Florida Society of News Editors
2010 Journalism Contest

(For work published in 2009)

• Contest general info
• Categories
• Submission of photo and graphic entries
• Entry form

General Rules:

1. Any news organization that is a member of FSNE and has paid membership dues for 2010 may enter. Entries by special interest publications or by Florida-based staff members of news services will automatically be entered in Division A; the organizations must be FSNE members. Community web-only publications and other journalists not affiliated with a traditional news organization can enter four new categories in this year's contest, provided they are FSNE members and have paid membership dues for 2010.

All categories for news organizations are divided into three circulation divisions (based on daily circulation). The divisions are:

• Division A: more than 125,000 daily
• Division B: 40,000 to 125,000 daily
• Division C: under 40,000 daily

Circulation figures, as published in the most recent Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, determine each newspaper's division.

2. Material submitted must have appeared in a daily newspaper in Florida, a Spanish-language paper (daily or weekly) in Florida, or a daily Florida news organization's web site during the previous calendar year and must have been the work of staff members of the newspaper or Florida-based staff members of a news organization. For the first time, journalists who are not affiliated with traditional news organizations may enter four new categories only (open to bloggers and community web-only publications in photography, blogging, news video and homepage design).

3. Organizations may not enter substantially duplicate material in different categories. Judges may move entries between categories when appropriate.

4. Brief explanatory notes or cover letters to judges may accompany entries. In the "Gold Medal" categories of Daily Deadline, Features, Investigative and Explanatory, each entry must include a note or cover letter that provides explanations, background, impact or follow-up to the articles submitted.

5. All category entries must be placed into standard letter-size folders. Elaborate bindings are not allowed and may be cause for disqualification. Entries comprising a full newspaper page or part of a page may be submitted as whole tearsheets, quarter-folded. Entries in the writing categories must include the original and three copies.

Printouts of stories are acceptable; the editor's signature on the entry form will be considered verification that the story was published as printed. Clear photocopies as well as original clippings are acceptable.

6. Photo and design entries will be handled electronically again this year. Detailed explanations for submitting photo and design entries will be posted here soon. Please make sure all URLs are active.

7. Graphics/Illustration must include a tearsheet showing the published work.

8. Each entry (including photo and design submitted electronically) must include AN ENTRY FORM. For entries sent by mail, the entry form must be attached to the face of a folder, identifying the newspaper, the name of the staff member(s) whose work is being entered, the subject or title of the entry, the category and the circulation division. (The same form should be used for print, online and Spanish-language entries.) A separate folder must be used for each entry. For photo and design entries submitted electronically, the entry forms must be mailed separately to the address below. The entry form can be found here. Please make sure all URLs are active.

9. Work by more than two staff members will be treated as a "staff" entry for the purposes of identification on awards. Only one plaque or certificate will be given to each winner in a category. (For winners, additional plaques or certificates can be ordered at cost.) Editors must list all participating staff members on the entry form to assist contest officials in notifying winners.

10. A newspaper may have up to three entries in each category, except as listed in the category instructions. If the limits are exceeded, the contest judges will determine the manner for discarding excess entries. There is no limit on the number of overall entries by the newspaper.

11. A complete list of entries for each paper and the full entry fee must accompany each group of entries. The entry fees are $30 per entry for all divisions. Checks should be made payable to FSNE. Payment may also be made by credit card this year. We prefer Visa, MasterCard or Discover because their fees are smaller than American Express. We also ask those who use a credit card to please cover all entries with a single transaction, also to limit the credit-card fees.

12. Judges will be chosen from other states by the contest chairs with the advice and consent of the FSNE president. At least two judges shall be independent of ties to Florida newspapers; no more than one shall represent any individual newspaper group or organization with newspapers in Florida. Judging will be conducted in March. Judges will establish their own procedures for considering entries.

13. Entries in photography and design, online and Spanish-language will be judged separately. The deadlines are the same for all entries.

14. All entries must be postmarked by Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. To ensure that contest officials receive your entry, send it Certified Mail / Return Receipt Requested.

15. Send entries, checks and entry forms to:

Cory Lancaster
FSNE Contest Coordinator
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
901 Sixth St.
Daytona Beach, FL 32120

Winners will be announced at the annual FSNE convention in June 2010 in Sarasota.

Good luck!