Congratulations to the 2024 Award Winners
NJSPRA’s School Communication Awards recognize outstanding print and electronic collateral material developed by New Jersey school districts who continually strive to disseminate important information to all constituencies. NJSPRA developed the School Communication Awards program to recognize school districts for managing communications and developing tools that go above and beyond in disseminating important messages to their public. Winning entries may also serve as best practices for other districts to benchmark against and emulate.
This year’s awards were presented at an Awards Ceremony and Dinner on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at Forsgate Country Club, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
View Presentation and Links to 2024 Winning Entries Here
Marketing, Branding, Image
Award of Merit - Ocean County Vocational Technical School District
Media Coverage
Award of Merit - Mahwah Township Public Schools/Laura Bishop Communications
Award of Merit - Perth Amboy School District
Award of Merit - Winslow Township School District
Award of Excellence - Camden City School District
Award of Excellence - Ridgewood Public Schools
Best in Class, Award of Excellence - Camden City School District
Newsletter
Best in Class, Award of Excellence - Rutherford Public Schools/Laura Bishop Communications
Photography
Award of Merit - Freehold Regional High School District
Award of Merit - Hamilton Township School District
Award of Merit - Lawrence Township Public Schools
3 Awards of Merit to Piscataway Township Schools
Award of Excellence - Vineland Public Schools
Best in Class, Award of Excellence - Jersey City Public Schools
Social Media
Award of Merit - Ocean County Vocational Technical School District
Special Interest Publication
Award of Merit - New Brunswick Public Schools
Award of Merit - Piscataway Township Schools
Award of Merit - Spectrum360
Best in Class, Award of Excellence - Camden County Technical Schools
Video
Award of Merit - Little Falls Township Public Schools
Award of Merit - Ocean County Vocational Technical School District
Award of Merit - West Orange Public Schools
Website
Award of Merit - Mercer County Technical Schools
Award of Merit - Monmouth-Ocean Educational Services Commission
Award of Excellence - Ocean County Vocational Technical School District
Best in Class, Award of Excellence - Summit Public Schools
2023-2024 Submission Guidelines
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Deadline for entries for the 2023-2024 school year was August 1st.
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NJSPRA members (for the 2023-2024 school year) may submit up to two entries per member at no charge. Members may submit additional entries for a fee of $40 per entry.
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NJSPRA non-members (for the 2023-2024 school year) may submit entries for a fee of $40 per entry.
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Enter only materials (excluding websites) produced between July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.
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Uploaded files must include the name of the district. For example, "SouthernTownshipSchools.PDF"
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Previous winning entries may not be re-entered.
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There is no limit on the number of entries. Any one item may only be entered into one category (e.g., not the same publication in both Newsletter and Special Purpose Publication).
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NJSPRA invoiced for the entry fees on Friday, August 2nd. Payment or a Purchase Order for entries must be received by September 9th or the entry will be disqualified from the contest.
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Submissions will be confirmed with an email confirmation. Any entries not meeting the submission requirements will not be considered and fees for the entry will not be returned.
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Entries produced entirely by students, with no involvement from the district’s communications staff or administration, are not eligible.
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All material submitted becomes the property of NJSPRA and may be reproduced, displayed, referenced, or summarized in an NJSPRA publication or other resource.
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Submission of any entry shall constitute the entrant's representation that all material is original and/or free from unauthorized use of copy, design, art, and/or photographs from other sources.
Judging
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Entries are evaluated by a non-biased panel of public relations and school public relations professionals. Each award entry is judged on its own merit in terms of how it meets the award criteria and follows entry rules.
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NJSPRA may also opt to issue no awards if no entries meet the scoring criteria for either level. Individual judging assessments are confidential and will not be released.
Questions?
Contact us at executivedirector@njspra.com
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CATEGORIES & CRITERIA
Newsletter This category includes newsletters directed towards internal or external audiences, published periodically and disseminated via print/mail or digital media to the intended audience. Entries will be judged for overall design, content, clarity, quality of writing, and relevance to the audience. Entries must include two (2) different issues (e.g., two different months, quarters, etc.) to qualify as an entry. Submission: PDFs or web links of two (2) issues. Marketing-Branding-Image This category includes all branding collateral material, such as logos, stationery and other graphic treatments; advertisements and promotional products; brochures; signage; and items that communicate a district’s special qualities to potential constituents. Entries will be judged for creativity, consistency, unity, graphic design, clarity and overall image and brand. Submission: One PDF file containing three or more individual pieces. Media Coverage (changed from Media Relations-Human Interest) This category focuses on how districts manage their presence in the news media and is now expanded to include any news coverage including stories/segments around program, finance, policy, personnel, etc., in addition to human interest stories. Entries must have been published in at least one news media outlet between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Press releases alone do not qualify as entries, but may be submitted with the published story. Entries will be judged based upon story message and interest level. Submission: Link or PDF file of published articles. Photography This category focuses on promoting education in New Jersey schools through the use of effective photography. Entries will be evaluated on creative content that evokes emotion or portrays action, balance, composition, framing, use of light, etc. Submissions may depict success stories in public schools, equity in education, social/emotional learning, health and safety, or other relevant themes. Entries must have been published in either a district publication, website, social media or news media and must be the original work of the district. Submission: Photo in JPG or PDF file format together with representation of where published. Social Media This category focuses on the strategic use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to engage stakeholders and communicate district information. Entries must include an explanation of how and why the platform is being used and the outcomes achieved. Entries will be evaluated based on creativity and content of posts relative to goals, and corresponding analytics. Submission: Screenshots of three relevant postings and relevant analytics must be included in one PDF file. Special Interest Publication This category includes single publications that fall outside of the other categories, e.g. brochure, employee recruitment publication, handbook, general district information, infographic, annual report, calendar, finance publication, poster or signage, etc. Entries will be evaluated based on clarity of information, creativity, consistency, unity, and graphic design including the use of photographs, fonts, color and white space. Submission: PDF of single publication. Video This category includes videos that were produced for internal and/or external use in promoting the district or communicating a specific message. These can include, but are not limited to, marketing and enrollment, staff and student successes, health and safety updates, leadership messages such as a new strategic plan, etc. Entries will be judged for professional quality including content, script, lighting, sound and music, motion, editing, and relevance to the audience. Submission: Video file upload (up to one GB) or link to video. Website This category is based on the overall impression derived from the website, including content, clarity, appropriateness and freshness, graphic design including the use of color, fonts and photographs/videos, usability, functionality, navigability and overall depth of information. Entries may be for an entire district site or for a site created for a specific initiative such as a bond referendum or complex special project. Intranet (limited access) sites are not eligible. Submission: Website address with brief description of the focus and functionality; Previous winners may not be submitted unless significant changes were made since last submission and must be outlined in accompanying description.
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