Any yearbook adviser will tell you that a “Most Likely To” feature is a great way to fit a ton of students into your yearbook. Sometimes, though, thinking up the superlatives list, picking the right students for each award, and coming up with a cool design can feel like the whole process deserves its own award: Most Likely To Not Get Done On Time.
Fret not. We’ve got a ton of tips on how to handle each aspect.
Selecting Super Superlative Categories
The yearbook should be representative of the all the talents and personalities that make up your student body. A superlatives section could start with the tried-and-true titles like “Best Eyes” and “Class Clown,” but use your creativity to open up the field to include a wider selection of students. Think outside the box; which student would be “Most Likely to Join the Circus?” Or “Most Likely to Move to Mars?”
One way to get the creative juices flowing is to think about categories that could represent current trends of the year. The possibilities are endless, and will help make the superlatives list a part of the historical record. Who among you is most likely to “Stop Global Warming?” or “Be the Next Mark Zuckerberg?”
Choose categories that are relevant to your audience. If your student body loves reality TV, consider adding titles like “Most Likely to Win Survivor” or “Most Likely to Appear on The Voice.”
Keep the categories lighthearted; the more they make people laugh, the more fun your students will have reading them. Remember, though: the superlatives list should be a positive experience for everyone—avoid titles that might be hurtful. And be aware of how the title might be received by the bearer: even the longstanding “Most Likely to Succeed” title could end up feeling like a burden.
There are infinite ideas for awards and titles—though we’ve got plenty of ideas in this list to get you started.
How to Select Students for Each Superlative
The next step in planning your superlatives list is picking a student for each award. Most yearbook staffs leave it up to the student body to choose, but there are some other ways to consider selecting students that will ensure the process won’t be a popularity contest.
- Let a few of the superlatives be decided by the student body, then leave the rest up to the yearbook staff. Some of the more general categories like “Best Hair” or “Best Dressed” can be voted on by the students, and the more niche titles can be decided by an impartial yearbook staff.
- Allow the teachers to decide. Teachers get to see every student and might notice something about a pupil that his or her peers might have overlooked.
- Take the vote of the whole student body, but let the final decisions go to the yearbook staff. This will ensure that one person doesn’t get voted for two separate categories and that the pages aren’t just representative of a select few.
Consider having a boy and girl winner for each category, or even recognize the top three. This way you can spread the love and add even more students into the pages of the yearbook.
Creative Picture Ideas for Designing Your Superlative Spread
Don’t let your imagination stop at crafting categories—use it to reinvent the layout of your superlatives section. Instead of having the caption written at the bottom of each picture, consider jazzing up your superlative spread with one of these options.
- A portrait design element that’s popular today is to have the subject holding up an empty picture frame around themselves. The subject could have their superlative title written somewhere on or around the frame.
- Instead of using a mishmash of props, have an art student draw different pictures on the whiteboard (or a chalkboard for old-school bonus points) that each winner could stand in front of. “Most Likely to be President” could stand in front of an American flag, for example. This way, every picture is tailored to the individual category while the aesthetic remains the same throughout the pages.
- Use one of the most popular trends in photo editing right now—write-over text. Displaying the superlative category over each picture in thematically appropriate fonts will add unique visual interest to the pages.
- Take every picture against the same backdrop and convert the photos into black and white. Experiment with candid pictures where the subject isn’t necessarily looking at the camera. Sort the pictures into a grid on the pages for a fun, vintage feel.
Have Fun, and Be Inclusive
The superlative and “Most Likely To” pages of the yearbook provide a great window to feature a variety of students. When crafting this spread, think of categories that can represent your entire student body, a fair and inclusive selective process, and fun ways to display the portraits. These pages shouldn’t feel like a competition, but rather a celebration of the fabulous and unique personalities that make up your student body.
