New: Best of the High School Press 2008-09 PDF Submissions

Download the Best of the High School Press Call for Submissions Flyer

Over the course of 14 volumes, Best of the High School Press has been the premier showcase for award-winning student work by and for members of the National Scholastic Press Association. In 2009, we’re making some changes to make Best Of even better.

What’s new this year?

  • The next edition of Best of the High School Press, Volume 15, will be published in early 2010 and remain on a winter publication schedule for subsequent years. Previous editions were mailed to NSPA members in the fall.
  • Starting with the next edition, NSPA will include only publication content submitted as PDF files in the selection process for Best of the High School Press. (This does not apply to sections of the book honoring winners of NSPA’s contests.) PDF files can be sent to NSPA either online (go to the online submission form) or by mail.

Changing the publication schedule and using PDF submissions will result in a Best of the High School Press publication with better reproduction quality, more up-to-date content and a more comprehensive selection process.

How to enter your publication’s work for Best Of selections

  • Choose the content you wish to submit from your 2008-09 publication (see our recommendations, below)
  • Create PDF files of each page, spread or graphic at the highest possible quality (go to http://contests.studentpress.org/BestOf for instructions for creating PDFs)

Send your PDFs to NSPA in one of two ways:

  • Upload your PDF files to NSPA using our online submission form, or
  • Create a CD of the PDF files (the face of the CD should have your publication name and type, school name, contact e-mail address and “2009 Best of the High School Press Submissions” written on it), and mail it to

    NSPA Best of the High School Press
    2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 121
    Minneapolis, MN 55414

    Feel free to include the CD with your critique or Newspaper Pacemaker entry if you’re sending one this spring/summer.

2008-09 publication PDFs should be received by July 15, 2009, to be considered for publication in Best Of.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will be done with 2007-08 contest winners which would have been published this fall, and with PDFs I’ve submitted from our 2007-08 publications?
NSPA appreciates the more than 150 publications’ worth of PDF content received in response to our requests over the past year. To make sure nothing gets left out in the transition from fall to winter publication, the next edition of Best of the High School Press, to be published in early 2010, will be expanded to include contest winners and other selections from both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.

Does submitting PDFs for Best Of enter the work in any other contest or judging?
Complete, printed newspaper issues/yearbooks/magazines will still need to be submitted for critiques or Pacemaker contests. However, any digital files entered in individual contests, such as Design of the Year, Picture of the Year or Cartooning Awards, will automatically be included in the Best Of selection process, so any content entered in those contests can be excluded from Best Of submissions.

What can I do to improve my chances of getting something from our publication selected for Best Of?

  • DO send as many PDFs as you can (at least 8-10)
  • If you are sending entire newspaper issues or your entire yearbook/magazine, DO be sure to suggest some of the best material from it as a starting point for judges.
  • If you have strong content in more obscure areas of your publication, such as yearbook academics/clubs pages or newspaper opinion pages, DO include them in your submissions. As always, there will only be room for so many Page Ones, newspaper centerspreads or yearbook divider spreads in Best Of, so the competition in those areas will be tougher.
  • DON’T include digital files submitted as entries in individual contests such as Design of the Year, Picture of the Year or Cartooning Awards (all digitally submitted contest entries will automatically be included in the Best Of selection pool).
  • DO check your publication’s NSPA membership status to make sure it’s current, and renew if necessary. A current membership in NSPA is necessary both to have work included in Best Of and to receive a copy of the book when it is published.

How can I get technical support for making PDFs or uploading them to NSPA online?
You can find full instructions for making PDFs from either InDesign or Quark by downloading these instructions. If you have other questions or concerns, e-mail us at info at studentpress.org. The two most important instructions, in brief: generate PDF files at the highest possible quality (Press Quality or PDF/X-4), and export all two-page publication spreads as single-page PDF files.