As advertised in the J-Day program, if you attended the “How Race Is Portrayed in the Media” panel discussion during the state conference last Thursday, you can enter our quick-turnaround news writing contest. First place winner gets $50, while second place takes home $25.

Here’s how it works: gather your notes and think of how you would report on the panel discussion for an audience of fellow journalists and their advisers. They were not able to attend, but they need to know about what happened and how it might affect them as journalists and citizens. Your news story will appear on www.chspaonline.org and must not exceed 700 words (it can certainly be shorter).

Your news story should be objective, written in standard third person news style, and include not only a quick overview of the situation (the panel discussion) but also more depth on the opinions and data shared by panel members. The best stories will include a mix of paraphrase and direct quotes, and will attribute information to specific panel members.

Remember: all opinion in your news story must come from sources, not from you.

Write and edit your story in Word, and then be sure to send it as an attachment to [email protected], by 11 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19. All contestants will be notified of the winners by Oct. 26, and the top two stories will be published on the CHSPA website. Award certificates and prizes will be mailed that week, as well.

Questions? E-mail Jack Kennedy at [email protected].