THE March 30th closing date for entries to this year’s
‘Let’s Talk About Drugs’ Media Awards is fast approaching, but there’s still
enough time to write or record a prize-winning feature.
So what’s the best way to be in with a chance of
winning a fantastic netbook and having your entry published in a newspaper or
broadcast on radio?
Emer Halpenny from Stillorgan should know. After all,
the mother of two has won an award twice in the competition and she’s now
encouraging others to follow in her footsteps.
And Emer also has some great advice for would-be
winners.
“I think the most important thing is to think about
the person who will be reading the article,
? she says.
“You want people to be
interested from the first sentence, but you also want to hold their attention.
?
The mother-of-two from Stillorgan knows what she’s
talking about as she’s won the newspaper article category two years running.
The newspaper article remains the most popular category for entrants but
organisers have also introduced new categories in recent years such as cartoon
strips, audio features and video or animated features.
Here’s some more top tips from Emer.
?¢ If you can find an angle that is interesting to you,
then you’ll be able to make it interesting for your reader.
?¢ When you’re interviewing people, think about your
questions beforehand, but listen carefully to their answers and be prepared to
go off in another angle – who knows what way the story will turn!
?¢ Continuously re-read over the article and eliminate
anything unnecessary – even read it aloud to yourself.
?¢ Talk to friends and family about the competition and
the topic – you would be amazed how many good ideas are out there from people
who have no intention of writing about them!
?¢ Don’t work from internet research straightaway. Get
out there and find an interesting angle, then use the internet to fill in gaps.
Emer, who runs the Emer Halpenny School of Drama in
Stillorgan, isn’t planning on entering the competition herself again this year
but hopes to encourage some of her students to enter instead.
The closing date for the
‘Let’s Talk About Drugs’
National Media Awards is March 30th and full competition details are available
on line through www.gbrd.ie or by following #talkdrugs on Twitter.