As part of our Feb. 27 Capitol Hill Press Conference, students could choose to enter one of four competitions that included reporting on the day. The “day” included morning meetings with state legislators, tours of the Capitol, the press conferences themselves, staff breakfasts, and even joining a Denver Post editorial board meeting. As a bonus, it was a busy day at the state capitol, with a pro-Trump rally, some major legislation being discussed in the Senate, and several lobbying groups fanning out through the building.
In other words, there was a wide choice in what to cover.
There were two writing competitions, both completed “on-the-spot,” in about 90 minutes following the end of the press conferences. In addition, students could submit either a video (two minutes max) or a 4-7 item photo essay, with complete captions. Those had to be submitted within 48 hours.
CSMA appreciates the reporting and verbal and visual work attendees produced, under time pressure and with little direction from advisers. We are happy to share some samples of that work on our site.
Contest winners receive certificates, mailed to their advisers. The honorees from those four competitions:
Photojournalism
1st Place – Claire Graziano, Palmer Ridge HS
2nd Place – Megan de Guzman, Caitlyn Tsukamoto, Kaylee Kirkwood, Highlands Ranch HS
COMMENT: These two photo essays couldn’t be more different, but both are appealing to readers. The slide show for this post (the link is found in the lower left corner of the lead image above) contains the photo essays from both our winning portfolios, along with the captions (which were part of the competition).
News-Feature Writing
1st Place – Evan Ochsner, Alexis Olmstead, and Anna Schnelbach, Palmer Ridge HS
2nd Place – Mackenzie Orr, Conifer HS
Video Package
1st Place – Rose Sandell, Jessika Harkay, Alondra Escobar, and Rogelio Caballero Dominguez (who edited the package), Eagle Valley HS
2nd Place – Maddie Munger and Syndney Linquist, Regis Jesuit HS
Commentary
1st Place – Caitlin Danborn, Arvada West HS
2nd Place – Megan Metzger-Seymour, Standley Lake HS
3rd Place – Alina Lopez and Luis Lobo, West Early College HS
