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Information for Entrants

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Updates for this page are in progress.

Details about the 2008-2009 competitions will be completed by mid August

For more information, contact the Competitions Manager, Lina Scorza, by e-mail at

Deadline: 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, 20 October 2008

Online Communication Competition

• What's New This Year?
• How Do I Enter the Online Communication Competition?
• What Software Should I Include with my Online Entry?
• What Equipment Will the Judges Use for Judging Online Entries?
• How Will Online Communication Entries Be Judged?
• What Are the Online Communication Categories?

Entries for the online communication competition include forms of communication that depend on a computer or other electronic media for delivery. The entries must be primarily intended for viewing on a computer or similar device, not on paper. These forms of communication include computer-based training, online documentation, help systems, online demonstration programs, simple text-retrieval systems, multimedia information systems, and Web 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 Web platforms. The competitions will accept entries that run on other platforms or require special equipment if the submitters 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 disc, DVD disc, 3.5-inch diskette, or in a universal resource locator (URL). Please specify (both on your entry form and on the diskette) if your diskette is in PC or Mac format. If you send compressed files, they must be self-extracting.

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

An entry on the Web is judged as it exists on the day of judging.

What's New This Year?

To be announced, if any.

PDF Documents

Adobe® Acrobat® files are accepted only in the Technical Publications and Technical Art competitions. For details, see Technical Publications Entrants.

How Do I Enter the Online Communication Competition?

For each entry that you want to submit:

1. Read the Entry rules and select the category for your entry from What are the Online Communication categories? below.
2. Download the entry forms.

   Note: The 2008-2009 STC International Competitions' forms are used for both the chapter-level and international-level competitions.

   [These files are being updated for the upcoming competitions.]

   • Competition Entry forms (52.7K zipped .rtf file )
   • Additional Contributors form (10K zipped .rtf file )
3. Complete the entry forms using the instructions in the Entry Forms & Instructions page.
4. Make 4 copies of your entry, the Competition Entry form, and the Competition Entry Description form. (One copy is for your records.)
5. Write a check or make a secure payment using PayPal for the fees. See Fees and Payment.
6. Assemble your entry package using the Competitions Checklist.
7. Mail the entry package with your check or printed PayPal payment acknowledgement. See Deadlines and Delivery Instructions.

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What Software Should I Include with my Online Entry?

Judges will have access to the following standard software. You do not need to include it on your CD.

• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
• Firefox 2.0
• Windows Media Player 6.4

However, if your entry is designed to run on a hardware or software environment that is not part of the standard judging environment (see below), then you can either include it on the CD copies or bring the required software or equipment to the Consensus Meeting. If you want to do the latter, make arrangements with the Online Competition Manager, Eddie VanArsdall, . Entrants may not demo their entries.

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What Equipment Will the Judges Use for Judging Online Entries?

The platform standards for judging will be as follows. (Note: these are updates from last year's competition.)

• PC-based entries will be judged on a system having 3 GHz Pentium IV processor (or equivalent) running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista with a 780 x 1200 color monitor. All systems will have a CD-ROM/DVD drive, sound card, USB port, and speakers.
• Macintosh-based entries will be judged on an equivalent system running Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or OS X 10.4.x and any required software supplied with the entry. All machines will have a CD-ROM/DVD drive, sound card, and speakers.
• Web-based entries will be judged using Firefox 2.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0. Or you may specify another browser on your entry form.

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How Will Online Communication Entries Be Judged?

Entries will be judged by a panel of judges, usually two to three technical communication professionals. Judges have the right to question the category of an entry and confer with the Entries Manager/Competition Manager about recategorizing the entry. For details, see the Entry Rules.

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.

An entry on the Web is judged as it exists on the day of judging.

Demonstrations of the entry by the entrants are not permitted.

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What Are the Online Communication Categories?

Valid entries for the Online Communication competition include forms of communication that depend on a computer or other electronic media for delivery. The entries must be primarily intended for viewing on a computer or similar device, not on paper. Therefore, computer-based training, online documentation, help systems, online demonstration programs, simple text-retrieval systems, multimedia information systems, and Web pages can be judged in the online competition.

The online communication 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.

Note: The Books category has been eliminated from this competition. Entries in this category in previous years were primarily Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files, distributed in this format as a cost-saving measure. They did not fully use the capabilities of the format; they were basically hardcopy documents distributed electronically and were meant to be printed by users. As such, Adobe Acrobat intended to be printed by the user are accepted in the Technical Publications competition.

The Online Communication competition has four 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. Promotional

   This category includes two types of entries:

   • 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.
   • 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.
3. 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.

4. Reference Material

   This category includes two types of online information:

   • Documents that have the primary purpose of defining or explaining 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.
   • Documents that have the primary purpose of assisting the user to complete a set of tasks or solve a set of problems. This includes troubleshooting tools, wizards or wizard-like task completion tools, quick start guides, and automated support tools. If an entry is an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file that is primarily intended to be viewed online or has interactive features, such as linked tutorials, supporting Web sites, interactive forms, etc., it may be appropriate to enter it in the Reference category. Review the description for the Reference category to determine whether the entry fits in it.

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