DISTRICT 25 CLUB NEWSLETTER CONTEST RULES

Club newsletters will be judged on how well they help fulfill the Club Mission “…to provide a mutually supportive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communications and leadership skills…”

For consideration in the Club Newsletter Contest, all entries must adhere to the following entry requirements:

1. Submit each of your Newsletter issues with a cover letter. Cover letter must include the name, address and telephone number of the editor, as well as the club number.

2. The issues must be published between July 1, 2007 through April 20, 2008 and dated as such; volume numbers alone are not acceptable.

3. The issues must clearly indicate which club and district are being represented.

4. Entries without this information will be disqualified.

5. Entries must be received by April 20, 2008. Entries not received by the April 20th deadline will automatically be disqualified.

6. Newsletters should be composed primarily of original, club-generated material of educational value. When articles or other items are re-printed from other sources, a credit line should be included. The judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry not resembling a newsletter. For example, one-page meeting schedules or lists of speakers are not considered to be newsletters.

7. Area and Division newsletters are not eligible for this contest.

Judging Standards

Newsletters are judged on the following criteria:

Content

1. Is content focused on achieving the club’s mission?

2. Does the Newsletter contain educational articles, recognition of member and club achievement and encouragement to participate in Toastmasters activities?

3. Does the Newsletter promote understanding of Toastmasters programs, promotions and policies?

4. Is the Newsletter informative and entertaining?

5. Does the Newsletter prominently feature the editor’s and publisher’s name, address and telephone number in each issue? (The publisher is the club president).

Readability

1. Does the writing meet acceptable standards for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation and grammar?

2. Is the writing interesting and clear?

Layout and Presentation

1. Does the Newsletter’s appearance stimulate reader interest?

2. Does the layout indicate careful attention to white space, page balance, effective use of graphics and the importance and organization of the article?

Final Judging

A committee of impartial District representatives will judge the Newsletter Contest. All decisions are final. Awards will be presented at the District 25 Spring Conference in May 2008.