SHIPMAN CHAPTER NEWSLETTER CONTEST

A minimum of four issues per year must reach the TXSSAR Historian and the Editor of The Texas Compatriot immediately after each publication date. This is the primary source for chapter news and events and is used to generate chapter-specific content in The Texas Compatriot. These newsletters will be used by the Chapter Newsletter Contest Committee to select the best hardcopy single and multi-sheet newsletters. The editor of The Texas Compatriot scans these newsletters and places the images online at this site so that they can be viewed online. Judges who live in other areas of the state use these electronic archives to judge the newsletters. Electronic newsletters should be attached to email and sent to both the Historian and the Editor. If the newsletters are posted to a website instead, then these two individuals must be notified and the newsletter must be available for viewing at that site for at least three weeks after notification.

For hardcopy newsletters, the minimum number of pages or sheets of paper should be one sheet each issue for single sheet and two sheets for multi-sheet newsletters. Folded paper larger than 8.5 inches x 14 inches (standard legal-size paper) will be counted as multiple sheet, especially if additional inserts are included. In other words, if the newsletters are all printed on one physical sheet of paper that is legal size or smaller, it is judged as single sheet. Any other configuration is judged as multi-page.

The method of hardcopy printing is not of primary concern, however quality of reproduction will count. For electronic newsletters, quality of reproduction will be weighed against download times and ability to easily visualize the format.

The quality of production of both hardcopy and electronic newsletters will be judged with strong emphasis on content:

• Is there an identifiable masthead with the chapter name, chapter number and SAR logo prominent?
• Is there at least one contact listed?
• Are any of the Chapter officers listed?
• Has color been used? For hardcopy newsletters, this would involve either color printing or the paper stock.
• Do graphics or photographs make up part of the coverage?

Does the content contain:

• Chapter activities?
• A calendar of events?
• A welcoming of new members?
• Deceased members remembered?
• Special observances announced and reported on?
• Chapter events given media coverage in newspapers, on radio, or television?
• Special Americanism stories or educational topics presented?
• State SAR events?

Cost of production will not be the major factor in determining the best all-around chapter newsletter. It is true that with more money to spend, the quality of the print, pictures and design will be high, but content and making do with the available resources will be the highest criteria.