A written journalism competition in which each entrant edits a flawed news article using standard copyreading symbols, then chooses or writes the best headline for it.
Copyreading and Headline Writing is a solo editing item. Instead of writing a story from nothing, each entrant is handed a news article that contains planted mistakes, corrects it with the standard marks used in a newsroom, and then deals with the headline. It is written and marked after the sitting rather than performed, and in the scheme that uses it the item is filed under Creative Writing and scored out of 100.
A round is a supervised sitting. Every entrant receives the same copy and works against the clock with no notes. The first task is copyreading: reading the article closely, marking each error in spelling, grammar, punctuation, style or fact with the correct symbol, and counting the errors accurately. The second task is the headline: picking the strongest headline from the options given, or writing one that follows the usual rules for headlines, such as being short, accurate, active and faithful to the story.
A finished entry has a clean, legible marked-up article in which every planted error is caught and nothing correct has been changed by mistake, followed by a headline that fits the space, tells the reader what happened and does not overstate the story. 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.
Organisers run it because it tests a skill the writing contests do not: the discipline of the editor’s desk. Strong writers are not always careful editors, so this item rewards attention to detail and knowledge of the conventions that keep a newspaper accurate and consistent.
Where Copyreading and Headline Writing is run
The clearest use in the data is a national school press conference in the Philippines, which runs Copyreading and Headline Writing as one of its ten individual contests at every level from school to national and in both English and Filipino. Beyond that, school and campus journalism contests in other countries sometimes include an editing or headline exercise, though the format, symbols 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, split Copyreading 60 and Headline Writing 40.
- Runs in English and Filipino, at Elementary (Grades 1 to 6) and Secondary (Grades 7 to 12) level.
- Done in a single supervised sitting; the template sets no stage time limit.
- Unlike News or Feature Writing, nothing is composed from scratch: the entrant edits supplied copy and handles its headline.
On eTalenter, Copyreading and Headline 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, Copyreading and Headline Writing is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Essay Writing, Story Writing, Poetry Writing, Article Writing, News Writing, Script Writing eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. Each organiser scores this competition on its own criteria. These are the ones the ready-made templates carry.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
How organisers judge it
DepEd National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) - Individual Contests
What judges look at in Copyreading and Headline Writing
What a Copyreading and Headline Writing panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Copyreading symbols (up to 60 marks across the item): marks are earned for using the correct symbol for each kind of error, not for any scribble that shows something is wrong.
- Error count: the printed criterion asks for the exact number of errors to be identified. Missing a planted error loses marks, and so does marking a correct word as wrong.
- Neat, readable mark-up: a judge must be able to read each correction without guessing, so cramped or ambiguous marks cost points.
- Headline selection or writing (up to 40 marks): the best headline is the one that is accurate to the story and sums up the main news in the fewest words.
- Adherence to headline-writing standards: active voice, present tense for recent events, no padding words, and no claim the article does not support.
- Language accuracy in the chosen language, whether English or Filipino, since the planted errors follow that language’s own rules.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Copyreading and Headline Writing under Scoring Setup, or start from the full essay & story writing judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Copyreading and Headline Writing
How entrants and their teachers usually get Copyreading and Headline Writing right on the day:
- Learn the standard copyreading symbols until you can use them without looking them up, and practise writing each one clearly and small enough to fit between lines.
- Practise on real printed articles: read a short story once for sense, then a second time slowly, line by line, hunting only for errors.
- Keep a checklist of error types: spelling, capitalisation, punctuation, subject and verb agreement, tense, wrong word, repeated word and factual slips such as mismatched names or numbers.
- Count your marked errors at the end of the sitting and compare the total with a second pass, since the exact number is part of the marking.
- Do not over-edit. If a sentence is correct, leave it alone; changing correct text is treated as an error of its own.
- Study headlines in good newspapers: notice the active verbs, the missing articles and how few words carry the main fact.
- Test a headline by covering the article and asking whether a reader would know what happened. If not, rewrite it shorter and more specific.
- Practise in both languages if the event offers both, since the common errors and headline habits differ between English and Filipino.
- After a lost round, ask which part cost the marks: missed errors, wrong symbols or a weak headline. Each needs a different kind of practice.
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Copyreading and Headline 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 copyreading the same as proofreading?
They overlap. Both catch mistakes, but copyreading is the editor’s pass on a story before it is set, using standard newsroom symbols, and it also covers style and clarity. Proofreading is usually the final check of the typeset page.
How is Copyreading and Headline Writing marked?
It is marked out of 100 in the national schools circuit: 60 for copyreading, covering correct use of the symbols and identifying the exact number of errors, and 40 for headline writing, covering the best headline selection and adherence to headline-writing standards.
Can entrants use a dictionary or notes?
No. It is done in a single supervised sitting from the copy given on the day, so the item tests what the entrant already knows.
Is it judged individually or as a team?
Individually. Each school sends one contestant per category and language.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full essay & story writing judging criteria guide, or browse every creative writing competition item.
Try Copyreading and Headline Writing in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Copyreading and Headline Writing, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
