The 2025 KCM Contest is officially open for submissions in the category of individual contests (information about the overall contests will be coming soon)!
All the contest descriptions and rules can be found here: https://kansascollegiatemedia.com/contest/individual-contest-rules-and-forms/
Note that there is the new “Email Newsletter” contest. Adding this contest was decided at one of KCM’s recent board meetings. Details about that contest are included at the aforementioned link.
Remember, to log in go to https://betternewspapercontest.com/. Then do the following:
- Select “Contestant Login”
- Select “2025 KCM Contest” from the options
- Select the correct publication
- Each publication has its own unique login. Please make sure individuals are logged into the correct one to avoid incorrect award certificates.
- It is very important to log in using the correct publication when submitting entries for that publication.
In order to log in, advisers should use the same email address as they have used in the past. Unless they changed their password in the past, everyone has the same default password, which was emailed to advisers.
Once logged in, advisers are encouraged to change their passwords, especially if they are using the default one. If resetting the password won’t work or they don’t know what email address was associated with the account in the past, email contest coordinator Todd Vogts.
Likewise, if this is the first time a given adviser has entered the contest, email Vogts so he can set up an account.
Participants will have until Friday, Feb. 21 to get their entries in. Keep in mind that Better BNC has an automatic midnight Eastern deadline, so that means the entries must be in by 11 p.m. CST on Feb. 21, 2025.
Though Vogts would like to say that everything is error-free, he’s not that naive, so WHEN issues are found, please let him know. He will get it corrected as quickly as possible.
There are a few other points people need to keep in mind as well:
- In order to participate in the contest, publications/outlets must be a member of KCM. So, if one hasn’t already, they need to complete the membership form and pay the required dues. The membership form can be found here: https://kansascollegiatemedia.com/join-kcm/
- Remember, there is now a codified process for condensing contests in the event of low numbers of submissions. Below is the policy:
- 7 or more entries: maintain divisions
- 6 or fewer entries: combine with a similar division
- Newspapers go with newspapers first
- Efforts will be made to keep separations between the size of the schools
- E.g., 4-year private newspapers would combine with 4-year public newspapers first
- All divisions will be combined into one contest if necessary to reach the threshold of 7 entries
- If after combining contest divisions the threshold of 7 entries cannot be achieved, the contest will be deemed invalid, entries will not be judged, and no winners will be named
- Only work published between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024, is eligible for entry.
Otherwise, happy uploading!