Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: St. Viator High School Entry Title: New president 'shoes' away negativity Entry Credit: Andres Sotelo Judge Comment: While I expected more focus in the story about the main subject's shoes, the double entendre of the word choice in the headline is cleverly incorporated into the sole ... er, soul ... of the story, which is about his approach to leading. Turning the noun "shoe" into a clever verb used ingenuity to find the right phrasing to capture the essence of the story.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: School or Fuel Entry Credit: Edward Park, Simon Vaang, Nika Nelson Judge Comment: Great tie-in from "fuel" in the main headline to the "run on empty" phrase in the subhead. A different verb instead of skipping that connects to transportation ("bypassing", for example?) would have put a strong emphasis on the metaphor.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: University of Chicago Laboratory High School Entry Title: One tough cookie Entry Credit: Jaya Alenghat, Naomi Benton Judge Comment: The content of this piece offers so many possibilities for plays on words, it must have been difficult to decide what to use. The use of "tough" appropriately ties to the main subject's military background within the familiar "tough cookie" phrase. It also pairs well with his building bicep in the adjacent photo.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kaneland High School Entry Title: A Dream Shaped by Family and Grit Entry Credit: Carli Filek Judge Comment: The headline is not flashy, but then neither is the content of the main subject's story. It's all about determination and finding a way to succeed through hard work. The simple use of the ideas of "family" and "grit" appropriately capture the heart of the story. This is not a story to try to create a cutesy or overly clever headline, and its understated, straightforward nature is just right.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Walter Payton High School Entry Title: Double standard(ized): Illinois’ SAT-ACT switch Entry Credit: Alexa Gola Judge Comment: Very clever play on words with the "double standard" phrase. As a traditionalist, prefers to see strong verbs used in headlines. "Illinois' SAT-ACT switch ..." DOES what?
