniques to illustrate your point.

What do I put on my tape?
Submit your entry on a VHS tape recorded at the highest quality, the SP setting. Your tape should contain a completed 30 second PSA. No extra graphics or bars or tone are needed. There should be 10 seconds of black before the PSA. There should be one minute of black after the PSA. Do not put more than one PSA on each tape.

What do I include with my entry?
All entrants must submit a copy of the entry form, script, storyboard and waiver with the tape. Please label each tape with the entrants names, entry title, school and length of PSA. (Just use the tape label that comes with the box).

Name
Entry Title
School
Length of Entry

WHEN: The entries must be postmarked by Monday, March 29th and awarding of prizes will take place on Thursday, May 6th. All winners, their parents, supporting teachers, principals, judges, and all contributors will be honored at an awards luncheon to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at KTVD UPN 20 located at 11203 E. Peakview Ave. in Englewood. Telephone number 303-705-2307. Winners and their guests will be given a tour of the production studios after the luncheon.

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