The interview will last 30 minutes. The contestants will then have one hour in which to develop their stories from the information in the biographical sketch and from notes taken during the interview. A properly qualified and impartial judging panel shall be selected by the contest director. The papers shall be graded in accordance with the list of journalism contest judging criteria for the contest. A list of feature writing judging criteria shall be mailed to the contest director, who shall see that copies of the list are made available for review by judges prior to the contest.
Feature lead fits the mood of the story.
Writing is active, precise and stylistically exact. Facts are presented in logical sequence. Paragraph transition is smooth and logical. Direct and indirect quotes are used effectively. Feature theme is developed.