Call for Entries

2002-2003 STC Toronto
Technical Publication & Online Communications Competitions

Here’s an opportunity to have experienced technical communicators evaluate your technical publications or online work. Offering your work for peer review is one of the most important steps you can take as a professional. Take this opportunity to enter your work in the 2002-2003 STC Technical Publications and Online Communications competitions sponsored by the Toronto and Southwestern Ontario (SOC) chapters.

Who is Eligible to Enter?

Anyone is eligible to submit entries. You do not have to be a member of STC. You may enter work as an individual or on behalf of a colleague.

What is the Deadline to Enter?

Entries must be received by October 7, 2002.

What About Fees?

Enclose a cheque for the full amount of entry fees as follows:

Make cheques payable to: STC Toronto Chapter A fee must be paid for each entrant. For example, the fee for an entry with one STC member and two non-members would be $160 ($40 for the STC member and $60 for each non-member).

Where Do I Send Entries?

Mail or drop your entries off at:

STC Competition

c/o Kim Watson

122 Main St

Toronto, Ont.

M4E 2V8

email: kwwrite@hotmail.com

tel.: 416.698-9575

How Do I Enter?

For all competitions:

1. Complete the entry form. Type or neatly print the information. Include the names of no more than three contributors.

2. Complete an entry description on a separate sheet. Include only the entry title and category on this sheet as identification (no contributor or submitter names). Note if your entry was produced under unusual conditions (such as an extremely tight deadline or a very limited budget). If you wish to disclaim responsibility for a portion of the entry or if you would like to draw the judges' attention to some aspect, you may do so. However, the judges are not obligated to consider any of these comments in their evaluations.

3. Make four copies of the entry form and entry description. Keep one set for your records.

4. Attach a cheque for the entry fee to one set of the entry form and description.

STC Members $40 per entrant per entry

Non Members $60 per entrant per entry

Students $30 per entrant per entry

5. Attach one set of the entry form and description to each copy of the entry.

You MUST submit: - three copies of the entry

- three copies of the entry form

- three copies of the description form

- a cheque for the full amount owed

For online entries only:

6. On the separate entry description, include installation instructions, purpose and audience, the tools used to develop the entry, and any other information relevant to evaluating the entry.

7. Entries must install correctly, be virus free, and must not take an unreasonable amount of time to install.

8. You must also submit three copies of any software required to use the entry other than the following standard software:

- Adobe Acrobat Reader 4

- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0

- Netscape Communicator 4.61

- Netscape Navigator 4.61

- Windows NT/95 Help engine

Will My Entry Be Returned?

Your entry will not be returned from the local/regional competition unless you make special arrangements with the competition manager and provide adequate and prepaid packaging.

If your entry wins a Distinguished Technical Communication (DTC) award, it will not be returned unless you notify the local/regional competition manager that you do not want your entry to compete in the international competition.

What Can I Enter?
  • Entries in all categories must, in general, contain sufficient technical, scientific, medical, or similar content to qualify as technical communication. Entries must have been produced or substantially revised after September 1, 2001, and must not have been entered in any previous STC competition.
  • Entries must have been originally prepared for and accepted for publication by a client, employer, or publisher.
  • Multilingual entries are acceptable, but one of the languages must be English. All entries are judged in English.
  • You may submit the same entry in more than one competition. However, you will need separate entry forms, entry fees, and three copies of the entry for each competition.
  • Entries for the online communication competition include forms of communication that depend on an electronic medium for delivery. This includes computer-based training, online documentation, help systems, online demonstration programs, simple text-retrieval systems, multimedia information systems, and World Wide Web (WWW) pages. The competition is not limited to online documents that support computer products. Entries can include online encyclopedias, road maps, foreign language instruction, medical handbooks, and more.

 

 

  • The online communication competition accepts entries that run on PC, Macintosh, or WWW platforms. The competition also accepts entries that run on other platforms or that require special equipment if the entrants are willing to bring any specialized hardware or software at their own expense to the judging location or arrange and pay for reliable dial-up access. All PC and Macintosh entries must be submitted on CD-ROM or 3.5-inch diskette.

What Are the Awards?

Three levels of recognition are awarded in each competition category. These awards, in descending

order, are:

• Distinguished Technical Communication (DTC)

• Excellence

• Merit

One Best of Show award is presented for the Technical Publication competition and one is presented for the Online Communication competition. Winners of the DTC award in each category qualify for automatic submission to STC's international competitions.

Any Cautions?

Entries must be suitable for public display and perusal. Entries that contain classified or proprietary information or that violate copyright laws are not acceptable and must not be submitted. It is the responsibility of the submitter, and not STC, to determine that entries do not contain classified or proprietary information and that the holder of all copyrights has granted permission for the entry’s submission. Neither STC nor anyone associated with the competitions can be held responsible for loss of or damage to an entry.

How Will Entries Be Judged?
  • A panel of experienced judges selects winners in the competition categories. The judges have the right to re-categorize or reject an entry.
  • Publications are rated on four factors: writing, graphics, copy editing, and overall integration, all judged in the context of the purpose, content, and organization of the document.
  • Online communication is judged in the context of the entry’s stated purpose. Judges evaluate the content, structure, and design of each entry and make an award determination based on the individual entry’s strengths and weaknesses and how well it fulfilled its purpose.

Equipment Used to Judge Online Work

Entries will be judged on machines with at least a 200 MHz Pentium processor, running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT4 with a 800x600 color monitor or the approximate Macintosh equivalent running System 8.6 and any required software supplied with the entry. At least one machine in each platform will have a CD-ROM drive, sound card, and speakers. For WWW entries, Netscape Communicator 4.61, Netscape Navigator 4.61, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 are the standard judging platforms.

How Will I Be Notified?

All entries are acknowledged. Whether you win an award or not, you will receive the local judges' evaluations of your entry.

Winners in the international competitions will be notified before the Society's 49th Annual Conference to be held May 5-8, 2002, in Nashville, Tennessee. There, all winning entries will be displayed, the Best of Show awards will be presented, and all winners will be honored.

Publication Categories

1. Promotional Materials:

Publications that market a technical product, service, or organization.

Includes advertisements, flyers, catalogs, and other presale literature.

2. Informational Materials:

Publications that provide information to the general public or a particular audience about a technical or scientific subject, product, service, or organization.

3. Quick Reference Guides:

Brief guides that provide ready and concise reference to essential features during the use of hardware or software. Includes graphical devices and other job aides.

4. Software Guides:

Guides that provide instructions for using a software product, provide accessible reference information on its features and functions, or include both reference information and instructions. May be one or more volumes.

Guides that provide instructions for using a software product, provide accessible reference information on its features and functions, or include both reference information and instructions. May be one or more volumes.

5. Hardware/Software Combination Guides:

Guides that provide instructions for using a hardware product and modifying or programming its firmware or software. Includes manuals for printers, facsimile machines, modems, watches, cameras, and calculators.

6. Computer Hardware Guides:

Guides for computer hardware, including reference information, descriptions of features and functions, and instructions for installation, use, and repair.

7. Noncomputer Equipment Guides:

Guides for non-computer equipment, including reference information, descriptions of features and functions, and instructions for installation, use, and repair. The guides may cover audiovisual, medical, laboratory, test, telecommunications, photographic, and recreational equipment and vehicles, tools, and appliances.

8. Organizational Manuals:

Publications that provide guidance to employees or customers of an organization. Includes policies and procedures manuals, style and identity guides, and benefits guides.

9. Training Materials:

Publications developed for use in a training or classroom environment by either the trainer or student participant. Includes manuals, tutorials, workbooks, and instructor guides.

10.Annual Reports:

Publications that summarize the activities or financial position of a corporation, governmental agency, or nonprofit community organization. Includes reports that comply with the regulations of government agencies as well as those for non-regulated, nonprofit organizations.

11.Magazines:

Regularly scheduled publications in magazine format with a feature treatment, including use of photographs and art, as well as news, feature, and interpretive writing; contains news and information about an organization, technology, industry, or scientific field. May be intended for an internal or external audience, a special-interest audience, or the general public. (Submit three consecutive issues as a single entry.)

12.Newsletters:

Regularly scheduled publications with brief writings and a flexible format.

Generally lower budget and fewer pages than the magazine in a simple, type-oriented format that may or may not have photographs and illustrations. May be intended for an internal or external audience. (Submit three consecutive issues as a single entry.)

13.Technical Reports:

Reports on scientific or technical efforts, usually aimed at the professional community or a contracting agency.

14.Trade/News Articles:

Single articles appearing in trade journals or general interest periodicals, not as an original contribution to knowledge. (Submit three tear sheets or reprints, not photocopies, indicating the publication title, volume and issue number, and date of publication.)

15.Scholarly/Professional Articles:

Single articles appearing in academic or professional journals or scholarly books as an original contribution to knowledge. (Submit tear sheets or reprints, not photocopies, indicating the publication title, volume and issue number, and date of publication.)

16.Scholarly/Professional Journals:

Regularly scheduled publications in magazine format whose primary content consists of by-lined, peer-reviewed articles reporting scholarly, scientific, or technical work, performed by the authors, to a specialized external audience. Articles are original contributions to knowledge; review or tutorial articles may appear as occasional exceptions but do not dominate the publication. (Submit three consecutive issues as a single entry.)

17.Books:

Lengthy documents on one subject, usually intended for sale to the public.

To categorize an entry, determine the purpose of the document and compare the purpose to the category descriptions. The platform (such as WWW, Windows, or Macintosh) is not a consideration in determining the category.

Online Categories

1. Help:

Online information that has a primary purpose of providing immediate assistance to individuals while they use a product. It provides information appropriate to the task on an as-needed or as-requested basis. This category includes and is not limited to general help, procedural help, cue cards, examples, performance support, and integrated user assistance.

2. Demonstrations:

Interactive online information that has a primary purpose of demonstrating or describing the main features of a product or product line with user interaction or feedback. This type of online material motivates people to buy or use a product, or informs them of the features or benefits of products. Besides demonstrations of products, this category also includes guided tours and marketing material designed for dynamic user interaction.

3. Technical Marketing:

Static, non-interactive online information that has a primary purpose of describing or defining the main features of a product or product line. This type of online material motivates people to buy or use a product, or informs them of the features or benefits of products.

This category includes and is not limited to online brochures, catalogs, and marketing materials that are designed to remain static. Most corporate web pages belong in this category.

4. Tutorials/Training:

Online information that has a primary purpose of teaching the techniques for using the main features and capabilities of a product, or of assisting in the process of teaching.

This category includes and is not limited to computer-based training applications, tutorials, online lesson books, and training aids.

5. Books:

Online information that has a primary purpose of informing users about a topic, concept, product, or process. These documents may or may not be associated with a product. This category includes and is not limited to online books, policy manuals, newsletters, literary works, user guides, knowledge bases, and magazines.

6. Reference Material:

Online information that has a primary purpose of defining or explaining things like structure, results, words, problems, or parameters. These documents are typically published in a reference work format, similar to a dictionary or encyclopedia. This category includes and is not limited to online dictionaries, glossaries, function or object descriptions, data structure definitions, encyclopedias, and directories.

7. User Support Tools:

Online information that has a primary purpose of assisting the user to complete a set of tasks or solve a set of problems. This category includes troubleshooting tools, wizards or wizard-like task completion tools, quick start guides, and automated support tools.