IRISH TIMES SCHOOLMAG COMPETITION:The heat is on for this year's contest, writes Louise Holden, chair of the judging panel

DEAR JOURNALISTS, it's year five of the Irish TimesSchoolMag competition and we're off. Information packs have been sent around to every post-primary school in the country reminding you of all the terms and conditions. Last year's SchoolMag was another roaring success, with several hundred entries and a higher standard than ever. The winning school, Coláiste Oireall, produced a masterwork that blew all the judges away. It was a stunning piece of work, gorgeous to look at and full of engaging, well-written and well-edited writing that kept the pages turning. In an overcrowded magazine market, TNTwould leap off the shelf. It was TNT's individuality that really excited us. In fact, all the magazines that made it to the shortlist had one thing in common - they were doing their own thing.

This year, we're expecting another feast of top-drawer student journalism and design. Over the next few weeks in Transition Times, we'll be giving you a few pointers on how to keep your magazine on track.

Next week, we'll look at assembling your A-team.

• The deadline for registering your interest in SchoolMag is Friday December 5th. If you haven't received a SchoolMag pack e-mail schoolmag@irish-times.ie or tel: 01-6758000. All the info you need is available on www.irishtimesschoolmag.ie.