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2011 SPJ Excellence in Journalism contest:
Rules, fees, FAQs, what you need to know
Eligibility: Entries must have been published or broadcast in Hawaii during 2011.
Deadline: March 9, 2012. Entries must be posted on Better Newspaper Contest site by 4:30 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time.
Fees: $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers.
Entrants must be chapter members to qualify for membership rate, which is not transferrable to other people in the same company. All fees are nonrefundable. SPJ members submitting entries for nonmembers must pay nonmember rate.
Multiple-entry discount: $22 for each of 10 or more entries ($220 for 10 entries.) Student contest fee: $15 for members of an SPJ student chapter $17 for nonmembers. Student fee applies to the student category only — students entering professional categories must pay professional rates.
To submit entries: One check may be used for all submissions by one person or company. Email spj@flex.com with the total number of entries. We will email you back with the amount that should be paid.
Checks or money orders should be made out to "Hawaii Chapter SPJ." DO NOT SEND CASH. All fees are nonrefundable. Entrants may also submit a very brief statement in support of work summarizing the entry, discussing major findings and subsequent results (No more than 50 words on the online entry page).
Joining SPJ: Anyone may qualify for member rates if a completed SPJ membership application is submitted to the chapter, P.O. Box 3141, Honolulu, HI 96802.
ENTRIES
Go to www.betterbnc.com and click on Newspapers and Journalists Log in Here under "Are you a contestant?"
Click on News Organization login for 2011 HSPJ Excellence in Journalism. Look in the drop down box for your News Organization or name. (Not there? Contact Stirling Morita at spj@flex.com or 529-4755.)
- Enter your Division
- Enter your Category
- Enter Title exactly as it appears on the Web page or .pdf (Adobe Acrobat File for print stories)
- Attach a .pdf — click on "Browse" and find your file (No more than 20 MG) OR hit the "Next" button and enter the Webpage address for your article or video story
- Put in names of up to five people to be credited
- Hit Submit
First-place awards will be given, with merit awards to up to two finalists. Awards may be withheld if judges decide no entry merits recognition. Decisions of the judges are final.
The awards ceremony will be at 6 p.m. June 29 at the Manoa Grand Ballroom in the Japanese Cultural Center.
SPJ Hawaii reserves the right to disqualify any entry that fails to conform to rules. Entry fees will not be refunded. Entries will not be returned.
FAQs
Q: If original clips are unavailable, can I submit a computer printout of my entry?
A: Yes, as long as the publication date is clearly visible. Wire services may submit computer printouts as PDFs.
Q: Can organizations qualify for membership rates?
A: No, but individual members entering can qualify.
Q: Can an entry qualify for the membership rate if one of the named entrants contributing to the work being entered is a chapter member?
A: Yes.
2011 contest categories
In all categories: Submit article URLs or attach PDFs of articles up to 20 MG.NEWSPAPERS
- N101 Business Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular event or issue.
- N102 News Page Design
Open to newspapers that publish at least five days a week and wire services.
- D101 Spot News Reporting. For deadline reporting of a single event, scheduled or unscheduled. Entry must have been published in the issue that directly followed the event and may include sidebars.
- D102 General News/Enterprise Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular event or issue.
- D103 Feature Writing/Short Form. A single article no more than 1,500 words in length. Entry may include sidebars.
- D104 Feature Writing/Long Form. A single article of more than 1,500 words in length. Entry may include sidebars.
- D105 Feature Page Design
- ND101 General News/Enterprise Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular event or issue.
- ND102 Feature Writing. Submit a single article. Entry may include sidebars.
- ND103 Community Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a community event or issue.
Open to magazines and newsletters.
- M101 Business Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular event or issue.
- M102 Industry or Trade Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular industry or trade.
- M103 Profile. Submit a single profile or story portraying a personality, business or group of interest or significance. May include sidebars.
- M104 Feature writing/Short Form. Submit a single article no more than 1,500 words in length. Entry may include sidebars.
- M105 Feature Writing/Long Form. Submit a single article of more than 1,500 words in length. Entry may include sidebars.
- M106 Page Design.
- M107 Magazine Cover. Submit a single magazine cover.
In all broadcast categories: Entries must not contain material not originally aired. Lead-ins may be included.
RADIO
Web page addresses preferred.
- R101 General News/Enterprise Reporting. Submit up to five stories on a particular event or issue.
- R102 Feature Reporting. Entry may include related stories that aired in the same newscast.
Web page addresses preferred.
- T101 Government Reporting. Submit a single story on a particular government issue or event.
- T102 Business Reporting. Submit a single story on a particular event or issue.
- T103 General News/Enterprise Reporting. Submit a single story on a particular event or issue.
- T104 Feature Reporting. Entry may include related stories that aired in the same newscast.
- T105 Spot News Reporting. For deadline reporting of a single event, scheduled or unscheduled. Entry must have been aired within 24 hours of the event, and may include related stories that aired in the same newscast.
- T106 Investigative Reporting. Submit a single story or series of stories on a single subject that was the result of extensive research and original investigation.
- T107 Videography. Submit a single story.
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T108 Series Reporting/Documentary/Special News Program.
1) A series of stories on a single subject that aired consecutively.
2) For an independent production that need not be under the control of a news organization, the documentary must have been produced and aired in Hawaii during the calendar year.
3) For a news program aired outside a regular newscast but under the control of a news organization, the special news program may be an entire program or a single segment from a program.
Open to entries from all divisions. Submit article URLs or attach PDFs of articles up to 20 MG.
- A101 Column Writing/News. Submit columns or blog entries up to five related to a news event or events.
- A102 Column Writing/Features or Sports. Submit columns or blog entries up to five on a feature or sports event.
- A103 Government Reporting. Submit articles or blog entries up to five on a particular government-related event or issue.
- A104 Breaking News Reporting. For spot news coverage and continuing coverage of a major event. Entries must include both initial reports and up to four follow-ups.
- A105 Health Reporting. Submit articles or blog entries up to five on a health-related topic.
- A106 Sports Reporting. Submit an article or blog entry on a particular sports event, person or issue. Entry may include sidebars.
- A107 Arts/Entertainment Writing. Submit a single column, review, feature or blog entry.
- A108 Editorial Opinion. Submit up to five editorials on a single subject.
- A109 Illustration/Cartoon. Entry consists of original art or editorial cartoon.
- A110 Informational Graphic
- A111 News Photography
- A112 Feature Photography
- A113 Sports Photography
- A114 Photo Essay
- A115 Headlines. Submit five headlines and their accompanying stories. Headlines are mainly judged on effectiveness in creating reader interest in the article and in capturing the essence of the story. Also considered are creativity, humor, brevity and a variety of styles in the five headlines. Visual design is not a factor.
- A116 Best Reporting Using Social Media. Submit one story. For news or features in which social media was a primary component of the news gathering and/or display process. Tracking down key sources for a story, crowd sourcing and showing community conversation about a subject via social media are all viable measures for this category. Also submit examples from relevant social media sources and how they were used to flesh out the story.
- A117 Special Section. Submit one complete staff-produced special section or edition built around a unique local subject matter, such as anniversary, collector's edition, disaster, tribute or any major issue, that goes above and beyond routine coverage. Section must have been published in 2011. Judging will be based on theme and content, and layout/design/presentation.
- A118 Investigative Reporting. Submit a single article or blog entry or series of articles or blog entries on a single subject that was the result of extensive research and original investigation.
- A119 Public Service Reporting. For public service through extensive coverage of an important issue facing the community. Submit a single article or series of articles or blog entries. May include sidebars and editorials.
Entries consist of one main webpage address and up to four additional addresses to highlight specific features. Entrants must keep their nominated entries intact and accessible for at least eight months following submission. In the case of individual writing or reporting entries, entrants may use PDFs of webpages as an alternative. Entries from online media affiliated with other media should document and explain how the material entered differed from or enhanced the coverage provided by the affiliated medium rather than merely repurposed it.
- I101 Online News Reporting. Submit a story or package about a single issue or news event.
- I102 Online Feature Reporting. Submit a story or package about a single issue or news event not produced on a daily deadline.
- I103 Best Multimedia Presentation. News on a single topic displaying outstanding use of multimedia.
- I104 Best Overall News Site. Submit five links.
- I105 Best News Site (1-person produced). Submit five links.
- I106 Best Website Design. Awarded to the news organization website that most strongly displays news, news categories, archived material, community calendars/events and social media and community engagement. Site will be judged on packaging, density and dynamism of content, and cleanliness. SUBMIT ONE HOMEPAGE URL ONLY.
The contest is open to anyone studying in an academic institution in 2011. All entries must have been published or aired in 2011. Work published while working as a student intern is acceptable. Unpublished manuscripts and classroom exercises do not qualify.
- S101 Student Journalism in Any Media. Submit a single article on a particular event or issue or webpage address where the article or broadcast is located. May include sidebars.