2022 contest rules

Entries must be submitted online, following these instructions. (The contest entry period opens on Wednesday, April 20. )

If you do not find your newspaper listed on the entry platform, please email Becky Day and she will add you to the contestant list.

All entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, May 27, 2022.

All New York state newspaper organizations are eligible to enter the contest.

All entries must have been published or posted in 2021.

Stories published in multiple newspapers owned by the same parent company must be submitted as entries for the newspaper in which the journalists who produced the story are based.

Please do NOT enter “staff”, “news team”, or “news organization” for the credit name. Please either enter names or leave this blank.

First- and second-place awards will be given in newspaper categories.

All entries will be judged, however, if there is only one entry in a category it is the judge’s discretion whether to select a winner or not.

There is no limit to the number of entries that can be made in each category unless otherwise noted.

Division I: Newspapers with an assessed weekly circulation of less than 75,000.

Division II: Newspapers with an assessed weekly circulation of 75,000 to 249,999.

Division III: Newspapers with an assessed weekly circulation of 250,000 to 999,999.

Division IV: Newspapers with an assessed weekly circulation above 1 million.

College Newspaper: All colleges will compete against each other in each category.

Newspapers under 249,999 Weekly Assessed Circulation: $10 per entry

Newspapers 250,000 and above Weekly Assessed Circulation - $20 per entry

College Entries: No fee

There is no entry fee for Newspaper of Distinction and NYSAPA Lifetime Achievement.

Entry fees must be paid with a credit card directly through the BetterBNC site by clicking the Calculate Entry Fee button from the manage entries screen. Entry fees must be paid by the contest deadline date.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT REPORTING: A single profile, interview, trend story, review, commentary, column or feature on any arts and entertainment topic, including movies, theater, music, opera, dance, art, architecture, television and literature. Emphasis is on quality of writing. Sidebars can be included. Series are not eligible. Entry may include print and/or online materials.

BUSINESS WRITING: To recognize high achievement and dedication to the craft of business writing, focusing on businesses local to the newspaper’s coverage area. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

COLUMN: To recognize high achievement and dedication to the craft of writing opinion, commentary, criticism, mood, humor, etc. Entries should consist of three bylined columns and are limited to three per newspaper. An individual may be entered only once.

EDITORIAL WRITING: To recognize high achievement and dedication to the craft of editorial writing. Entries should consist of three editorials and are limited to three per newspaper. An individual may be entered only once.

ENTERPRISE REPORTING: This entry may be one story, a series, section or ongoing story that shows a commitment and persistence to reporting on a matter of public interest. Entries must focus on original, non-press release journalism and show a depth of sourcing, research, angles, interviews and compelling visuals. A written summary may be submitted showing the scope and creativity of the reporting.

FEATURE STORY: This award recognizes high achievement and dedication to the craft of feature reporting. This could be a human-interest profile, interview, trend story or feature on any topic. Emphasis is on quality of writing and all creative visual and/or audio elements. Sidebars or related productions appearing on the same day as the entry can be considered part of the entry.

INVESTIGATIVE & WATCHDOG REPORTING: The entry may be one story, a series, section or ongoing story that shows extraordinary investigative effort and research resulting in exposing previously hidden or secret facts or unethical or illegal activity involving a matter of public interest. A written summary may be submitted with the entry, showing how the story developed, obstacles faced, investigative methods used and evidence of the ultimate impact of the story. Where relevant, data visualization or other illustrative elements should be included and highlighted.

LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE: Sports coverage provided under deadline by one or more reporters relating to the same event or breaking development on the sports beat.

PUBLIC SERVICE: The entry can be one story, a series, a section, developing story or non- traditional approach like an event or magazine. A letter explaining the contribution the story made to the community or public service may accompany the entry. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

SPORTS COLUMN: To recognize high achievement and dedication to the craft of writing columns related to sports. Entries may consist of up to three columns and are limited to three per newspaper. An individual may be entered only once.

SPORTS FEATURE OR ENTERPRISE STORY: To recognize outstanding writing and reporting on a sports topic, including sports stories appearing in any section of a newspaper and especially those focusing on sports local to the newspaper’s coverage area. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

SPOT NEWS COVERAGE: Coverage of a breaking news event published on a single day where no planning was possible. Entries can include multiple stories and sidebars. A written summary can be included to explain methods of execution and obstacles encountered. Complementary photography, graphics and online coverage can be included. Online coverage including social media will be key to judges’ considerations. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

FEATURE OR SPORTS FULL PAGE DESIGN: A reproduction of a full page. Entries can come from any full page and special publications like magazines and one-time special sections. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

HEADLINE WRITING: To recognize high achievement in headline writing. Indicate which headlines should be considered by listing the titles in the comments section of the entry when uploaded file(s). One headline per entry. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

NEWS FULL PAGE DESIGN: A reproduction of a full page. Entries can come from any full page, including Page One and special publications like magazines and one-time special sections. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

DIGITAL PRESENCE: Judges will be asked to view a newspaper's website(s), social media feeds and apps. A publication will be judged on its entire digital presentation, including content, overall appearance, ease of navigation, success at building an online audience and whether the site appears to be a valuable resource to the community.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: Judges will be asked to pick the digital story that maximizes a newspaper’s online storytelling tools, whether that be data visualization or other enhancements or using a particular digital presentation tool. All material must be as originally posted. A summary document outlining the reach, impact and audience should be uploaded as part of the entry.

FEATURE PHOTO: Shows the photographer’s skill and imagination in an interesting or unusual angle. One photo per entry. Submit a jpeg, along with a PDF to show published use or a link for online-only use. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

PHOTO STORY OR ONLINE GALLERY: Shows skill and imagination in multiple photos that develop a story line with unique and complementary images. Submit no more than ten photos per entry. This can be either a print or digital photo story. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

PODCAST: Digital-first journalism audio projects built with the intent of online audiences. Enter the “most representative” episode in a series. One entry per newsroom.

SPORTS PHOTO: Shows skill and imagination capturing a moment at a game or sporting event. One photo per entry. Submit a jpeg, along with a PDF to show published use or a link for online-only use. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

SPOT NEWS PHOTO: Shows the photographer’s skill in capturing the essence of a news event. One photo per entry. Submit a jpeg, along with a PDF to show published use or a link for online-only use. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

VIDEO: To recognize skill in creating video that stands alone or enhances other digital aspects of a newspaper’s content. Entries are limited to three per newspaper.

BRUCE CROMIE AWARD: The Cromie Award recognizes the best photo submitted in the 2019 contest. The award is named for the late Bruce Cromie, an Albany photographer killed in an automobile accident while on assignment for a member newspaper. It honors the newspaper photographer whose work is judged best among the judges’ first-place winners from the Best Spot News Photo, Best Feature Photo and Best Sports Photo categories across all circulation divisions.

MICHAEL HENDRICKS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD: This award recognizes the work of a New York journalist. This award honors former AP news editor Michael Hendricks, who was dedicated to helping journalists get a start in this business. The award carries a $500 prize. To enter, the nominee must work at a New York daily newspaper. The nominee must submit a resume and a letter of nomination from a high-ranking newsroom editor. The nominee must submit five examples of work. Each example may be a single piece of content or a series. Entries will be judged on the quality and variety of the work samples, the impact in the community and the conditions under which the journalist worked. Special consideration will be given to those journalists who have contributed to the freedom of the press, including but not limited to pursuing the right to be present at public meetings, use of Freedom of Information requests and writing stories or editorials that expose failure to comply with the rules. Within the nomination letter, the editor should note the contributions the journalist has made to the newsroom. Entry may include print and/or online materials.

FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD: This award is presented for a distinguished contribution to freedom of the press. Entries will exemplify the spirit and intent of the First Amendment and should demonstrate the news organization’s ability to fulfill its public service role and to overcome obstacles in gathering information, including but not limited to pursuing the right to be present at public meetings, use of Freedom of Information requests and writing stories or editorials that expose failure to comply with the rules. The recipient committed all necessary resources to overcome obstacles on behalf of the unrestricted flow of information vital to free society. By so doing, the recipient has served the public and has honored journalism. You are encouraged to nominate your own news organization or another news organization whose work is visible to you, for the First Amendment Award. The award will be presented to individuals or news organizations that made a major contribution during the past year on behalf of the First Amendment or Freedom of Information. If your news organization or an individual was engaged in an effort during the past year to advance or protect the First Amendment concerns of the media and the public or waged a battle on behalf of Freedom of Information, please attach a letter outlining the details with your entries for the judges to consider.

NEWSPAPER OF DISTINCTION: The judges will examine the appearance and presentation of news, photos and graphics for the entire edition of each entering newspaper, from the front page through the sports agate and extending to the website. Enter three editions of your choice from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Criteria will include, but not be limited to, news judgment in story placement; quality of reporting and writing; quality of headlines and captions; quality of photographs and editorial artwork. To assist our judges in understanding how well your newspaper covers your community, editors may submit a short cover letter describing the newspaper’s market, mission, staffing and any other factors that judges ought to take into consideration. It may help the judges if demographic, economic and historic information about the community is included. There is no entry fee for this category.

JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: The Lifetime Achievement Award is our highest honor. The Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to one individual across all divisions in newspaper and broadcast categories. This award recognizes a New York state reporter, writer, editor, producer, broadcaster, executive, technician or other news organization staff member whose work has made a significant, and impactful contribution to New York journalism. The JANY state board of directors invites detailed nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award will be received, considered and judged directly by the JANY state board of directors. There is no entry fee for this category. Please submit nominations directly to journalists.association.ny@gmail.com and include a highly detailed professional profile of the nominee describing the impact the individual has had on the newsrooms they have been a member of and the communities their work has impacted.

PRINT/DIGITAL FEATURE STORY: Lighter human-interest story in a student newspaper or student website.

PRINT/DIGITAL NEWS STORY: General hard news of news of the day in a student newspaper or student website.

PRINT/DIGITAL SPORTS STORY: Coverage of a collegiate, local or regional sports story in a student newspaper or student website.