Pull browser window out or in to widen or shorten center column line length.

The following is the main content for the page.

Technical Communication Competition

Information for Entrants

Competition Home • Entrants Information • Entry Rules • Entry Forms & Instructions • Categories
Schedule • Fees & Payment • Delivery Instructions • Final Packaging Checklist • Contacts • FAQs

Deadline: 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, 18 November 2011

On this page:

Entry Forms & Instructions

Download the Entry Forms

Note: The 2011-2012 STC International Summit Awards' forms are used for both the chapter-level and international-level competitions.

The forms below include the 2011-2012 STC International Entry Submission form and the Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter's Additional Contributors form.

Competition Entry form (.doc), PDF format (.pdf)
Additional Contributors form (.doc), PDF format (.pdf)

How Do I Complete the Entry Forms?

For all competitions: After downloading the entry forms, use the following instructions to help you complete the forms easily and accurately.

Competition Entry Form Instructions

There are four sections in the Entry form:

Basic Instructions

Identify the competition category that is appropriate for your entry.
Obtain five copies of your entry. If the category appropriate for your entry has any special requirements, each copy must fulfill the requirements.
Fill out the Description of the Competition Entry section. See Instructions for the Description of the Competition Entry.
Fill out the Contact Information and Certification section. See Instructions for Contact Information and Certification.
Fill out the Online Entry Information section. See Instructions for an Online Entry.
Fill out the Other Information section. See Instructions for Other Information.
Only three contributors may receive awards at the international level. At our chapter level, we allow all contributors to be listed. If you need more than three award certificates for the chapter-level awards, fill out the Additional Contributors form. See Additional Contributors Form Instructions.
Determine the entry submission fee, then make a check payable for this amount to STC WDC-MB Chapter or submit your payment through PayPal. (For the fee structure and how to pay, see Fees and Payment).
Make five copies of the completed Entry form.
Keep one copy of the competition entry forms for your records. Submit the signed original form with your payment, the Additional Contributors form (if applicable), and a copy of your entry. The remaining four copies of the Entry form go on the remaining four copies of the entry.
Distribute the copies of the forms as follows:
1. Attach the completed original signed Entry form to the check or the proof of PayPal payment. Include this in your package of entries with one of your entry copies that you obtained in step 2.
2. To each of the four remaining copies of the entry, attach one copy of the Entry form.
If your entry is in online format and it uses nonstandard hardware and/or software (see Online Entry Requirements), include a copy of the hardware/software with each copy of the entry.
Gather the following items in one package:
- Check/proof of payment, with attached forms
- Five copies of the entry, with attached forms
- Any required nonstandard hardware/software
Before mailing, review the Final Packaging Checklist.
Submit the package as described in Delivery Instructions.

Instructions for the Description of the Competition Entry

Fill in the entry's title.
Critical. Enter the entry title as you will want it displayed on an award certificate.
Select the category you are entering.
Select the appropriate category for the entry described on the Competition Categories page.
Enter page count, number of pieces, or number of files.
Fill in page count and number of pieces for the individual entry (not the number of copies of it), so that the Entries Manager can make sure your entire entry arrived safely and that judges will have all components of your entry. For example, if your entry is a 250-page book, you enter 250 in the Page Count box. If your entry is a suite of manuals, enter the total page count and the number of volumes in the suite.
Describe the target audience and purpose of the entry.
Critical. If a judge does not know the purpose and intended audience for the entry, then your entry may be misjudged or the judges' feedback will not be helpful to you. Make sure to provide enough information so that the judges can accurately evaluate your entry.

You increase your chances of winning an award if the judges evaluating your entry have all the information they need to accurately evaluate it. This means that the more complete your entry form and entry description are, the better. We strongly encourage you to provide as much information as you can on the Description of the Competition Entry. Additional information about your entry may be put in the Other Information section of the Entry form.

Instructions for Contact Information and Certification

On page 2, repeat the entry's title.
Enter the contributor names (up to three) as you want them displayed on an award certificate. Also, indicate whether the contributor is an STC member, nonmember, or student.
If your entry wins an award, each contributor listed on the Entry Submission Form will automatically receive an award certificate. The certificates do not record the name of the submitter. Submitters do not get awards unless they are listed as a contributor.

Important: While local chapter competitions determine the number of contributors they will allow per entry, no more than three contributors may be listed for an entry that goes on to the international level.

In the STC WDC-MB competition, if you have more than three contributors, use the Additional Contributors form (.doc), PDF format (.pdf) provided for the STC WDC-MB competition to list additional names or organizations that you want included in the chapter-level Awards Celebration booklet. The contributors' names should be as you want them to appear in the Awards Celebration booklet. (Note that extra contributors will be acknowledged at the local competition level only.)

Note: Extra certificates for additional contributors, clients, or corporate copies may be ordered if your entry wins a chapter-level award. An order form will be included with the award announcement letter.

Company or Individual? If you are undecided as to whether to specify your company name or individual contributors, keep in mind that the goal of STC's competitions is to give credit and recognition to individuals rather than departments or organizations. Therefore, STC prefers that individuals be named as contributors. However, because collaborative teams often produce works of technical communication, it is acceptable to cite a department or organization as a contributor. For more information, please see the FAQ.
In the section "Submitter's contact information", enter information about the submitter. Provide the name, e-mail, and phone numbers of the submitter. You may also provide the name of the company and the mailing address.
The submitter's contact information is the contact information for the submitter (often a superior in the contributors' organization). It will be used for all competition correspondence. Although it is not required, we recommend providing a street address. Also indicate whether the submitter is an STC member, non-STC member, or student. If either the submitter or a contributor is an STC member, your entry fee is at the STC member rate.

Note: A submitter does not have to be one of the contributors—but if you are a contributor, include your name as one of the three contributors. As a submitter, you will not receive a certificate; you will receive all further correspondence.)
Sign the Entry form.

Instructions for Online Entry Information

On page 3, repeat the entry's title.
For all entries in the Online Communication competition, specify:
- Medium of submission
- URL of the entry (if appropriate). If the URL is on a secure network, provide the user ID and password needed to access the URL.
- Whether the entry uses sound or not
- Operating systems on which the entry can run
- Software needed to run the entry
  Critical. If viewing and running the entry requires other software (apart from the one listed in the requirements for the judges computers), you must include it with your entry. If you are submitting a USB drive, indicate on your entry form and the USB drive whether it is formatted for Windows or Mac.
- Type of monitor required to view the entry
- Tools used to create the entry (optional)
- Preferred browser
- Instructions for installing the entry
  Critical. If a judge does not know how to install your online entry, it may not be judged. Make sure to provide enough information so that the judges can thoroughly judge your entry.

Instructions for Other Information

This section is optional. You may add any other information that you wish to help judges evaluate your entry in context. Include screen shots, explanatory text, additional audience descriptions, unusual circumstances or budget restrictions that may have limited your project, and language or localization needs. Some examples of the type of information that you might include here are

Was the entry used in-house, was it for a client, or was it for resale?
Was it produced on a limited budget or in a short time?
Does it follow a corporate style or layout?
Does the corporate style use a specific page count to decide if a document needs an index?
Are there aspects of the entry for which you disclaim responsibility?
Was it created in a language other than U.S. English?

The judges may take some, none, or all of these factors into consideration when making their evaluation, at their discretion.

Instructions for the Additional Contributors Form

Fill in the entry's title, category name, and category number.
List additional contributors for the entry.
Additional contributors are for chapter-level award recognition only. You may include additional team members, clients, or corporate groups, departments, or other organizations that you want included in the chapter-level Awards Celebration booklet. The contributors' names should be as you want them to appear in the Awards Celebration booklet.

Extra certificates for additional contributors, clients, or corporate copies may be ordered if your entry wins a chapter-level award. An order form will be included with the award announcement letter.

WDC-MB Exclusives

Chapter Information

Partners & Sponsors

Current Partnerships

Annual Conference

STC Connections

Research Tools

Local Information

Site Information