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.
