Column Writing Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A written journalism competition in which each entrant writes a short opinion column, giving a personal, well-argued view on a topic in a distinctive and readable voice.

Column Writing is a solo journalism item in which each entrant writes the kind of regular opinion piece a school or local newspaper prints under a writer’s name. It is written and marked after the sitting rather than performed, and in the scheme that uses it most heavily it is filed under Creative Writing and scored out of 100.

A round is a supervised writing sitting. Entrants are given a topic or a theme and write against the clock with no notes, producing a compact piece that takes a clear stance and holds it from the first line to the last. Unlike a news report, a column is allowed to have a personality: it can be witty, thoughtful or pointed, so long as the reasoning is sound and the facts it leans on are right. In the national schools circuit it runs in both English and Filipino, at Elementary (Grades 1 to 6) and Secondary (Grades 7 to 12) level, with one contestant per category.

A finished entry has a catchy title, an opening that hooks the reader and announces the angle, a body that develops one main idea with examples or short anecdotes, and a closing line that leaves the reader with something to think about. It reads as one person talking directly to the reader, which is what separates it from an editorial that speaks for a whole paper.

Organisers run it because it tests voice and judgement, not only reporting skill. It sits beside News, Feature, Editorial and Sports Writing as one of the individual writing contests of a school journalism programme, and it is often where a student’s own style shows most clearly.

Where Column Writing is run

The clearest use in the data is a national school press conference in the Philippines, which runs Column Writing as one of its individual contests at every level from school to national and in both English and Filipino. Beyond that, school and campus journalism contests in many countries include an opinion or column category, though the age bands, languages and time allowed differ from event to event.

• Philippines

Key facts

• Individual entry, open to boys and girls alike.
• Marked out of 100 in the national schools circuit; the template carries no printed breakdown for this item, so none is shown here.
• Runs in English and Filipino, at Elementary (Grades 1 to 6) and Secondary (Grades 7 to 12) level.
• Written in a single supervised sitting; the template sets no stage time limit.
• Unlike an editorial, it carries one writer’s voice; unlike a news report, it is allowed to take a side.

On eTalenter, Column Writing is filed under Creative Writing and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Column Writing is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.

What judges look at in Column Writing

What a Column Writing panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• A clear stance: the column should make one point and keep to it. A piece that wanders between several views loses focus and marks.
• Voice: judges look for a recognisable, confident personal tone. Flat, textbook phrasing reads as an essay rather than a column.
• Reasoning and support: opinions need examples, facts or short anecdotes behind them. Bare assertion earns little.
• Opening and close: a hook that draws the reader in and an ending that lingers are where polished entries pull ahead.
• Fairness and ethics: opinion is welcome, but facts must be accurate, nobody is attacked unfairly, and nothing is copied from published columns.
• Language accuracy: spelling, grammar and flow in the chosen language, whether English or Filipino.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Column Writing under Scoring Setup, or start from the full essay & story writing judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Column Writing

How entrants and their teachers usually get Column Writing right on the day:

• Read columns in school and local newspapers and note how each one opens. Copy the technique, never the wording.
• Practise from a topic card: choose a theme such as school life or a community issue and write a 300-word column in twenty-five minutes.
• Decide your one-sentence point before you write the first line, and test every paragraph against it.
• Collect a few short, true anecdotes from everyday life that you can adapt to different topics, so examples come easily under time pressure.
• Write a title that promises something specific, and make sure the body delivers it.
• Leave the final few minutes for checking facts, names and spelling, and cut any sentence that does not serve the point.
• Practise in both languages if the event offers both, since tone and idiom differ between English and Filipino.
• After a lost round, ask for feedback by area: a vague stance, thin support and a weak ending are the usual causes.

Frequently asked questions

Is Column Writing judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is Column Writing the same as Editorial Writing?

No. An editorial states the view of the whole paper in a formal, impersonal voice, while a column carries one writer’s own voice and may be lighter, wittier or more personal.

How is Column Writing marked?

It is marked out of 100 in the national schools circuit. The template does not print a breakdown for this item, so an organiser should publish their own score sheet before the day.

Can entrants bring notes or write at home?

No. It is written in a single supervised sitting on a topic given on the day, so notes and prepared drafts are not part of the item.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

Individually. Each school sends one contestant per category and language.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full essay & story writing judging criteria guide, or browse every creative writing competition item.