# Description
Participants utilize written and verbal communication skills designed for a mass audience to convey a news story revolving around a designated theme in both a video broadcast (preliminary) and a digital written format (semifinals). Participants must demonstrate a strong understanding of journalism etiquette and common practices of the field.
# Theme
Headline: The green past of the Saharo-Arabian Desert: Cave deposits reveal recurring humid periods over eight million years
Background: A new study led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry has uncovered compelling evidence that the Saharo-Arabian Desert—today one of Earth’s driest regions—experienced multiple periods of significantly wetter climate over the past eight million years. Researchers analyzed speleothems, or cave deposits, from seven Saudi Arabian caves and found chemical clues indicating repeated monsoonal rainfall that transformed the desert into a habitable landscape for thousands of years at a time.
These wetter intervals likely enabled the migration of mammals, including early human ancestors, between Africa and Eurasia—despite the desert’s role as a natural barrier. The study highlights the powerful influence of climate change on human and animal history, as well as the importance of cave formations as records of ancient weather patterns. Using isotopic analysis and radiometric dating, the team also discovered that the decline of monsoonal rainfall was caused by long-term cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, which shifted rain belts southward.
Prompt: Based on the following headline, develop a news broadcast that includes an introduction of the headline, a summary of the information in the news story, and an explanation of potential future implications of the highlighted work.https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1079999
# Careers Associated
News Anchor
Scientific Journalist
Researcher/corresponding author
Field Reporter
# Oklahoma Eligibility
Entries are limited to one (1) team of two to three (2-3) members per chapter.
# State Competition Information
All components of the chapter's entry, including the website address (URL) must be finished, submitted, and accessible via the internet by March 27, 2026.
Upload the document portfolio and video here
Students will need their participant ID number and password from their advisor. Only the team captain will be able to upload the file.
Written permission for all copyrighted material must be included by completing the Student Copyright Checklist
A consent and release form is required for all recognizable individuals pictured in the video/photos.
# Coordinators
The individual listed below is familiar with this event and available to give guidance. Please email them if you have questions regarding this event.
Jessica Graham
jessicagraham@mooreschools.com
Event Coordinator
Susan James
Event Manager