Hi all.
At the request of some contestants, we have extended the deadline for submissions until Feb. 21. Judging for our contest will begin Feb. 26 with the SPJ Washington, DC chapter taking on the task. We, in turn, will be judging its contest starting around March 7. If you are interested in judging, leave a comment here and we will get in touch with you.
To all who have already entered, good luck. With the year we have had, you are all winners.
The 2021 SPJ Keystone Spotlight Contest will be accepting entries until Feb. 13 for its annual event. Entry fee is $20 and payments may be made through https://paypal.me.com/spjkeystone?locale.x=en_US
This past year has been a challenge for the world and especially for the media who covered the events. From elections to the pandemic to racial inequalities and financial distresses, there was no shortage of news. Mandated isolation forced many in the media to find a new way to report. Civil unrest and a wave of mistrust of the media fueled by dissent individuals and groups created dangerous situations at time. But you persevered and produced page after page, video and podcasts that reached out to audiences everywhere.
Our chapter and SPJ national are proud of all you have done under the most adverse conditions. This contest is a way to show others your good work and be recognized for it.
Chapters across the country hold contests such as this annually and we exchange with each other to read and judge your great work. Our chapter will exchange contest entries with the Washington DC chapter this year. Judges from the PA and NJ are welcome to be judges when we receive Washington DC’s entries.
Entries which were published in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are welcome. There are also categories for podcasts and online pieces as well.
Deadline for entries is Feb. 13 and payment is required by Feb. 15. If we do not receive a payment, the entry will not be considered. All information is in the attached link below.
Good luck.
Pat Trosky, president SPJ Chapter
We are behind by a month in announcing the winners of the 2019 SPJ Keystone Chapter’s Excellence in Journalism contest but it has finally been completed. The winners’ list is numerically set up 001 to 028 and the judges said there was some really good work going on in our region and it was a pleasure to see it and read such solid journalism.
As president of the chapter and coordinator of the contest, I apologize to all entrants who have been anxiously awaiting these results. Situations occur where not all judges are available during the time frame set up for judging completion and this was one of those times.
I want to congratulate all the winners in this year’s contest. It was another year of challenges for journalists and 2020 started off with a bang making our profession even more difficult. Now more than ever, we are essential to the future of getting through the pandemic and what is to follow.
Good health and safety to all of you and here is to another year of strong, ethical and fearless journalism.
| Division | Competition | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
| Spotlight Award | 001 Spotlight Award (a,b) | Entry 01 — How New Jersey judges minimized sexual assault | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Fired, then rehired // Could this state commission // Inside the once-secret misconduct // Search The Inquirer’s database // Police arbitration payouts | Scranton Times — Entry 30802 — Culture of corruption |
| Layout | 002a News Page Design (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — The Philadelphia Inquirer Front Page News Design | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Melanie Wass pages | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Courtright charged, July 2; Deadliest roads, June 9; United in wonder, July 20; “He always wanted to do what was right,” 6/14; Paying It Forward, 6/8’ ; Merry Christmas, Dec. 25; |
| Writing | 003a Business and Labor Reporting – Daily and non-daily (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN04 — OSHA calls this Montgomeryville factory a ‘severe violator’ | — Entry 01 — “White Out: Why New Jersey Dairy Farms are Drying Up” | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media08 — 40 years ago: Three Mile Island accident rattled America’s confidence in nuclear energy |
| Writing | 004a Blog – Daily or Non-Daily (a) | — Entry 01 — Jeff Deminski – portfolio | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Seth Rorabaugh blog | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Christopher J. Kelly |
| Writing | 005a Editorial Writing – Daily and non-daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Lori Falce editorials | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media03 — Lori Falce editorial | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Lori Falce editorials |
| Writing | 005a Editorial Writing – Daily and non-daily (b) | No Winner | No Winner | No Winner |
| Writing | 006a Enterprise Reporting – Daily (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN02 — Trash, crash, get a pass | — Entry 01 — Unclaimed | Scranton Times — Entry 30802 — Deadliest Roads |
| Writing | 006b Enterprise Reporting – Non-Daily (b) | — Entry 01 — Katie Wept/New twists/Between the lines | — Entry 01 — Low-Wage Living | — Entry 01 — Hacked in minutes |
| Writing | 007a Environmental Reporting – Daily or Non-Daily (a) | — Entry 01 — Good River: Stories of the Ohio | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — N.J. blueberry farms house workers in storage sheds, pollute groundwater | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN02 — Philadelphia’s Wissahickon is slammed with millions of visitors, increasing trash, noise, risks |
| Writing | 007a Environmental Reporting – Daily or Non-Daily (b) | Jewish Exponent — Entry JE01 — Shore Homeowners Contend With Rising Seas | None selected | None selected |
| Photo | 008a Feature Photography – Daily (a) | Press Enterprise — Entry PE01 — Bloomsburg Fair | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media06 — Bishop Zubik washes inmates’ feet at Holy Thursday Mass | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media10 — Moon over Pittsburgh |
| Photo | 008b Feature Photography – Non-Daily (b) | — Entry 02 — Snow Day | — Entry 01 — Graduation family | None selected |
| Writing | 009a Feature Story – Daily (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN04 — A summer rafting trip nearly killed me. What those 20 minutes took — and what they taught me. | — Entry 01 — Unclaimed, but not Unloved | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN06 — Bathrooms at ‘Hamilton’: Can 200 women make it through 16 stalls in a 20-minute intermission? |
| Writing | 009b Feature Story – Non-Daily (b) | — Entry 01 — Burgers, Breads and Spreads | Sherri Kimmel — Entry BUC01 — Pedagogy Behind Bars | — Entry 01 — Jill P. Capuzzo |
| Layout | 010a Headline – Daily or non-daily (a,b) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media04 — So long, sweethearts, MISS U | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — GETTING THEIR CLOCKS CLEANED | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — The young and the antiqueless |
| Writing | 011a Health and Medical Reporting – Daily and non-daily (a,b) | — Entry 01 — PFAS chemical contamination investigation | — Entry 02 — First Person: Pittsburghers share perspectives on mental health and care | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN04 — One in 7 Latina girls in Philadelphia has attempted suicide, yet their struggles often remain invisible |
| Online | 012a Web Use – Daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Tribune-Review | — Entry 01 — Opioids and Addiction – A New Jersey 101.5 Town Hall | None selected |
| Photo | 013a News Photography – Daily (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Neighbors Enraged | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media04 — Police present flag to family | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media03 — Officer Calvin Hall funeral |
| Photo | 013b News Photography – Non-Daily (b) | — Entry 01 — Graduation Day | — Entry 02 — MLK vigil | None selected |
| Online | 014a Online Breaking News – Daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Rosfeld acquittal leaves a relieved wife in tears and a mother indignant | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Philadelphia Police face off against an armed assailant barricaded in a North Philadelphia home | None selected |
| Photo | 015a Photo Story – Daily (a) | Press Enterprise — Entry PE01 — A perfect Ten | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Behind the Bell | Press Enterprise — Entry PE02 — High adventure found at Mount Washington |
| Photo | 015b Photo Story – Non-Daily (b) | — Entry 01 — Linked By Letters | None selected | None selected |
| Photo | 016a Sports Photography – Daily or non-daily (a,b) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media04 — Cervelli celebrates at the plate | Press Enterprise — Entry PE01 — It’s Giddyup at go at the Benton Rodeo | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Garrett rips off Rudolph’s helmet |
| Writing | 017a Sports News / event coverage (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — The Phillies sign Bryce Harper | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Pirates fire Hurdle | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — NCAA wrestling tournament coverage |
| Writing | 018a Spot News Story – Daily (a) | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Courtright charged | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Explosions rip through South Philadelphia refinery, triggering major fire and injuring 5 | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media03 — Michael Rosfeld trial |
| Overall | 019a Best Overall Newspaper – Daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Tribune-Review | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — The Times-Tribune | None selected |
| Overall | 019b Best Overall Newspaper – Non-Daily (b) | Philadelphia Gay News — Entry PGN01 — Philadelphia Gay News | None selected | None selected |
| Writing | 020a Lifestyle/Entertainment – DAILY or Non-Daily (a) | — Entry 02 — Performing Arts: “Balancing act: a young Hannah Arendt in new play at Luna Stage”; “Shifting Perspectives: ‘Considering Matthew Shepard’ musically examines hate”; “’Runaways’ builds empathy: Vanguard theater company sleeps out” | — Entry 01 — Religion: “Honey saves the world: apples and honey are a Jewish tradition, and beekeeping is part of ‘Tikkun Olam’ “; “Facing the darkness: clergy discuss Good Friday”; “Eid al-Fitr brings Muslims together: celebrating the end of the fast” | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Paul Guggenheimer stories |
| Writing | 020a Lifestyle/Entertainment – DAILY or Non-Daily (b) | Philadelphia Gay News — Entry PGN01 — Philadelphia Gay News’ local LGBTQ coverage | None selected | None selected |
| Writing | 021a Sports Features (Daily and non-daily) (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Star in the shadows | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Railriders 30 moments | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media05 — Comeback kid: MP’s Giallonardo inspires with return to baseball |
| Layout | 022a Feature Page Design (a) | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — The Times-Tribune | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Melanie Wass pages | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Melanie Wass pages |
| Layout | 023a Sports page design (a) | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — All-Region football doubletruck, Dec. 14; Year in Review, Dec. 31; Super Bowl preview, Feb. 3; Baseball Hall of Fame announcement, Jan. 23; Jay Bell to manage RailRiders, Jan. 25; NLDS Game 5, Oct. 10 | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Jeff Vella pages | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media02 — Tribune-Review sports design |
| Layout | 024a Graphic/Photo Illustration daily or non-daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Tribune-Review staff design | None selected | None selected |
| Writing | 025a Sports/Outdoor Column – daily or non-daily (a) | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN01 — Lincoln University’s Cole Klubek // Roy Halladay’s death // Dana Barros | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN02 — The Eagles’ Jason Peters // Matt Klentak and Gabe Kapler // Kawhi Leonard vs. Joel Embiid | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Feb. 24: PIAA needs to study where competitive gap truly lies May 26: Head coaches sacrifice to make things better Nov. 21: Proposal ignores impact on towns |
| Writing | 026a Column Writing – daily or non-daily (a) | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Lori Falce columns | Scranton Times — Entry 30802 — Higher Power, 2/24; ‘For Bond, ‘we’ is really ‘he,’ 100%, 7/17; An empty place at holiday table, 12/25 | Philadelphia Inquirer — Entry PMN03 — on’t call Pa.’s new female // These alleged abuser priests // Women for Trump |
| Overall | 027a Podcasts (a) | — Entry 01 — Visiting Chernobyl | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — Tim Benz podcast | Scranton Times — Entry 30803 — Historically Hip |
| Writing | 028a Education writing – daily or non-daily (a) | Scranton Times — Entry 30801 — Scranton School District Recovery Plan | — Entry 01 — No free lunch: Schools grapple with outstanding student meal tabs | Trib Total Media — Entry Trib Total Media01 — More than a game: Coaches stress benefits of football as player participation dwindles |
The Society of Professional Journalist’s Keystone Pro Chapter Spotlight Contest opens Jan. 30. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey chapters will again join together to recognize the best in journalism. The contest, which is not based on circulation but on quality of the profession and what it stands for, is open to all journalists from Pennsylvania and New Jersey whose work appeared in a publication in one of the two states.
All professional journalists are invited to enter the contest which highlights the best work from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019. New categories have been added this year including podcasts, outdoor writing and blogs.
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Keystone Pro and New Jersey chapters have had a long and proud history. Over the past decade, the chapters have attracted college students, media professionals and community members to various lectures and have provided speakers to these entities along with businesses and organizations.
With the rapid and continued growth of technology, SPJ Keystone, along with the New Jersey chapter, has expanded to assist professionals, educators, and students with training, programs, ethical concerns, research, and FOI questions.
The chapters’ goals continue to be training, programming, supporting all media, informing the public of the journalism profession, diversity and membership improvement.
The chapters actively support Freedom of Information efforts and welcome those who want to learn more about journalism and its importance to everyone. Colleges, universities and high schools are invited to form student chapters by affiliating with the Keystone Pro and New Jersey chapters.
Proceeds from the contest go toward training, defending the First Amendment and open government, the legal defense of journalists, student scholarships, and other activities designed to improve journalism and its standing in society.
More details may be found at:
https://betternewspapercontest.com/2020SpotlightAwards
Visit the Keystone Pro or New Jersey chapters for more information at:
http://spj.org
https://keystonespj.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/166667563361675/?ref=bookmarks
https://www.facebook.com/NJSPJ/
Those interested may also follow the chapters on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/newjerseyspj
On of the best journalists and human beings I have ever known has died. John Ensslin died Aug. 5 in Denver, CO. I know from days of writing obituaries, I am not supposed to say he died unexpectedly or suddenly but this was true in John’s case.
After graduating from Columbia University in NYC, John followed his passion for journalism, first in New Jersey and then at the Rocky Mountain News. He was a national president of the Society of Professional Journalists and until recently, president of the New Jersey chapter. He was the kindest person and my heart breaks he is no longer with us. John loved journalism so much so that at 65, he accepted a position as a political reporter in Denver after several years as a multimedia journalist in NJ.
For those who knew him, here are the details for the celebration of John’s life:
It will be this Saturday, Aug. 17 from 3 to 6 p.m. in Princeton, NJ at the Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square.Please RSVP to Mary Anne Greenberg (John’s sister) at maginpton@gmail.com.
If you would like to send a card to John’s wife, Denise, here is her address:
Denise Ensslin
212 3rd Ave.,
Bradley Beach, NJ — REAR Bill House
For those who want to know this wonderful person, here are some links to the tributes from his colleagues in Denver.
https://www.facebook.com/lynn.bartels.33/posts/10156908072419177?__tn__=K-R
APRIL 16, 2019
Hello everyone,
It is my pleasure to announce the winners in the 2019 SPJ Keystone Chapter Best in Journalism Contest. This year’s entries were judged by members of the Ohio SPJ chapter. The judges represented print and academic journalism and were very impressed with the entries from this year’s participants.
Congratulations to The Philadelphia Inquirer for its report on “Toxic City: Sick Schools.” It earned top honors in this year’s contest – The Spotlight Award. The series of stories was the collaboration of staff writers Barbara Laker, Wendy Ruderman, and Dylan Purcell with photos and video by Jessica Griffin.
The Spotlight Award is the Keystone SPJ Chapter’s most prestigious award, given to the journalist(s) whose published investigative story or series scooped other media and placed the public’s right to know in the public spotlight. Daily and non-daily publications compete together for this award.
Second place for The Spotlight Award went to The Scranton Times for its series “Opioid crisis: Seven days of solutions” and staff writers Joseph Kohut, Terrie Morgan-Besecker, Clayton Over and David Singleton. Third place award in the Spotlight category went to Jo Ciavaglia and James McGinnis of the Bucks County Courier Times, for their story “Hiding in Plain Sight: How Pennsylvania turns a blind eye to unlicensed child care.”
Best Overall Newspaper Award for a daily circulation went to Trib Total Media, which publishes the Tribune-Review in Pittsburgh. Second place went to the Scranton Times and third place went to The Citizens’ Voice.
Best Overall Newspaper in the non-daily category went to The Philadelphia Gay News.
I look forward to meeting all of you at this year’s PNA Press Conference at The Hilton in Harrisburg. The SPJ Keystone Awards will be presented on May 18 at 5 p.m. at the Hilton. Overnight room reservations are available at a special group rate of $142, plus taxes. Please mention group code PNA19 when calling the hotel at (717) 233-6000, or make your reservations online through a special group link. The room block will be available until April 26.
Please follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/166667563361675/ where you can find jobs, conferences, workshops and other media information. Our website also includes information submitted from various sources and has a collection of media feed sites for quick reads. It may be found at https://keystonespj.wordpress.com
Finally, I encourage all of you to become a part of SPJ. There are no additional fees to be part of the Keystone chapter. Once you are a member at a national level, let them know you would like to be affiliated with the Keystone chapter. Applications for membership may be found at https://www.SPJ.org.
Once again, congratulations!
Pat Trosky Jane Primerano
pattrosky@gmail.com jprim7@netscape.net
570-262-2030 908-459-5082
SPJ Keystone Chapter president SPJ Region 1 director
List of 2019 SPJ Keystone Winners
Feb. 25, 2019
The Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro Chapter has extended the deadline for submission into its annual Excellence in Journalism contest for 2019. The new deadline is March 3, by 11:59 p.m. No further extensions will be granted due to judging restrictions.
SPJ Keystone Pro Chapter’s Spotlight Contest annually recognizes the best in journalism. The contest, which is not based on circulation but on quality of the profession and what it stands for, is open to all journalists from Pennsylvania and New Jersey whose work appeared in a publication in one of the two states.
SPJs’ Keystone Pro and New Jersey chapters have had a long and proud history. Over the past decade, the chapters have attracted college students, media professionals and community members to various lectures and have provided speakers to these entities along with businesses and organizations.
With the rapid and continued growth of technology, SPJ Keystone, along with the New Jersey chapter, has expanded to assist professionals, educators, and students with training, programs, ethical concerns, research, and FOI questions.
The chapters’ goals continue to be training, programming, supporting all media, informing the public of the journalism profession, diversity and membership improvement.
The chapters actively support Freedom of Information efforts and welcome those who want to learn more about journalism and its importance to everyone. Colleges, universities and high schools are invited to form student chapters by affiliating with the Keystone Pro and New Jersey chapters.
Proceeds from the contest go toward training, defending the First Amendment and open government, the legal defense of journalists, student scholarships, and other activities designed to improve journalism and its standing in society.
For more information on SPJ, the Keystone Pro or New Jersey chapters, visit:
http://spj.org
https://keystonespj.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/166667563361675/?ref=bookmarks
http://NJSPJ.org
https://www.facebook.com/NJSPJ/
* We thank BNC, Better Newspaper Contest, for its generous sponsorship of our competition.
Details on entries, fees, categories and more may be found at the contest website at:
https://betternewspapercontest.com/2019SpotlightAwards
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
The SPJ Keystone Spotlight Contest is open to all journalists who either lived in Pennsylvania or New Jersey when their work was published or whose work was first published in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Online publications are welcome.
GENERAL RULES:
1. Contestants can submit as many entries as they like in each category.
2. Supporting materials, if accompanying the entry, should be identified with a similar name such as “MURDER SPREE 1; MURDER SPREE 2” and note what the package includes.
3. NON-DAILY categories include weekly, semi-weekly and monthly newspapers, magazines and online publications. NOTE: Entries from student-written collegiate publications or magazines will not be accepted. This is a contest for professionals and there is a separate contest for collegiate and high school publications.
DAILY categories are for newspapers and online publications published at least five days a week and Sunday publications printed under the same ownership and in the same city or town as the daily newspaper.
Entries that involve a staff collectively working on a submission may be entered as one of these formats: “The Pennsylvania Daily Mail” or “The Pennsylvania Daily Mail Sports Staff.”
4. The contest covers stories and photos published between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2018.
5. Deadline for entries is March 3, 2019, by 11:59 p.m.
6. Awards will be presented at the Pennsylvania Press Conference on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at the Hilton in Harrisburg, PA.
CATEGORIES
NOTE: (a) is for DAILY and (b) is for NON-DAILY
001 – SPOTLIGHT AWARD – This is the Keystone State SPJ Chapter’s most prestigious award, given to the journalist or journalists whose published investigative story or series scooped other media and placed the public’s right to know in the public spotlight.
002a BROADSHEET PAGE DESIGN Daily – Entry should be a single tear sheet.
002b BROADSHEET PAGE DESIGN Non-Daily – Entry should be a single tear sheet.
003a BUSINESS AND LABOR REPORTING – Any story or column is eligible. Entries can either be a single article or a series. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
003b – BUSINESS AND LABOR REPORTING – Any story or column is eligible. Entries can either be a single article or a series. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
004a COMMENTARY Daily – This award is presented to columnists. Submit three representative samples.
004b COMMENTARY Non-Daily – This award is presented to columnists. Submit three representative samples.
005a EDITORIAL WRITING Daily – Entries must be three unsigned editorials.
005b EDITORIAL WRITING Non-Daily – Entries must be three unsigned editorials.
006a ENTERPRISE REPORTING Daily – Awarded for enterprise reporting (not on deadline) of a single event or issue. Entries may be a single article or a series. Series must be marked by a logo or editor’s note.
006b ENTERPRISE REPORTING Non-Daily – Awarded for enterprise reporting (not on deadline) of a single event or issue. Entries may be a single article or a series. Series must be marked by a logo or editor’s note.
007a ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING Daily – Entries can be a single article or series of no more than five stories or columns. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
007b ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING Non-Daily – Entries can be a single article or series of no more than five stories or columns. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
008a FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Daily – Awarded for photography of any topic or subject in a single published photo that tells a story with thought and creativity.
008b FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Non- Daily – Awarded for photography of any topic or subject in a single published photo that tells a story with thought and creativity.
009a — FEATURE STORY Daily — Entries may be personality profiles, trend stories, human interest stories or any other type of feature that is not a breaking news or sports story. Entries may be a single article or series identified by a logo or editor’s note.
009b — FEATURE STORY Non- Daily — Entries may be personality profiles, trend stories, human interest stories or any other type of feature that is not a breaking news or sports story. Entries may be a single article or series identified by a logo or editor’s note.
010a HEADLINE Daily – Submit clip of the headline and first five paragraphs of the story.
010b HEADLINE Non-Daily – Submit clip of the headline and first five paragraphs of the story.
011a HEALTH and MEDICAL REPORTING Daily – Entries can be a single article or series of no more than five stories or columns. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
011b HEALTH and MEDICAL REPORTING Non-Daily – Entries can be a single article or series of no more than five stories or columns. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
012a WEB USE – Daily – Awarded for the best use of the Web. Entries will be judged on their effectiveness at breaking or expanding news or feature stories. Examples include reader-accessible databases, blogs, breaking news or updates, links, photos and interactive Web sites. Entries must consist of Web address for sites. A tear sheet of the newspaper article is also requested to compare what was on the Web and other social media to what was in print. A cover letter explaining the site’s features is allowed, but not required.
012b WEB USE Non-Daily – Awarded for the best use of the Web. Entries will be judged on their effectiveness at breaking or expanding news or feature stories. Examples include reader-accessible databases, blogs, breaking news or updates, links, photos and interactive Web sites. Entries must consist of Web address for sites. A tear sheet of the newspaper article is also requested to compare what was on the Web and other social media to what was in print. A cover letter explaining the site’s features is allowed, but not required.
013a NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY Daily – Must be a single photo of a deadline news event. The photo must have been published in the issue directly following the event.
013b NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY Non-Daily – Must be a single photo of a deadline news event. The photo must have been published in the issue directly following the event.
014a ONLINE BREAKING NEWS Daily – A single news event reported online and through social media outlets as it happens. Submissions may include first news alerts to smartphones or via email as well as any other multimedia or social media elements used to develop the story within a one-day news cycle such as video, photos, audio, sidebars and updates on Facebook or Twitter.
014b ONLINE BREAKING NEWS Non-Daily – A single news event reported online and through social media outlets as it happens. Submissions may include first news alerts to smartphones or via email as well as any other multimedia or social media elements used to develop the story within a one-day news cycle such as video, photos, audio, sidebars and updates on Facebook or Twitter.
015a PHOTO STORY Daily – Awarded for a published series of photos of any topic or subject that tells a story with thought and creativity.
015b PHOTO STORY Non-Daily – Awarded for a published series of photos of any topic or subject that tells a story with thought and creativity.
016a SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY Daily – Awarded for published sports photography showing ingenuity and creativity in telling the story of a sports event or about its athletes.
016b SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY Non-Daily – Awarded for published sports photography showing ingenuity and creativity in telling the story of a sports event or about its athletes.
017a SPORTS REPORTING — Daily Entries may include any sports story or column. Entries can be a single article or series. A series must he be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
017b SPORTS REPORTING Non-Daily – Entries may include any sports story or column. Entries can be a single article or series. A series must be identified by a logo or editor’s note.
018a SPOT NEWS STORY Daily – This award is given for deadline reporting of a single event. The story must have been published in the issue of the publication that directly followed the event.
018b SPOT NEWS STORY Non- Daily – This award is given for deadline reporting of a single event. The story must have been published in the issue of the publication that directly followed the event.
019a BEST OVERALL NEWSPAPER Daily – The award is presented to the newspaper that best represents its community. Please submit electronic copies of issues from Feb. 16, Aug. 22 and one of the editor’s choice.
019b BEST OVERALL NEWSPAPER Non-Daily – The award is presented to the newspaper that best represents its community. Please submit electronic copies of issues from Feb. 16, Aug. 22 and one of the editor’s choice.
020a TABLOID PAGE DESIGN Daily – Entry should be a single tear sheet.
020b TABLOID PAGE DESIGN Non-Daily – Entry should be a single tear sheet.
021a FEATURE BEAT REPORTING Daily – A single entry should include up to three feature stories, in any format, by the same writer where the emphasis is placed on the thoroughness of reporting, enterprise, diversity of coverage and sources and mastery of subjects. This award will recognize specialty reporting and writing in one beat such as travel, drama, fashion, food, culture, society, music, movies, TV, art, entertainment reviews, etc. Entry must include cover letter defining the beat and why all stories entered are reflective of that beat. The beat should be written with the population of the publication’s regional coverage in mind.
021b FEATURE BEAT REPORTING Non-Daily – A single entry should include up to three feature stories, in any format, by the same writer where the emphasis is placed on the thoroughness of reporting, enterprise, diversity of coverage and sources and mastery of subjects. This award will recognize specialty reporting and writing in one beat such as travel, drama, fashion, food, culture, society, music, movies, TV, art, entertainment reviews, etc. Entry must include cover letter defining the beat and why all stories entered are reflective of that beat. The beat should be written with the population of the publication’s regional coverage in mind.
COVER LETTER
A cover letter of no more than 500 words may accompany entries for the SPOTLIGHT and EDITORIAL categories. The letter must contain:
a. one to two paragraphs summarizing the story or stories;
b. a discussion of its major finding and subsequent results;
c. an account of the difficulty or uniqueness of effort in obtaining the story.
FEES and PAYMENTS
Entry fee is $20. All payments must be received by March 5, 2019.
Payment may be mailed to Carol Crane, SPJ Keystone Treasurer, at 1402 Mountain Road, Shickshinny, PA 18655. Please make check or money order payable to SPJ Keystone Pro Chapter. No refunds will be given and no invoices will be issued. Your canceled check or money order slip should be maintained for proof of payment.
All payments must include the name(s) of the individual(s) on each entry, the name of the newspaper, a contact address, and a phone number. Additionally, a list of ALL entries must accompany payment as well. A list can be printed out from the contest site if multiple entries are being submitted by a contest manager or newspaper or if an entrant is submitting from a variety of publications through the open call option. This is important – otherwise, we can’t tell who paid for their entries! Winners will be notified at the end of April and announcement of winners will be posted on the SPJ Keystone website athttps://keystonespj.wordpress.com and on the SPJ Keystone Facebook page. SPJ Keystone can be followed on Twitter at KeystoneSPJ.
OPEN CALL LOGIN
For those who choose to use the Open Call Login, here are the instructions:
CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
1. Go to http://www.betterbnc.com.
2. Click Open Call Login.
3. Click Create Your Open Call Account.
4. Follow on-screen instructions.
Request Access to the SPJ Keystone Pro contest
1. Log in to your account.
2. Go to My Contests.
3. Check the box next to “2019 Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro Chapter Spotlight Contest – The Best in PA Journalism” (this will automatically notify the contest coordinator of your access request).
Make Entries
Once you receive an approval email from the contest administrator, you can begin making entries on the Submit Entry page.
PRIZES
The first place winner of The Spotlight Award will win $100 and an engraved glass plaque. Second and third place winners of The Spotlight Award will receive engraved glass plaques. Winners of all other categories will receive framed certificates. Those who do not attend the awards ceremony will have certificates sent to them with the option to purchase frames. Judges reserve the right not to award any or all prizes in any category. Judging will be done by an out-of-state SPJ chapter to ensure objectivity. Entries become the property of SPJ Keystone and will not be returned.
Have a question?
Call or text contest coordinator Pat Trosky at 570-630-0804 or 570-262-2030 or email spjkeystone@mail.com
Please leave a voicemail and calls will be returned.
The cost of the workshop is $75 for professionals and $35 for students. The fee includes a one-year membership in the Society of Professional Journalists.
Seating is limited. The fee does not include lunch. Attendees must bring their own smartphone and laptop.
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The workshop will be taught by:
A multimedia reporter for the Allentown Morning Call. She also is the producer of “Valley View,” the newspaper’s podcast.
A multimedia reporter for The Record and producer of the podcasts “On the Record” and “Studio SPJ.” John is a former national president of SPJ and the current president of New Jersey SPJ. A journalist for more than 30 years, he has been podcasting for the last eight years. A professional podcaster and managing partner of Lubetkin Media Companies in Cherry Hill, N.J. Steve is a co-author of “The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional.” Copies of the book will be available at the discounted price of $20. |
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SPJ’s annual national conference will be in Baltimore, MD Sept. 27-29 and early pricing for attendance tickets and hotel rooms is now available.
Join the Society of Professional Journalists this September in Baltimore for a journalism conference that could change your career. Sign up by July 25 and save as much as $100 on your registration.
(Need pricing details? You can find them here.)
EIJ18 in Baltimore will feature programming that has been tailored to four areas critical to the future of journalism. Every session will fall into one of four tracks — Digital, News Management, Newsgathering and Career Development — designed to make you a better journalist.
Attend EIJ18 on us! Get the details and apply today.
– Diversity: Dori Maynard Diversity Leadership Program
– Training: Terry Harper Memorial Scholarships
– Students: Columbia Journalism School Student Fellowships
– Students: Cover EIJ18 as a member of the EIJ News team
When: September 27-29, 2018 Where: Hilton Baltimore
400 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Reserve a room online
EIJ has a block of rooms at the Baltimore Hilton. The group rate for single/double occupancy is $199 per night plus taxes and fees. The discounted rate is only available until September 6, or until the block sells out, whichever comes first.
APRIL 14, 2018
We have winners!!!
It is my pleasure to announce the winners in the 2018 Society of Professional Journalists Spotlight Contest. This year’s entries were judged by members of the Oklahoma SPJ chapter. The judges represented print and academic journalism and they were very impressed with the entries from this year’s participants.
Congratulations to Pennsylvania Media News (PMN) reporters Barbara Laker, Wendy Ruderman, and Dylan Purcell who earned top honors – The Spotlight Award – for the entry, “Toxic City.” The Spotlight Award is the Keystone SPJ Chapter’s most prestigious award, given to the journalist(s) whose published investigative story or series scooped other media and placed the public’s right to know in the public spotlight. Daily and non-daily publications compete together for this award.
Second place for The Spotlight Award went to Sergio Bichao and David Matthau of NJ101.5.com for their piece, “Is your doctor a perv? In NJ, even ones who commit sex crimes can get licenses back” Third place for The Spotlight Award went to Jo Ciavaglia of The Bucks County Courier Times for “No sex crime, but law calls them sex offenders.”
Best Overall Newspaper Award for a daily circulation went to The Morning Call, Allentown. Second and third places for Best Overall Newspaper went to The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre and The Scranton Times, Scranton, respectively. The Best Overall non-daily news publication went to The Outlook, Monmouth University.
I look forward to meeting all of you at this year’s PNA Press Conference at the Wydham Gettysburg, 95 Presidential Circle, Circle, Gettysburg, PA 17325 (1-717-339-0020). Deadline to reserve a room is May 7. Mention the PNA Conference to get the special rate. The SPJ award ceremony will be at 5 p.m. where there will be light refreshments prior to the PNA dinner. You can get details about this year’s full conference at: http://panewsmedia.org/Events/view/2018/06/01/default-calendar/2018-pennsylvania-press-conference.
Please follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/166667563361675/ where you can find jobs, conferences, workshops and other media information. Our website also includes information submitted from various sources and has a collection of media feed sites for quick reads. It may be found at: https://keystonespj.wordpress.com
Finally, I encourage all of you to become a part of SPJ. There are no additional fees to be part of the Keystone chapter. Once you are a member at a national level, let them know you would like to be affiliated with the Keystone chapter. Right now we want to establish a Philadelphia chapter as well. Anyone interested in being part of this, should contact me or the regional director, Jane Primerano at the email or numbers below.
Once again, congratulations!
Pat Trosky, pattrosky@gmail.com – 570-262-2030 – SPJ Keystone Chapter president
Jane Primerano, jprim7@netscape.net – 908-459-5082 SPJ Region 1 director
2- Winners of 2018 SPJ contest
TO BECOME A MEMBER OF SPJ
https://www.spj.org/join.asp
For more than 100 years the Society of Professional Journalists has been dedicated to encouraging a climate in which journalism can be practiced more freely and fully, stimulating high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism and perpetuating a free press. Now, more than ever, be part of SPJ.
Ways to join
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Attention Newsrooms: A Newsroom Membershipis the best way to show a commitment to producing high-quality, ethical journalism. It shows you support the missions of SPJ and gives your staff the opportunity to become part of the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism association. For information, visit this page.
Attention journalism educators and students:
Becoming a Collegiate Institutional Member in SPJ is one of the easiest ways your school can demonstrate to students (and parents) its commitment to producing the best journalists possible. It will help expose students to the nation’s largest and most broad-based membership organization for journalists — augmenting their experience and journalism education. Encourage your school to join SPJ as a Collegiate Institutional Member. For information, visit this page.
