UIL Academics

The UIL sponsors five journalism contests - news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, headline writing and copy editing. Students compete at the district level, and then the top three places advance to regionals. From regionals, the top three places advance to state competition.

Students who excel in scholastic journalism, whether it be through UIL contests or through student publications, learn communication, media literacy and leadership skills that will make them successful in whichever path they may choose.*

UIL Journalism Events Overview

Editorial writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on mechanical and stylistic precision, news judgment, and the ability to think deeply, to compare and contrast and to argue or defend a point of view persuasively.*

Feature writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly, and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on the same writing skills as other UIL Journalism Contests, as well as the ability to write descriptively.*

News writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on mechanical and stylistic precision, lead writing, use of direct and indirect quotes and news judgment.*

Headline writing teaches students to read critically, to digest and prioritize information quickly and to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. Emphasis is placed on the ability to discern key facts and to write with flair and style in order to tell and sell a story.*

Copy Editing teaches students the vital skills of proofreading and editing to create accurate, clear and succinct writing. Emphasis is placed on the ability to find and correct grammatical, spelling, punctuation, AP style and factual errors.*

*Descriptions from the UIL