The SNO Report: The SNO Distinguished Sites Application Season Is Now Open!

Between now and May 31, 2017 you can (and really should) apply for any (or all) of the SNO Distinguished Sites badges representing six key components of a modern news website:

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 three stories 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 and three slideshows published during the current school year that meet standards of excellence in multimedia production.

AUDIENCE 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.

News staffs are welcome to tackle the badges in any order, striving to earn as many as makes sense for their publication. A site that earns all six badges will be awarded the honor of being a SNO Distinguished Site for the calendar year. In addition, Distinguished Sites will receive a certificate, a press release, and a letter will be sent to the school’s principal or PR department.

Last year, in the program’s third season, 102 sites piled up individual badges, with 27 programs earning the honor of Distinguished Site.

If you’re a new program and just starting out, you can use these standards to chart your course. If you’re an experienced program already doing these things, then what are you waiting for? Apply for your badges today.

Submissions will be accepted through May 31, 2017, and you can reapply as often as necessary. Badges will be published on our client list as soon as we review your site.

To learn more and to apply, please visit the the SNO Distinguished Sites page.