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.

Download Our Press Release

A press release announcing the winners of the 2011-12 Awards for Excellence competition is now available for download:

2011-12 Press Release - PDF (Dated 4/11/13)

Banquet Registration Is Closed

NYNPA is pleased to announce its Excellence Awards Reception & Banquet, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, 2013 from 6:30-10:00 PM at The State Room in downtown Albany.

This year NYNPA will once again honor winners of its annual Awards for Excellence competition, which recognizes journalistic excellence among the association's member newspapers.

The cocktail reception will be held from 6:30 to 7:30, followed by dinner and an awards ceremony, which will also include a slideshow presentation featuring the winning entries.

The cost to attend the event is $40 per person. If you would like to attend, please click the "REGISTER NOW" link below. Alternatively, you may register by phone by contacting Don Ferlazzo at (518) 449-1667. The deadline for registration is April 3, 2013 at 5:00 PM.

REGISTER NOW - CLOSED

2011-2012 Contest Information

Contest 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)
$15.00 - Under 10,000 circulation
$20.00 - 10,000-24,999 circulation
$25.00 - 25,000-49,999 circulation
$30.00 - 50,000-175,000 circulation
$35.00 - 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 or with credit card via PayPal.

Payment Instructions
Once again, our online entry system will automatically generate an invoice with your newspaper's calculated entry fee. Use this invoice to pay via check, or pay with credit card via PayPal using the button below:

Circulation Classes
Entries will be placed into one of five circulation classes according to each newspaper’s daily 12-month average circulation (based on the October 1, 2011 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 is allowed to enter a maximum of three (3) entries per category, and may enter a given entry in any or all of the listed categories for which it qualifies.

In order for an entry to be eligible for this competition, the following criteria must be met:

The entry must have been originally published either in print or online during the contest eligibility period of October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012, or be part of a series that either began or ended during that period.
The entry must have been published in or distributed within the newspaper, except for the Distinguished Online Breaking News, Distinguished Online Blog, and Distinguished Multi-Media Presentation categories, which require that the entry was published on the newspaper’s website, or the Distinguished Specialty Supplement Feature Writing category, which calls for content published in a specialty supplement of the newspaper.
The entry must not have been entered in a previous incarnation of this competition (Ex. the 2010-11 contest), either individually or as part of a series.
The entry must meet any additional criteria of a given category as outlined in that category’s description.

How to Enter
New this year, each newspaper must designate a “Contestant Manager” who will be responsible for managing all entries and adding other "Authorized Entrants" for that paper. The first person that logs in to the contest website from a newspaper should be that paper's Contestant Manager, as he or she will have full control over all entries and adding additional users for that paper. After that person has uploaded two entries he/she will be recognized by the website as the Contestant Manager and asked to verify his/her role via e-mail. Once the Contestant Manager has been verified he/she will be able to add Authorized Entrants who can also upload, edit, and delete entries for that paper.

To get started, your paper’s Contestant Manager should follow these steps:
1) Log on to www.betternewspapercontest.com
2) Click on “Contestant Login”
3) Select "Contestant Manager"
4) Select “2011-2012 NYNPA Awards for Excellence”
5) Select your newspaper
6) Enter “bnc” as your temporary password, fill out your contact information, and submit your entries online as either PDFs, JPEGs, URLs, or Microsoft Word documents.

After submitting all entries for the contest online the Contestant Manager must fill out the contest entry form (PDF) and mail it to NYNPA with one check to cover the full amount of all entries being submitted by that newspaper, or with a copy of a payment receipt from PayPal.

Entry Deadline
All entries must be received no later than Friday, November 30, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. No entries will be accepted after the deadline.

Entry Fee Deadline
A corresponding entry form and accompanying payment or proof of payment via PayPal must be received by NYNPA no later than Friday, December 7, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

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Winning Entries
Winners will be notified by mail in February 2013 and invited to attend the annual awards ceremony, where the official announcements will take place.

Awards Banquet
Winners of the 2011-2012 NYNPA Awards for Excellence will be honored at The State Room in Albany on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 (previously scheduled for 4/3/12) from 6:30 to 10:00 PM. The cost to attend the event is $40 per person. Please use the link below to register online. To register by phone call Don Ferlazzo at (518) 449-1667. Deadline to register is April 3, 2013.

Subject Categories
(Note: Only content that appeared in the printed newspaper or a printed supplement distributed within that newspaper is eligible to be entered in categories 1-15. Only content that appeared on a newspaper’s website is eligible to be entered in categories 16-18. Only content that appeared in a printed specialty supplement of a newspaper is eligible to be entered in category 19. However, URLs linking to online versions of print content are acceptable in categories calling for print content.)

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.
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.
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.
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.
Distinguished Specialty Supplement Feature Writing Submissions should be a feature which appeared exclusively in a specialty supplement published by, and distributed separately from a newspaper. Submissions should showcase good writing in non-deadline situations, and 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. Only single story submissions will be accepted for this category.

Competition Information Booklet
If you would like to download our official Competition Information Booklet you may do so by clicking the link below:

Competition Information Booklet (PDF)

Contact Us
The following people are available to help you with various aspects of our competition:

Contest Support (rules, best practices)
Don Ferlazzo, Advertising & Events Manager, NYNPA
(518) 449-1667, dferlazzo@nynpa.com

Technical Support (contest website, account)
Carter Cheston, Business Development Manager, SmallTownPapers, Inc.
(360) 427-6300, carter@smalltownpapers.com

Archived 2010-2011 Contest Information
The New York News Publishers Association has announced the winners of its 2010-2011 Awards for Excellence competition. This year’s winners were officially recognized at the Continuing Excellence Banquet and Reception on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at The State Room in Albany. The annual contest recognizes journalistic excellence among the association’s member newspapers.

Contest judges selected winners from 512 entries submitted by 28 New York State daily newspapers. For a complete list of results, please download either of the following documents:

Archived 2009-2010 Contest Information
The New York News Publishers Association has announced the winners of its 2009-2010 Awards for Excellence competition. This year’s winners were officially recognized at the Continuing Excellence Banquet and Reception on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at The State Room in Albany. The annual contest recognizes journalistic excellence among the association’s member newspapers.

Contest judges selected winners from 644 entries submitted by 33 New York State daily newspapers. For a complete list of results, please download any of the following documents:

Archived 2008-2009 Contest Information
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.

NYNPA has announced the winners of its 2008-2009 Awards for Excellence competition. This year's winners were officially recognized at the Excellence Awards Dinner and Reception on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at The State Room in Albany.

Contest judges selected winners from 517 entries submitted by 29 New York State daily newspapers, and awards were presented in each of 19 categories within five circulation classes.

The Poughkeepsie Journal and the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester were the two biggest winners of the competition, each taking home nine awards in their circulation classes. Other big winners on the night included The Buffalo News (8), the Press & Sun-Bulletin (5), the Adirondack Daily Enterprise (5), and The Saratogian (5). For a complete list of winners, please download the official press release or awards presentation below:

New York News Publishers Association, Inc.
(518) 449-1667 ph. - (518) 449-5053 fax