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Michigan Interscholastic Press Association

The Official Michigan Interscholastic Press Association Site

Social Media Innovation

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Deadline to Enter: 3 p.m. Friday, May 6, 2022

Contest Information

MIPA’s Social Media Innovation contest recognizes member programs that are practicing cutting-edge journalism and media production using social media platforms.

Entries in this contest document how the staff is using social media in innovative ways to advance the mission of the media program. This might include creation and execution of a new social media strategy, launch of new social media platforms, or the use of social media in new ways to address specific goals.

This is not a contest for the best social media post.

Social Media Innovation Contest Rules

  • Entry must be uploaded by 3 p.m. on the deadline using the entry submission form.
  • Cost: $3 per entry Free for 2022!
  • Limit 1 entry per MIPA member student media program Renew or Join
  • Entries must be submitted to the contest entry form as a link to a web-based slidedeck (such as Google Slides) that documents the innovation. Limit 17 slides. Recommendations are included below.
  • Entries may be published by MIPA in its newsletter, online or via social media.
  • Entries that cannot be accessed by the judges will be disqualified. If your entry is locked behind a password, we cannot judge it.
  • Entries that violate MIPA’s Copyright & Plagiarism Policy will be disqualified.

Entry Format Recommendations

We suggest the following format for your slide deck (limit 17 slides):

  • Title Slide: Program name, school, city, school enrollment and social media handles for all active official accounts of the media program
  • Second Slide: Summarize your innovative use of social media. What did you do and why did you do it? What goal(s) did you set out to achieve? What would help the judges understand where you are, where you have come from, and where you are going. Are there any circumstances or challenges that are important to know about?
  • Document your innovative use of social media (up to 10 slides): On each slide, show one example of relevant social media work. Document metrics associated with each example. For example, you might include the following information for the corresponding platform (you may use additional platforms and applicable metrics):
    • Instagram: Impressions, Reach, Comments, Likes, Saved
    • Facebook: People reached, Post clicks, Engagements, Total number of reactions/comments/shares
    • Twitter: Impressions, Total Engagements, Media Engagements, Details Expands and Profile Clicks.  
  • Results (up to 2 slides): Document the overall success of this effort. Did you meet your goal(s)? What was the overall result of your work?
  • Evaluation & Looking ahead (up to 3 slides): What have you learned? What tools did you use to make this happen? What worked, and what didn’t work? What would you do differently? What do you plan to keep doing? How will the staff build on this effort next year? Provide examples.

Here is a model for entries that is similar to this new MIPA contest: http://studentpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/10A_01.pdf. You may also view past winners below for inspiration.

Judging Criteria

Judges will consider the impact of the social media project on the media program, the innovative nature of the social media work and the staff’s analysis of the effort, including how it achieved the staff’s goals and/or changes to improve the project.

Past Winners

Entry Form

Are you ready to submit an entry for this contest? (Don’t forget to also pay entry fee. You’ll get a chance to do so when you submit your entry. But you can also pay the entry fee at any time below.)

Submit Your Entry

Pay Entry Fee

You may pay entry fees by check, purchase order or credit card. Payment by checks or purchase orders should be postmarked by the submission deadline. Credit card payments should be completed by the deadline. If your school is slow to process checks or purchase orders, plan ahead. You can always pay fees before you submit your entries.