Media Recognition

"The Awards not only motivate the students to excel but provide the external support to display their school projects which would have otherwise remained unacknowledged by the public."

Dean Bunn, Science Teacher, Sydney Church of England Grammar School, (whose student, Paolo Hooke, was an Award winner in 1994)

Applications can be used to promote your school in the media. There are two steps you should follow:

Step 1 - Choose a project for promotion

First, you should decide which project you will suggest for coverage. Bear in mind that a project that is interesting to look at will attract more attention, as it will provide photo opportunities for local newspapers. You might also want to brief your nearest television station on a visually interesting project. And do not forget that radio stations that broadcast in your area might be interested in interviewing teachers and students about their work.

Step 2 - Prepare a media release

A media release is a common way to approach the media. Your media release should describe the work and follow some basic formatting guidelines - view our sample media release (DOC 25kb) for some ideas.

You should then fax, post, e-mail, or deliver the release, usually to the Chief of Staff of a newspaper or the News Editor of television and radio stations. You might want to take a photograph illustrating the project and send it along with the release.

You can follow up with a phone call to the Chief of Staff or News Editor. Perhaps try to find out which journalist would be assigned to the story and talk to them. Describe the project and the story possibilities you believe your entry presents. For newspapers and television, describe the picture opportunities too.

For radio, offer a representative for interview and describe their role and talents. Most of all try and get the journalist excited by showing your enthusiasm for the project.

A winning entry

If a project from your school receives a prize, this presents a great opportunity to approach your local media - recognition in the Science Awards will make the story more 'newsworthy'.