About Media Expo
Purpose
The Worcester County Media Expo celebrates our students’ use of media and technology to meet educational goals and creatively communicate with local and global communities. We believe that the Worcester County Media Expo will...
- inspire students to try innovative forms of technology to express their talents, knowledge, and understandings.
- foster a sense of pride and confidence in their technological skills.
- encourage collaboration between students, teachers, parents, and the community.
- allow community members the opportunity to have a greater understanding of WCPS’s continuing technology goals.
Grade Levels
Students are grouped into grade level bands. The groups are as follows for each category: PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Unless otherwise noted, students from all grades may enter the competition. Except for Photography, entries may be the work of an individual, a group, or a class. If students from more than one grade division work on an entry, the entry must be entered in the grade division of the oldest student participating. Entries for Photography are for individuals only.
Student Participation
Students enrolled in Worcester County Public Schools may participate in submitting projects for this event. Each school should use the chart below to determine how many projects can be submitted in each subcategory for county-level judging. The number allowed is based on annual enrollment data each September 30th. If a school has more projects than allowed, a school-level runoff will decide which entries move on to the Worcester County Media Expo.
|
School |
PreK-2 |
3-5 |
6-8 |
9-12 |
|
Buckingham Elementary |
4 |
2 |
||
|
Showell Elementary |
4 |
2 |
||
|
Ocean City Elementary |
4 |
2 |
||
|
Pocomoke Elementary |
4 |
1 |
||
|
Snow Hill Elementary |
4 |
1 |
||
|
Berlin Intermediate |
3 |
3 |
||
|
Snow Hill Middle |
2 |
3 |
||
|
Pocomoke Middle |
2 |
3 |
||
|
Stephen Decatur Middle |
6 |
|||
|
Snow Hill High |
3 |
|||
|
Pocomoke High |
3 |
|||
|
Stephen Decatur High |
9 |
|||
|
Cedar Chapel Special School |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Worcester Technical High |
3 |
|||
|
Totals |
21 |
16 |
16 |
19 |
The Media Expo Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 18, 2027. The gallery will open at 5:00 PM. The awards ceremony for Elementary entrants (PreK–5) will begin at 6 PM, while the Secondary ceremony (grades 6-12) will begin at 7 PM (or at the end of the Elementary ceremony). Student entrants are encouraged to be present to share entries with family and friends. The Awards Ceremony will be live-streamed in addition to the in-person ceremony (All entries are judged before the Media Expo Awards Ceremony).
Entry Form
All entries must be submitted using the online entry form at http://www.wcpsmediaexpo.com
Copyright
The use of copyrighted material is limited to what is allowed under the Fair Use Exception to copyright law. If you use copyrighted material that is not covered under Fair Use, you must include written permission from the copyright holder. Always cite your sources in a grade-appropriate way. More details about Fair Use and sample permission request forms are included later in these rules. Entries which fail to follow these guidelines will be disqualified.
The names, logos, and entries of Worcester County Public Schools Media Expo may not be used or reproduced for any purpose. Media Expo Rules and Regulations require participants to follow copyright laws when submitting entries. Therefore, entries and content of entries are sole property and responsibility of participant(s). It is provided by Worcester County Public Schools Media Expo "as received” without intent or implied intent to discriminate.
Ethics
Please consider your subject matter carefully. All Rules and Codes of Conduct for the Worcester County Board of Education will apply to production and content.
All entries, from conception to final product, must be produced by the student(s) entering the production in the Media Expo. Entries must have been produced within the last year prior to the Media Expo and may not have been entered in a previous Media Expo.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly advancing technology that mimics human intelligence to perform tasks like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and decision-making. In recent years, AI has evolved to become a powerful creative tool, capable of generating content such as art, music, and even written text. This evolution has prompted us to introduce an experimental AI-Generated Works category in our program, where students can explore the creative potential of AI. The addition of this category allows us to distinguish between unique student works and fully AI-developed projects.
A unique student work is a project shaped mainly by the student’s own ideas, creativity, and artistic effort. A fully AI-developed project, on the other hand, is created mostly by AI with very little direct input from the student. These distinctions enable us to recognize and celebrate the various intersections of technology and individual creativity within our program.
It's important to note that unique student work across all categories may incorporate the use of AI as a supplementary tool. AI tools are now integrated into numerous programs, software, and applications, offering support and enhancement. However, entries in any category other than the AI-Generated Works category should prominently reflect the creative effort and input of the student.
Students must be transparent about their use of AI tools. In their submission, they should provide a brief explanation of how AI was used and its role in the project's creation.
We encourage students and parents to embrace these exciting advancements, fostering creativity and innovation, while ensuring transparency and fairness in the program.
Judging & Awards
We rely on community volunteers to serve as judges. Judges are provided with rubrics, scoring criteria, and training before evaluating entries. Each submission is reviewed anonymously when possible (although identifying information may appear within the work itself) and scored by multiple judges. Final scores are based on the combined ratings of all judges.
Gold and silver medals are awarded based on judges’ scores. The Media Specialists’ Award is reserved for any entry of exceptional quality or an entry which demonstrates the use of technology in a highly creative or sophisticated way to suit its purpose. The award may also be given to a student whose body of work for the Worcester County Media Expo has shown continuous growth and excellence.
EOE Statement
Worcester County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Chief of Operations and Human Relations; Worcester County Board of Education; 6270 Worcester Highway; Newark, MD 21841.