Frequently Asked Questions about MCWTF's Website Design Contest for Girls

How can I enter my students?

Fill out the registration materials for your student team(s). You must also send the Public Relations Authorization signed by each girl's parent. Choose:

Fax the completed materials to 734-697-7286, or
Scan and email the completed materials to Barbkalb@sbcglobal.net, or
Mail the completed materials to:
MCWTF Website Design Contest
c/o Barbara Kalbfleisch
929 E. Huron River Drive
Belleville, MI 48111

How skilled must the girls be in order to be competitive in the contest?

We encourage even beginners to sign up! The classes we offer will help tremendously. The MCWT Foundation would rather the girls enroll in the contest, attend the classes, and give it a good try, rather than think they couldn't possibly do it in the first place. A novice might prefer to enter as part of a two-girl team.

How can my students take advantage of the HTML, web design and presentation skills classes?

Please indicate on your registration form if your students would be interested in attending the classes. The date and location of classes are still to be determined, but are generally held on a single Saturday in October, usually at Lawrence Tech University.

How will the websites be judged?

There will be two rounds of judging. The first round will focus on the technical quality of the website. The second round will be judged on both usability and content. In addition, your student teams will also need to present their websites to the judges in December, if they are selected as finalists.

What are the requirements of the presentation?

Presentations must be between seven and ten minutes in length. Teams need to introduce themselves by stating name(s), age(s) and grade(s) of all team members. Additionally, they should address the following questions while explaining their websites:

What is the overall purpose of the site?
What is the intended audience for the site (i.e. young women, parents, teachers, etc.)?
Why will the audience find the site useful/interesting?
What did the team members enjoy about the web design process?
What did the team struggle with?
How will the team members use this experience in the future?

How is the scoring process determined for the websites?

Each website will be carefully evaluated by a panel of judges using the following criteria:

General Features

Do you have a clear message and purpose, especially on the home page?
Can the users easily see where they are in your site and how to navigate to other areas?
Are links obviously links?

Clarity of Communication

Are you using phrases and concepts familiar to your target viewers?
Do you have any spelling or grammar errors?
Is the site interesting, informative and/or entertaining?
Is the writing clear and concise?

Aesthetic Integrity

Do the graphic elements of the site have variety and look good together?
Are the pages well balanced and visually appealing and is it easy to read the text?

Ease of Navigation

Is it easy to move around the site? Is it easy to get back to an earlier page?

Functionality

Do images show up and does everything work on the site (navigation,links, etc.)?

Use of Enhanced Features

Does the site include some graphics, scrolling text, color variety, etc.?
If you included sound or video, does it play?
(*Note: If you include sound and video on your site, you will earn extra points. If, however, they do not work correctly, additional points will be deducted.)

Technical Skill

Did you use ALT tags on images?
Can users increase the text size using browser controls?
Do the pages load in a timely manner?
Does the site work in modern browsers?

Where and when will the final judging take place?

The website presentations and final judging will take place between 9 AM and 3 PM on Saturday, December 5, 2009. The location will be announced in September.