BASIC INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1 — Acquire your Association Code from the NPCMA. Register on the contest website using your school email address or an email address tied to your student media.
You will receive a confirmation email that contains information you will need to complete your registration.
If you do not receive that confirmation email, then do one of two things: d.1. Check your SPAM folder. d.2. Contact your adviser.
Step 2 — Login to here (or use the Login link above).
You will see a page that shows any entries you have already submitted. Complete rules for the contest are available above (click the “Contest Rules” link). NOTE: When you click the “Contest Rules” link, some browsers, such as Safari, will open the rules, which are a PDF file, in a new window; other browsers will require you to download the PDF file of the rules to your computer.
Step 3 — Click on the “Add New Entry” link.
Step 4 — On this page, select your newspaper / school name. A lot of information will autofill. If that information is incorrect, please email npcma@newspapercontest.com. Fill in the preparer’s name.
Step 5 — Select the contest class. These are drop-down menus for your convenience. This field will clear each time you save an entry, so you must select a class for each new entry. When you select the class, special instructions will appear below it.
Step 6 — If necessary, provide a description of your entry. The description/cutline box is limited to 3,000 characters. It’s a good idea to write your description/cutline in another program, such as Word, and copy/paste into the description/cutline box. If a URL is required, fill in the URL box; there is no need to type “http://.”
Step 7 — Include the name of the entry. If uploading full-page PDF files, it will be helpful if the entry name matches the headline on the page so the judges can find it easily. If the judges cannot tell what is to be judged, the entry will be discarded without refund.
Step 8 — Include the name of the person or people who should be credited for any award. This is generally the writer, reporter, photographer, graphic artist, cartoonist, etc. It is not necessarily the name of the person submitting the entry nor the person picking up the award.
Step 9 — UPLOADING YOUR FILE OR FILES – You can drag and drop files or use the “Add files” button
to upload your files. Generally, files should be in PDF format except photos, which should be in high-resolution JPG format. Other files and URLs may be acceptable as noted in the special instructions. Upload as many files as are necessary to complete your entry but refer to the special instructions for any limitations.
Step 10 — When you have completed your submission, click the “Save” button. If you click the “Back to list” button, you will lose the entry you just completed. After clicking “Save,” you will be directed back to the list of your entries.
Step 11 — To submit another entry, click “Add New Entry.” As long as you have not logged out of the system, your newspaper name will still be in place and you can simply start at Step 6 again. You may log out and log back in later to continue adding entries. You will need to select your newspaper name each time you log in.
Step 12 — If you are done submitting entries, please review the list. You may not change an entry, but you may delete an entry and resubmit it.