Louise Holden has a few final tips, in our cut-out SchoolMag guide.

If you have been reading this column for the past couple of months, you should now have all the information you need to put together a great school magazine.

Remember that last year's winners, in all categories, won because they were courageous enough to put themselves into their magazines. They didn't just copy well-worn formulae or say what they thought the teachers or judges wanted to hear. They spoke to their own audiences - fellow students - and produced fresh and original work that stood out from the crowd.

In design terms, sophisticated technology and big budgets didn't rise to the top nearly as readily as imagination and flair. Attention to detail and quirky design ideas featured in many of our winning entries.

Clever photography, inventive layout and consistent style statements that followed through from the first page to the last were the characteristics that caught the judges' attention.

As far as writing was concerned, we looked for crisp, accurate, honest writing and new angles on old and new topics.

Your deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 8th, so here are a few points to remember between now and then.

Try to get as much done as possible on your magazine before school finishes for Christmas, as this can be a busy time of the academic year.

Make sure that everyone on your team knows what's expected of them and that their deadlines are realistic.

Make sure that all your team know what they have to do in January, to get the magazine submitted on time.

Make a checklist of your content for the magazine, to ensure that you have all the articles, photographs, illustrations, reviews and so on ready for proof-reading.

Remember to allow yourself plenty of time to then look at layout.

Proof your magazine thoroughly for any mistakes, right the way through production. Check all articles as they are submitted - and again when your school magazine is properly laid out and nearly finished, before you print up the final version. It's easier to spot mistakes when you print it off for proofing - don't just rely on reading it on a computer screen.

Even when you have put your magazine together, remember that printing and other aspects of production can often take longer than you might expect, so don't leave yourself too tight for time at the very end.

There's lots more information on the website www.irishtimesschoolmag.ie if you're stuck.

Happy Christmas to all SchoolMag teams, and good luck with your magazines.