Best Front-Page Design (Enrollment Division 2)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Kaneland High School Entry Title: Kaneland Krier Volume 51 Issue 4 Entry Credit: Sarah Slattery Judge Comment: Outstanding photo illustration! It works perfectly with the headline to create a clear thematic message about the contents of the issue. The page itself is a work of art. Bravo!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: Vol. 99, Issue 10, May 30, 2024 Entry Credit: Taariq Ahmed Judge Comment: This is a textbook-perfect example of a visually compelling newspaper front page: clear hierarchy of elements, simple and clean modular design, consistent typography, well-composed and relevant photos, reader-friendly teasers. My only suggestion would be to break up the text-heavy lead article with a pullout quote or subheads. Other than that, this is superb work!
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: Vol. 100, Issue 3, Oct. 24, 2024 Entry Credit: Taariq Ahmed Judge Comment: This is another strong traditional front-page design. The lead photo here is stronger than the lead photo in the second-place entry, but the action within this photo directs the reader off the page rather into the story. A few adjustments in the arrangement of the elements probably could have fixed that and would have made the design even more effective. Also, the cutline for the photo at the bottom of the page is a little unclear. Who is the person in the photo? A current faculty member or the former project assistant? Don't assume everyone would know. Everything else is solid.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Mother McAuley High School Entry Title: January/February Edition Cover Entry Credit: Alila Underwood, Elysia Gonzalez Judge Comment: Impressive illustration and nicely laid out, but I'm not sure how it works as the gateway to this issue. Is "2025" the theme of the issue? Does the illustration accompany one specific article? Or is it a stand-alone illustration, unrelated to the rest of the content? If readers are asking these type of questions, then the front page isn't working as intended.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kaneland High School Entry Title: Kaneland Krier Volume 51 Issue 3 Entry Credit: Sarah Slattery Judge Comment: Another superb photo illustration! Well executed. Not sure how effective it is as a front page, however. The topic and illustration are both a bit abstract. I would be curious as to how it was received. It doesn't seem to sell the rest of the issue's contents.
Competition Comment: The "Civic Edition" front page is a nice traditional design. However, it needs to establish a more clear and distinct hierarchy of elements. The headlines and photos of both articles are too similar in size. The lead article should declare itself as such by having the indisputably dominant headline and photo.
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