The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

Submission Requirements 

In order for stories to be eligible for submissions, the following baseline requirements must be met:  
  • Stories must be at least 300 words in length with the exception of podcast or video submissions.
  • If the story contains images, they must be original.
  • Stories must have a byline with the writer’s first and last name.
  • Stories must be submitted within 90 days of publication.
  • Only one story may be submitted from your site per weekday.
The following will result in a story being immediately disqualified from consideration for publication: 
  • Plagiarism
  • Libel
  • Fabrication of quotes or details
  • Illegal and/or undocumented use of copyrighted photos, music, or videos
  • Presenting interviews done by other journalism sources as quotations in your story. We expect student writers to conduct their own interviews.

Publication Tips 

The Best of SNO Submission process is highly competitive and selective.

Before you submit, set your frame of reference. This isn’t a contest with winners or losers. Rather, it’s like submitting to a magazine.  Our reviewers are selecting stories that they think will resonate with our audience –– we consider our audience to be high school and college journalism programs. Simply meeting all of the listed submission requirements does not guarantee a story will be published. Because of the high volume of submissions, the vast majority of submitted stories are not republished

Stories are judged holistically, and our reviewers expect submissions to be polished, to have a strong voice, and to be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Our reviewers expect stories to follow sound journalistic practices and expect the writing to be engaging, concise, and relevant. Please make sure your work is ready for review when you submit it, as it is not possible to resubmit a story once it has been rejected.

Check out some other publication tips below. 
Widespread Story Appeal
Choose topics that are unique and that appeal to a broader audience. 

Our reviewers want entertaining stories, intelligent stories, and stories with heart.  Most importantly, stories should stand out from the crowd. We get a ton of submissions about the same old stuff. What are you writing that’s new, exciting, weird, or maybe even a little crazy?


As part of our review process, we consider the following: 

  • Is this story topic engaging?
  • Would other journalism programs want to share this story with their students as an example of excellent journalism?
  • Is the lead engaging? Does it draw the reader into the story?
  • Will this story appeal to other journalism programs around the country?
Sources
Include multiple interviews that are smoothly integrated into your own writing.  

Our reviewers expect stories (other than reviews and opinion pieces) to be based on multiple, substantial in-depth interviews.  We look for stories that dig beneath the surface rather than just those that collect a few quotes and string them together.


As part of our review process, we consider the following: 

  • Are there multiple interviews from multiple sources? Stories that rely on a single interview are not likely to be published.
  • Are a variety of difference sources and voices represented? (Ex: authoritative, student, etc.)
  • Are the interviews smoothly integrated into the writing?
  • Is first person writing present? While we will not rule a story out for using first person, we will expect that any first person used in the story be integral to the story itself, rather than simply an easy way for a writer to frame a story.
Tight Editing
Edit stories prior to submission to ensure they follow AP style and are polished and error-free. 

Our reviewers expect the writing to be both highly engaging as well as accurate. Prior to submission, be sure to edit and proofread carefully to ensure this standard is met.


As part of our review process, we consider the following: 

  • Are there any grammatical or spelling errors in the story?
  • Does the story follow AP style?
  • Are all quotes and facts attributed properly?
  • Is the writing logically organized from beginning to end?
  • Are the paragraphs short and concise (no long blocks of text)?
Attention to Story Packaging
Pay attention to story packaging and the little details. 

Our reviewers consider this a "cherry on top" guideline. As previously stated, Best of SNO is highly competitive, so carefully designing your story package can give it the added boost it needs to stand out from the rest and get published.


As part of our review process, we consider the following: 

  • Is the presentation in the story package clean and logical? (Ex: No clashing elements)
  • Are there elements incorporated into the text to break it up as needed?
  • If a Long-Form format is used, is it used correctly and logically?
Multimedia (if applicable)
Use the Multimedia Badge for submission guidelines on podcasts, videos, and photo essays. 

Our reviewers consider these stories in accordance with our SNO Distinguished Site Multimedia Badge requirements, which are listed in the Badges dashboard tab on your website. Please consult these as they should clarify what we are looking for in terms of content, interviews and time limitations.

For Photo Essay submissions to Best of SNO, make sure to include the photos, credits, and captions within the text field of the story, not as the featured image.