Award Categories

Best DJ: 3 minute max (edited – do not include full songs)
Showcase your talents talking in and out of breaks of music or other programming. Highlight your interview skills and hosting capabilities. Best DJ can be a team (two or more people) so long as the focus of the entry is on hosts’ interactions.

Best Newscast: 5 minute max (unedited)
Hard-hitting reporting, community coverage, and a kicker. How do you report the news?

Best News Feature Story: 5 minute max (unedited)
Coverage of a particular issue or current events with a news hook.

Best Sportscast: 5 minute max (unedited)
Sports-centered updates that may include game broadcast or athlete interview audio.

Best Sports Talk Show: 15 minute max (can be edited)
From the sidelines to the upper deck, we want the best in sports coverage and analysis.

Best Sports Play-By-Play: 10 minute capsule coverage from one game (can be edited)
Your team broke a record or overcame the odds and listeners hung on your every word.

Best Podcast: 30 minute maximum (unedited)
A 30-minute snippet or a complete episode of your podcast series covering any topic.

Best Talk Show (non-sports): 15 minute maximum (can be edited)
You or a group of students discuss topics in pop culture, news, or whatever comes to mind. (does not include podcasts)

Best Promo: must be :30 or :60 to qualify
Share the imaging produced to promote your station.

Best Public Affairs Program: 30 minute max (can be edited)
Programming with a focus on politics and public policy for your community and beyond.

Best PSA: must be :30 or :60 to qualify
Powerful and effective messaging in a short amount of time.

Best Specialty Music Show: 15 minute max (can be edited)
You live and breathe your passion and share it across the airwaves. Share examples of how you bring a genre and its culture to your listeners.

Best Use of Social Media: one account per entry (must be active)
Show us how you use social media to interact with and entertain listeners through graphics, videos, and more.

Best Use of Video (new for 2023-2024): one video per entry (up to 5 minutes)
Whether it’s on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or anywhere else, show us how you use video to market your station, reach listeners, and show your creativity.

Best Website: one URL per entry (must be actively updated)
Interactive, innovative and targeted for your audience. Show us how your website stands out from the rest.

Student Leadership Award (new for 2023-2024): In 500 words or less, tell us about a student who has exhibited great leadership at your station. *there is no fee to enter this category*

Best Radio Drama – Original or Adaptation: 30 minute maximum (unedited)
A classic tale or one that’s only just been told, produced and packaged to deliver a complete story.

Best Radio Station Advisor: Based on three (3) supporting letters, tell us why your advisor deserves recognition and how they have made an impact on students and the station. Entries for this category can be directly emailed to zjdewitz@noctrl.edu. *there is no fee to enter this category*
NOTE: The winner in this category is not eligible again for a period of three (3) years.

Broadcaster of the Year: Students who submit at least one entry in each of these three groups will be eligible (automatic entry; no fee to enter):

1. Best DJ or Best Specialty Music Program
2. Best Newscast, Best News Feature, or Best Public Affairs Program
3. Best Sportscast, Best Sportstalk, or Best Sports Play-By-Play

Best High School Radio Station (updated for 2023-2024):
In addition to your station’s entries to the competition, submit an essay of 500 words or less that tells us why your station stands above the rest. *there is no fee to enter this category*

Questions? Please send an email to Zach DeWitz.