Tag: judges

Thank You to the Participants in the 2017-2018 Technical Communication Competition

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Thank You to all the Judges

Thank you to the Judging Manager, Ann Ray, and to all the volunteer judges who reviewed and evaluated the entries to the 2017-2018 Technical Communication Competition.

  • Richard Bogacz
  • Jackie Damrau
  • Brian Dinterman
  • Sue Heim
  • Marsi Fein Miller
  • Nancy Mulé
  • Ann Ray
  • Tavia Record
  • Annette Reilly
  • Jennifer Staley
  • Marty Taylor
  • Lloyd Thompson-Taylor

The success of the competition depends on your dedication, time, and energy in judging the Washington, DC – Baltimore Chapter's Technical Communication Competition. We are honored to have your support and the competition can not be possible without you. Competition entrants frequently tell us that they appreciate the written feedback they receive from our judges. Your experienced and thoughtful feedback is the number one reason people enter the competition and is considered more important than the award itself.

List of Winners

We also want to thank all the technical communicators who submitted their work to the competition. An awards celebration was held in April to hand out the awards and honor the entrants, the judges, and the competition committee. (See the published event review.)

The full list of the winners with their entry names and awards is posted in the Competition Website at https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-winners-2017-2018/

Awards & Entry Statistics

Table contents

The first column shows the entry statistics, the second column shows the number of awards.
Entry Statistics Award Breakdown
Total entries: 23
Total award winners: 18		 Distinguished: 4
(includes 1 Publications Best of Show)
Excellence: 4
Merit: 10

Distinguished Technical Communication

Russ Banham, Magda Saina, Erin Richardson, Geoff Brown, Margaret Brown
Johns Hopkins APL

Erin Richardson, Ken Moscati, Diane Dorsey, Gloria Crites, Shannon Nelson, Matt Baughman
Johns Hopkins APL

Natalia Melcer, Marissa Mills, Stacey McCray, Holly Haun, Brent Hopwood
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Kris Christen, Stacey McCray, Brett Hopwood, Judy Wyrick, Holly Haun, Peter Thornton
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Excellence

Caleb Heidel, Annie Marcotte, Claudia Yee
Johns Hopkins APL

Lindsay Kishter, Akhlesh Kaushiva, Hank Kenchington, Annie Best, Jennifer Ganss
Nexight Group

Joan Travis, Melissa Kulm, Chalon Emmons, Dave Jacowitz
Salesforce

Sally Heldrich, Leah Reesman, Rebecca Tanguay
Westat

Merit

BICSI Worldwide Headquarters, BICSI Technical Information and Methods Committee, TI&M OSPDRM 6th Edition Review Team”
BICSI

Lucinda Metzger
CA Technologies

Abbie Tioseco
ConnectWise

Abbie Tioseco
ConnectWise

Tracey Crowe, Phoebe Brown, Julie Chappell, Valerie Riedel, Chad Gallinat
Energetics Incorporated

Sarah Lichtner, Lindsay Pack, Jim Davis, Ross Brindle, Rob Foy, Jim Wetzel
Nexight Group

Jared Kosters, Lindsay Pack, Uday Vaidya, Jack Holmes, Ross Brindle
Nexight Group

Beth Ward, Lindsay Kishter, Jack Eisenhauer, Jim Carey, Jennifer Ganss, Ginger Norris, Mike Wallace
Nexight Group

Jason Grinblat, Veronica Schmiedeskamp, Ted Kuster
Salesforce

Liem Budzien, My-Linh Budzien
Thomas Jefferson High School

Thank you for participating and making the competition a success. We hope to see your entries in future competitions.

The 2018-2019 Competition

We are in the planning stages for the upcoming 2018-2019 Technical Communication Competition, which will open later this year. Watch for information about the deadline date and entry rules in the Competition website. Interested competition judges and competition sponsors should contact the competition manager, email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Call for STC International Summit Award Judges

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ISA Competition Judge Co-Managers

International competitions
International competition award ribbon

The Society for Technical Communication announces the call for judges for the upcoming 2013 STC International Summit Awards (ISA) competition. The deadline for judge applications is 21 January 2013 and judging begins in early February.

Plan now to take advantage of this professional development opportunity. The ISA provides valuable feedback and recognition to technical communication professionals whose work demonstrates excellence in the practice and standards of all types of technical documentation. Being able to add “STC International Awards Competition Judge” to your resume is a worthy New Year’s Resolution that provides recognition and reward in itself.

What Do You Need to Qualify as an International Summit Award judge?

The STC ISA Committee seeks dedicated STC members and nonmembers who are motivated to improve their skills in peer review or to mentor others by sharing the skills they already have. Do you have what it takes to qualify as an STC ISA judge? At the international level, judges must have at least two of the following qualifications:

  • Senior membership in STC
  • Five years in technical communication or a related field
  • Teaching experience in communication or a related field
  • Master’s degree or higher in technical communication or a related field
  • CPTCTM or other certification from a related professional organization
  • Winner of an STC or other technical communication competition award
  • Three years’ experience in the category you want to judge

Additional criteria are listed in the application form on the STC International Summit Awards page. Under International Forms and Files, click “STC ISA Judge Application Form” to submit your application online.

Information about the responsibilities of an STC ISA judge, including the judging schedule for the current competition season, are also available under International Forms and Files on the STC International Summit Awards page. To download the handbook, click “STC ISA Handbook for Judges.”

Watch for more information to come through various means. You may also email your questions about judging in this year’s International Summit Awards Competition.

Reminder: Deadline for the Competition is This Friday, 30 November

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Landsat image of the Chesapeake Bay region
Photo Credit:
NASA/USGS/Landsat 5

Entry deadline: 7 p.m. Eastern Time,
Friday, 30 November 2012

If you haven’t submitted your entry to the chapter’s 2012 Technical Summit Competition, there is still time.

Rules and information: https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Entry Forms: https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-how-to-enter/#ENTRYFORMS

The Joy of Entering the 2012-2013 Summit Competition for Technical Communication

Cynthia A Lockley on
Landsat image of the Chesapeake Bay region
Photo Credit:
NASA/USGS/Landsat 5

Entry deadline: 7 p.m. Eastern Time,
Friday, 30 November 2012

Rules and information: https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Entry Forms: https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-how-to-enter/#ENTRYFORMS

In the fall, many STC chapters hold local technical communication competitions. This post continues our tradition of presenting some reasons that you might enjoy entering the STC WDCB Summit Competition for Technical Communication.

Note: Because the Society no longer allows local chapters to submit winning entries to the international-level competition, we have reduced our entry fees! We no longer need to plan to cover possible international entry fees and postage costs.

Are you an award-winning technical communicator?

For those of you who haven’t entered before, let me explain the basics. STC competitions recognize and encourage excellence in online communication and technical publications. Our competition receives entries from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as from other states and from other countries. Washington, DC metropolitan area experts gather to evaluate the entries in the competition. The judges provide written feedback on the strengths or weaknesses of each entry with reference to a standard in each category. The judges make recommendations that you may apply to future endeavors.

Some of the joys of entering are the pride you have in putting forth your best work, the validation you feel by being measured against the highest standards in our profession, and the opportunity to receive a knowledgeable and thoughtful critique of your entry. As an entrant, you are proud of your accomplishments. You and the judges realize that the final entry represents months of planning, writing, editing, and publishing. Submitting a publication or online entry is a great way to keep growing in a fast-paced industry. Having your decisions and standards recognized by industry experts is real insider validation!

As an entrant, you’ll be invited to our Awards Celebration, where all winning entries are on display. You will be able to see what others in our field are producing. The Awards Celebration is also a place to network with the technical communication community.

Who is Eligible to Enter?

Anyone is eligible to submit entries. You do not have to be a member of STC. You can be a student or a professional. You may enter work as an individual or for a colleague or member of your department.

What Can You Enter?

Technical, scientific, medical, or similar content for external or internal audiences produced or revised within 24 months preceding 1 September 2012. These include websites, blogs, journals, teaching material, computer software and hardware manuals, error messages, books, magazines, periodicals, research papers, posters, scholarly or trade news articles, online help for software applications, and user support materials. Entries may also include marketing and PR material from a technical organization such as brochures, catalogs, flyers, technical advertisements, promotional websites, corporate identity, newsletters, annual reports, policies and procedures, and employee guides. For more information, see the Chapter Competition Entry Rules and the descriptions of the Competition Categories.

Entries by full-time students prepared for and accepted for publication can go on to the international-level competition. (Only the chapter’s competition will accept student entries not prepared for and accepted for publication.)

Now is the time to submit your best work to the scrutiny of your fellow professionals. Consider what you want to enter and get it prepared. Competition rules and entry forms are at https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Good luck!

International_Level Competition Notes

All Distinguished Technical Communication (DCT) and Excellence award winners in the local competitions are eligible to enter the STC international-level competition, named the “STC International Summit Awards”. Distinguished Technical Communication and Excellence award winners may submit to the international competition on their own. Submitters who want to participate in the international competition must complete the STC International Online Entry Form, pay the International Competition entry fee, and pay for postage of their entry. If you think your entry to our competition is capable of going to the international level, be sure to reserve an extra four (4) copies of your entry to send to the international competition.

The Joy of Judging in the 2011-2012 Summit Competition for Technical Communication

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Apply Now to be a Judge!

Photo Credit:
NASA/USGS/Landsat 5

Judge Applications are now being accepted.

Competition information for entrants and judges is available at https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Entries are arriving for the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) chapter’s 2011-2012 Summit Competition for Technical Communication. Would you like to see them? Are you ready to help evaluate them? If you think you may be, here’s a brief summary of what’s in store.

The Call for Entries in our technical communication competition was announced on 1 October. More announcements will appear in websites, blogs, tweets, and lists. This year, the deadline for submission of entries is 18 November. The competition is coming together but it can not be held successfully without the commitment of a group of qualified and enthusiastic judges. The judges are recruited from among professional communicators in the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas, and beyond. For both entrants and judges, membership in STC is not required.

During 18-29 November, team judging assignments are made for each category to be judged and the entries are logged and sorted into packages for each team.

On Saturday, 3 December, the judges assemble to receive their judging materials, entries, and instructions. They meet the other members of their judging team, get training from experienced judges on how to evaluate an entry, and have their questions answered.

Over the next six weeks, judges read and examine their assigned entries. They discover—or rediscover—the joy of encountering excellence in published manuals, reports, training materials, journals, brochures, marketing and PR materials, magazines, help systems, websites, user support materials, and more. As they begin to form opinions and record their evaluations in the judging forms, the judges apply all the knowledge and experience at their disposal. They prepare their comments for the entrants and a defense of their decisions for the consensus meeting.

On Saturday, 14 January, the judges meet again to discuss the entries and decide which ones deserve an award. Some entries stand out as award winners; others elicit debate. The judges relish the opportunity to compare notes on design, presentation of information, layout, and overall quality of an entry. By the end of the Consensus Meeting, a consensus is reached on award levels for each entry based on specified criteria, not against each other. The competition committee begins the process of choosing the Best of Show, choosing the Best Student Entry, notifying the winners and non-winners, and sending the very best to the STC International Summit Awards Competition. Veteran and new judges leave the Consensus Meeting with a sense of a job well done. They have judged the work of their peers and shared their passion for excellence in communication. Many will be eager to do it all over again in future years.

If you are ready to experience the joy of judging, we need your help. For more information about judging entries and the types of judges needed, see the Call for Judges at https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-call-for-judges/. Please apply to judge at https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-judge-application-form/.

Thank you!

The Joy of Entering the 2011-2012 Summit Competition for Technical Communication

Cynthia A Lockley on
Photo Credit:
NASA/USGS/Landsat 5

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

Rules and information: https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Entry Forms: https://competition.stcwdc.org/competition-how-to-enter/#ENTRYFORMS

In the fall, many STC chapters hold local technical communication competitions. All Distinguished Technical Communication (DCT) and Excellence award winners in the local competitions are elegible to enter the STC international-level competition, named the “STC International Summit Awards”. This post continues our tradition of presenting some reasons that you might enjoy entering the STC WDCB Summit Competition for Technical Communication.

Would you like to be an award-winning technical communicator?

For those of you who haven’t entered before, let me explain the basics. STC competitions recognize and encourage excellence in online communication and technical publications. Our competition receives entries from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as from other states and from other countries. Washington, DC metropolitan area experts gather to evaluate the entries in the competition. The judges provide written feedback on the strengths or weaknesses of each entry with reference to a standard in each category. The judges make recommendations that you may apply to future endeavors.

Some of the joys of entering are the pride you have in putting forth your best work, the validation you feel by being measured against the highest standards in our profession, and the opportunity to receive a knowledgeable and thoughtful critique of your entry. As an entrant, you are proud of your accomplishments. You and the judges realize that the final entry represents months of planning, writing, editing, and publishing. Submitting a publication or online entry is a great way to keep growing in a fast-paced industry. Having your decisions and standards recognized by industry experts is real insider validation!

As an entrant, you’ll be invited to the Awards Celebration, where all winning entries will be displayed. You will be able to see what others in our field are producing. The Awards Celebration is also a place to network with the technical communication community.

What can be entered?

Technical, scientific, medical, or similar content for external or internal audiences produced or revised within 24 months preceding 1 September 2011. These include websites, blogs, journals, teaching material, computer software and hardware manuals, error messages, books, magazines, periodicals, research papers, posters, scholarly or trade news articles, online help for software applications, and user support materials. Entries may also include marketing and PR material from a technical organization such as brochures, catalogs, flyers, technical advertisements, promotional websites, corporate identity, newsletters, annual reports, policies and procedures, and employee guides.

Entries by full-time students that have been prepared for and accepted for publication can go on to the international-level competition. (Student entries that have not been prepared for and accepted for publication will be accepted in the chapter’s competition only.)

Now is the time to submit your best work to the scrutiny of your fellow professionals. Consider what you want to enter and get it prepared. Competition rules and entry forms are at https://competition.stcwdc.org/

Good luck!

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Last modified: October 12, 2016