Commentary ( Print News/Online Class III - over 1,800)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Cherry Creek HS / Newspaper Entry Title: Cats are the Single Greatest Threat to Migrating Birds. Keep Them Indoors. Entry Credit: Carly Philpott
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Castle View HS / Newspaper Entry Title: Not Just Words Entry Credit: Brooke Coffman
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Grandview HS / Website Entry Title: When Will It End? Entry Credit: Evie Hall
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Rock Canyon HS - Website Entry Title: A Low Chance of Global Disaster is Much Too High Entry Credit: Andi Mack
Competition Comment: Through all classifications of this category, the truth remains this: What separates the winners is their focus on a central opinion, a call to action. The best piece from any entry in the three divisions was a piece calling for people to control their cats.
Other topics might be more "important" with regard to race, politics, even international issues, but the author's call to cat owners to keep their pets inside to save the birds was a masterwork from start to finish: a mix of humor, facts and passionate writing. Every word of the article was, in some way, convincing the reader as to the merits of the main point.
Other opinion pieces should take note: after reading your article, your reader should be able to summarize your opinion in one sentence (try it without the headline). If that is not possible, rewrite.
