Contest Rules

All entries must be submitted no later than March 1st. Winners will be announced at the State Competition.

Schools will enter each individual competitor and participants will compete for individual honors rather than awards by school.

Students participating in the competition agree to publication or reprinting by Indiana Mock Trial of any news story or Feature story
prepared by a student in connection with this competition.
 

Contest Information

Each participating student will prepare a 1- 2 page essay which captures the essence of the Mock Trial experience. Students may either write about some aspect of the case itself, a competition they watched, or the experiences of students, teachers, or coaches participating in Mock Trial. Students do not have to attend the competition to enter their essay in the contest.
 

Judging Criteria

The judges will rate the essays by the following criteria: (The importance, or weight, of the criteria in judging is shown in parentheses at the end of each item.)
 

Did the writer:
1. Capture the essence of the case, the legal proceedings, or the competition? (40%)
2. Strive for fairness and accuracy? (15%)
3. Present the essay in clear concise language? (10%)
4. Develop a simple, easy-to-understand lead paragraph? (5%)
5. Properly structure the essay, with the most important elements early in the article? (5%)
6. Understand the legal procedures and rulings that are used in the judicial process or in the competition? (5%)
7. Show the background on the basic elements of the case or the competition. (who, what, why, when, where, how, etc?) (5%)
8. Make the essay interesting by direct quotes from testimony or descriptions of the courtroom scene, participants or their behavior? (5%)
9. Spell words and names correctly? (5%)
10. Use correct grammar? (5%)