New York News Publishers Association

Awards for Excellence

Each year, the New York News Publishers Association recognizes newspapers and their staff members for their hard work in service to the fine art of newspapering. The annual Awards for Excellence competition serves as a testament to the dedication of newspaper professionals to the highest ideals of the industry.

Winners of the 2008-2009 NYNPA Awards for Excellence will be honored at The State Room in Albany on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 from 6:30 to 10:00 PM. The cost to attend the event is $40 per person. Please register online below or via phone by calling Don at (518) 449-1667. Please note that the registration deadline is Wednesday, April 21st.

The deadline for NYNPA's 2008-2009 Awards for Excellence Competition has passed and judges are now reviewing all entries. Please see below for official contest rules and guidelines.

Entry Guidelines | How to Enter | Entry Form | Entry Deadline | Entry Fee Deadline

Winning Entries | Awards Banquet | Subject Categories | Contact Us

Eligibility
All member newspapers of the New York News Publishers Association are eligible to enter.

Sponsorship
The contest is sponsored by the New York News Publishers Association.

Purpose
The contest is designed to: encourage continuing excellence in newspaper service; suitably reward excellence in various categories of news, editorial, and photographic presentation; and benefit the public relations of newspapers.

Contest Description
First place will be awarded in each of nineteen (19) categories in five circulation classes to those NYNPA member newspapers whose entries have demonstrated editorial and/or photographic excellence.

Entry Fees (per piece submitted)
$10.00 - Under 10,000 circulation
$15.00 - 10,000-24,999 circulation
$20.00 - 25,000-49,999 circulation
$25.00 - 50,000-175,000 circulation
$30.00 - Over 175,000 circulation

Fees collected are used to defray costs associated with administering the contest. Where the rules of a category require, or present the option of, submitting more than one piece (Ex. Distinguished Community Service), all pieces submitted in that category will count as a single entry. Fees may be paid via check only and should be sent directly to NYNPA. A maximum of three entries per newspaper may be submitted in each category.

Circulation Classes
Entries will be placed into one of five classes according to each newspaper's daily 12-month average circulation (based on the October 1, 2008 Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation). Newspapers that publish a Sunday edition as well as a daily edition will be classified according to the average of all editions published by that newspaper. The classes are as follows:
1. Under 10,000
2. 10,000-24,999
3. 25,000-49,999
4. 50,000-175,000
5. Over 175,000

Entry Guidelines
Each newspaper may enter any or all of the listed categories. However, no single entry may be submitted for consideration in more than one category with the exception of entries in categories 1 and 16. Entries in categories 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 17 must represent a campaign or series completed between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, but may include articles from a series that began prior to October 1, 2008, or ended after September 30, 2009. Entries for all other categories may be selected by the paper from any dates between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009.

How to Enter
New for 2009, all entries will be submitted online. To submit entries for the contest please follow these steps:

1) Log on to www.betternewspapercontest.com
2) Click on "Newspaper Login"
3) Select "2008-2009 NYNPA Awards for Excellence"
4) Select your newspaper
5) Enter "BNC" as your temporary password, fill out your contact information, and submit your entries online as either PDFs, JPEGS or URLs.

NOTE: While submitting entries online please keep this page handy as a reference to ensure the following of contest rules and guidelines.

Since all entries are to be submitted digitally we ask that you no longer send physical tear-sheets. However, if the article(s) being submitted for consideration are part of an entire page or section, we still ask that you clearly highlight the article either by marking it with a red felt tip pen prior to scanning the article or through another digital method of your choosing.

After submitting your entries for the contest online please fill out the entry form and mail it to NYNPA with one check to cover the full amount of all entries being submitted by your newspaper.

Entry Deadline
The deadline for entries has passed. Thank you to everyone that participated in this year's competition!

Entry Fee Deadline
Corresponding entry forms and accompanying payment must be received by NYNPA no later than Friday, December 11, 2009 by 5 pm.

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Winning Entries
Winners will be notified by mail in February 2010 and invited to attend the annual awards ceremony, where the official announcements will take place.

Awards Banquet
Winners of the 2008-2009 NYNPA Awards for Excellence will be honored at The State Room in Albany on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 from 6:30 to 10:00 PM. The cost to attend the event is $40 per person. Please register online or via phone by calling Don at (518) 449-1667. Please note that the registration deadline is Wednesday, April 21st.

Subject Categories

Distinguished Breaking News Coverage Submissions should demonstrate effective newspaper response to deadline demands. Submissions may consist of a single story or a group of stories by one or more reporters relating to the same event. Submissions should demonstrate clarity, thoroughness, balance, and aggressiveness in the coverage of local spot news.
Distinguished Investigative Reporting Submissions should demonstrate thorough, thoughtful, fair, and resourceful reporting of local stories that reveal corruption or malfeasance or inherent flaws in the functioning of society's institutions, and/or stories that effectively measure the performance of those institutions against their stated missions. Submissions may consist of a single story or a group of stories by one or more reporters relating to the same event.
Distinguished Business Reporting Submissions should demonstrate effective newspaper coverage of business and the economy, skillful investigative reporting and excellence in writing style, editing, display and other pertinent criteria. The subject matter should deal primarily with how business and economic events relate to individuals and the newspaper's community. In this category, a submission may be one or more articles from the same edition relating to the same story, or a series of articles on a common subject running on different days.
Distinguished Editorial Writing Submissions should demonstrate a genuine concern for local community problems; courage in taking a position regardless of the popular view and/or against own self-interest; originality of viewpoint and style; and other pertinent criteria. Each submission must be a local editorial. One or more editorials by the same writer on the same subject may be submitted to this category.
Distinguished Feature Writing Submissions should showcase good writing in non-deadline situations. Submissions may include personality profiles, trend stories, narratives and general features. Submissions should demonstrate style, originality and the ability to make readers laugh, cry or feel. Submissions may consist of a single story or a series of stories from one or more editions relating to the same subject.
Distinguished Column Writing Submissions should demonstrate originality, insight, wit, the capacity to illuminate character, and the capacity to enhance the reader's understanding of persons and events in the community served by the newspaper. Submissions may be a single column or a body of work by the same writer up to a maximum of five columns.
Distinguished Headline Writing Submissions should demonstrate clarity, creativity, and the capacity to distill and capture the essence of the story. Single submissions only will be accepted in this category.
Distinguished Sports Writing Submissions should demonstrate quality and clarity of writing, originality, and local appeal. A submission may be a spot news story or a series from one or more editions relating to the same subject.
Distinguished Community Service Submissions (in this category a submission may be a series of articles and/or editorials on a common subject) should demonstrate effort and effect on the part of the local newspaper toward the improvement of the community served.
Distinguished State Government Coverage Submissions should demonstrate effective newspaper coverage of state government as manifested in service to the community; skillful investigative reporting and excellence in writing style, editing, display, and other pertinent criteria. The subject matter should deal primarily with an aspect of state government - the legislature, executive branch, a specific state agency, etc. - and how it relates to the community. In this category, a submission may be one or more articles from the same edition relating to the same story, or a series of articles on a common subject running on different days.
Distinguished Sports Coverage Submissions should demonstrate innovative layout, design, and photography; scope of content (variation of local sporting events); skill in writing; headline suitability and appeal; and use of local features. A submission may be a page or pages from one or more editions relating to a common subject.
Distinguished Page Design/Presentation Submissions should demonstrate strong visual appeal, style and originality; and should enhance the written content, making it easy to understand or navigate. Submissions may be a single page or a body of work designed by the same person, up to a maximum of three examples. If submitting a series, up to three days' editions may be included.
Distinguished News Photography Submissions should demonstrate news value, timeliness, communicative effectiveness, and skill as shown in composition and technical quality. A submission may be one or more photographs from one or more editions relating to the same news event.
Distinguished Feature Photography Submissions should demonstrate imagination in the handling of feature subjects; communicative effectiveness; appeal to reader interest; and skill in composition, technical quality, and cropping. A submission may be one or more photographs from one or more editions relating to the same feature subject.
Distinguished Sports Photography Submissions should sharply capture the drama inherent in human athletic competition and draw the reader's eye to peak action, capturing the moment and communicating it on an emotional level with a high degree of technical skill, composition and quality. A submission may be one or more photographs from one or more editions relating to the same subject.
NEW CATEGORY-Distinguished Online Breaking News Coverage Submissions should demonstrate effective newspaper response to a breaking news story online. Submissions may consist of a single story or a group of stories by one or more reporters relating to the same event. Submissions should demonstrate clarity, thoroughness, balance and aggressiveness in the coverage of local spot news. Please submit screenshots (PDF or JPEG) or a link (URL) and include timestamps showing when the news was posted on your website if possible.
NEW CATEGORY-Distinguished Online Blog Submissions should demonstrate timeliness, originality, insight, reader interaction and the capacity to enhance the reader's understanding of persons and events in the community served by the newspaper. Submissions may be a single day's blog entry or entries, or a series of blog entries over the course of the year by the same writer, with a maximum of ten entries.
NEW CATEGORY-Distinguished Online Graphics Submissions should consist of locally produced hand-drawn or computer-generated graphics, color or black and white, including illustrations, photo illustrations, charts, graphs, and supporting art (but not cartoons) that appeared on your newspaper's website. The graphic should help explain the news, feature, or sports story it accompanies. Each entry consists of one graphic, including the story's jump pages. Judging will be based on impact, attractiveness and relevance.
NEW CATEGORY-Distinguished Multi-Media Presentation Submissions should demonstrate work that incorporates distinguished journalistic storytelling via media other than the print format. Submissions may consist of Web-based interactive graphics and displays, videos, photo galleries and audio slideshows, or any combination of all of these elements. Creativity, ease-of-use for the Web site visitor, impact on the community and overall technical execution will be among factors considered by the judges.

If you have questions about the Awards for Excellence please contact NYNPA at (518) 449-1667 or dferlazzo@nynpa.com.

New York News Publishers Association, Inc.
291 Hudson Ave, Suite A, Albany, New York 12210
(518) 449-1667 ph. - (518) 449-5053 fax