Does your yearbook company have a contest? If so, enter your yearbook!

Many yearbook companies hold annual contests for their customers to showcase their yearbooks. These contests offer various categories, such as cover design, photography, layout, writing, captions, theme, and overall design. The categories are typically divided by school levels or types, making it accessible for everyone to participate. There are also larger national yearbook contests.

When I first started creating yearbooks, I felt out of my element. I had no idea what I was doing—I was just winging it. I didn’t really consider myself a “yearbook person.” Each year, I would get emails about my yearbook company’s contest, but I ignored them because I didn’t think my yearbook was good enough to compete.

After a few years, though, I found my style and process, and I began to feel confident in my skills as a yearbook creator. That’s when I started paying attention to my yearbook company’s annual contest and decided to give it a shot. The contest had several categories, and while I didn’t enter everyone, I was proud of the books I had created and wanted to share my work. I thought it would be fun to enter my favorite sections and see what happened. It was a small contest—what could it hurt?

Some years, I placed in the top three, other years I earned an honorable mention, and a few times, I even won! Every time, I was thrilled to share the news with my school principal and to celebrate our school’s achievement. They proudly displayed the awards and plaques for everyone to see.

Another great feature of these contests is that the yearbook company often showcases the entries on their website for others to view and vote on. You can even browse full books online. At their annual conference, they distribute a “Yearbook of Yearbooks” featuring all the winners. It’s a fantastic source of inspiration and a lot of fun to see all the creativity out there.

Entering your yearbook into your yearbook company’s contest gives students the opportunity to be acknowledged and recognized for their creative work. Everyone who participates in creating a yearbook wants positive feedback, whether it’s when the book is distributed or through recognition from the yearbook community. A contest is a great way to provide inspiration and ideas for improvement for future yearbooks. Feedback is both a reward and a motivator.

Entering a contest is also a fantastic way to receive constructive feedback that can help improve next year’s book. The feedback serves as both motivation and recognition for the hard work and dedication put into the yearbook. Plus, it’s a wonderful way to inspire future creativity!

Ask your yearbook company if they have a yearbook contest and then make a plan to enter it! Don’t put it off, enter it this year and let it be part of the process of improving and motivating you or your staff each year!