Coming Soon: SNO Distinguished Sites 2024-2025

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As we settle into the new school year, it’s hard to believe October is already right around the corner!

The past month has flown by with our team busily connecting with new sites, training student staffs, and kicking off Best of SNO for the year. Now, as everyone gets into the rhythm of things, we’re thrilled to announce that our SNO Distinguished Sites badges will launch next Monday, Oct. 7 for the 2024-2025 school year! Please continue reading to make sure you and your staff are ready to start submitting.

The SNO Distinguished Sites program is designed to celebrate and recognize schools that demonstrate excellence in online student journalism. The program is built around six key badges, each representing an area we believe is crucial for successful online student media:

  • Best of SNO (Writing)

  • Audience Engagement

  • Multimedia

  • Story Page Excellence

  • Continuous Coverage

  • Site Excellence

These badges not only highlight your strengths but also encourage continuous growth and engagement in meaningful journalism.

Now, let’s talk some badge specifics. One of the badges—the Writing Badge—is awarded when one of your submissions is published on Best of SNO. If you haven’t had a submission selected yet, don’t get discouraged! Best of SNO is highly competitive, and there’s still plenty of time to get noticed. Keep submitting your strongest work and check out these tips to boost your chances.

As for the other badges, each comes with its own set of updated guidelines, which you can find by clicking on the “SNO Badges” tab in your site’s dashboard. We recently hosted a webinar covering the details of each badge and the updates for this school year. If you missed it or want a refresher, you can watch the full webinar here. Please read all badge requirements carefully before submitting! 

Finally, if your publication earns all six badges, you’ll be honored as a SNO Distinguished Site. In addition to some pretty serious bragging rights, this will also include:

  • A Distinguished Site plaque for your school.

  • A letter to your principal highlighting your staff’s achievements.

  • A press release to share with local media, showcasing your staff’s journalistic excellence.

Whether your team is striving for its first badge or continuing a legacy of distinction, we encourage you to submit your work beginning next Monday, Oct. 7. Let’s make this year your best yet!