The SNO Distinguished Sites recognition program gives news staffs six standards that will help their publications excel online.  As each standard is met, that site will be awarded a badge on the SNO client list.

News staffs should submit their site for each badge individually.  We invite you to apply for those badges that highlight your site’s strengths, while working to achieve the others.  If a site earns all six badges, it will be awarded the honor of being a SNO Distinguished Site for the calendar year.  In addition, SNO Distinguished Sites will receive a press release, a letter to sent the institution’s principal or PR department, and a certificate.

The submission period for 2023-2024 is October 2, 2023 to May 31, 2024. There is no limit to the number of times that a site can submit an individual badge. You can submit badges on your site by going to your SNO Badges dashboard.

Continuous Coverage Badge

To earn this badge, a news staff must update their site regularly and demonstrate a commitment to timely online journalism.

Site Excellence Badge

To earn this badge, a news staff must customize their homepage beyond the initial SNO design with a clear sense of purpose for every element on the homepage.

Story Page Excellence Badge

To earn this badge, a news staff must submit eight fully-developed stories from the current school year that go beyond the text to enhance the reader’s experience.

Excellence in Writing Badge

This badge is automatically awarded to news staffs with at least one story from this school year published on Best of SNO, a site dedicated to excellence in student journalism.

Multimedia Badge

To earn this badge, a news staff must submit at least three videos, three slideshows, and three podcast episodes published during the current school year that meet standards of excellence in multimedia production.

Engagement Badge

To earn this badge, a news staff must meet a minimum traffic threshold, use social media to engage their audience, and study analytics to measure their readership.