Categories

These awards are funded by the ASNE Foundation. Entries for each of these awards will be judged on the basis of style, precision of word usage, structure, descriptive power, narrative skill, and the like. Credibility and attribution will be valued, and credit will be given to concise and efficient writing.

• Minimum of three, maximum of five articles.

• All editorials submitted must be the work of the same individual.
• Minimum of three, maximum of five editorials.

• Minimum of three, maximum of five articles.

• Individual or team work will be accepted for this category.
• Minimum of three, maximum of five articles. Each story in a series will count as one of the five articles. Each sidebar will count as one article as well.
• Two supplemental stories may be included in addition to the five entered stories, to provide context. They must be labeled as supplemental stories.
• A nominating letter of 500 words or less* explaining the work and its impact is welcome.

The Batten Medal rewards individual achievement in public-service journalism, celebrating the memory of revered reporter, editor and newspaper executive James K. Batten. Jim was the chief executive officer of Knight Ridder when he died in 1995 at age 59. The award recognizes a body of work covering a period of up to three years, that represents the journalistic values Jim stood for: compassion, courage, humanity and a deep concern for the underdog. In short, journalism that makes a difference in the lives of real people and their communities. The competition is open to individual reporters, columnists, editorial writers, photographers and graphic artists.

• Minimum of five articles, maximum of 10; or minimum of 10 photos or graphics, maximum of 20.
• All pieces submitted must have been published between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2011.
• Articles or photos submitted as part of the Batten Medal entry may also be submitted in other categories. However, an individual nominee will not be selected as a winner in more than one category.
• This is a portfolio entry; a single series or individual project, however noteworthy, does not qualify. The portfolio may reflect coverage of varied topics or sustained attention to a single issue over time.
• Up to two of the pieces submitted for judging may include joint bylines or credits where the nominee was the lead or primary writer.
• A nomination letter of no more than 500 words* indicating how the entry reflects the values and the high-impact journalism that characterized Jim Batten is welcome.

This category rewards a photographer who has an understanding of his/her community and captures the sense of that community with powerful and meaningful images. All photos submitted must have been published in a newspaper or on a news website.

• The images can be in black and white or color, regardless of how they were published.
• An entry may consist of up to 15 images by one photographer that embody the goal of community service. Single images will not be accepted. Entries with more than 15 images will be disqualified.
• To establish context, PDFs and/or links to the relevant Web pages must be included in the entry. It is understood that this supporting material may include photographs that are not part of the entry.
• Each image should have a size set at a resolution of 96 DPI, with a maximum dimension of 2750 pixels along its longest side. In addition, it should be stated for each individual image whether it was published in print, on the Web, or both.
• A letter of about 500 words* must accompany the entry and must be specific in explaining the photojournalism’s effect on the community.

This award, funded by a gift from The Freedom Forum, recognizes writing that helps a community understand and better appreciate its racial, ethnic and religious diversity. Judges will consider how effectively the coverage dealt with overcoming ignorance, misunderstandings, racism, hate, intolerance and false stereotypes.

• Individual or team work will be accepted in this category.
• All journalistic writing is eligible in this category, including news, features, columns, editorials and blogs.
• Minimum of one, maximum of three articles.

This award focuses on breaking news event. Entries need not be confined to the big local story and may include multimedia components.

• Individual or team work will be accepted in this category.
• Minimum of one, maximum of three articles.
• Multimedia components might include (but are not limited to) graphics, photo galleries, video or interactive elements. Time stamps should be visible on these entries. URLs should be provided.
• A nominating letter no longer than 500 words* must accompany the entry.

Entries are judged for writing and substance in covering breaking news events under deadline pressure. Descriptive power, strong literary style, depth and breadth of reporting, timeliness, completeness, and perspective will be evaluated.

This award recognizes excellence in the use of digital tools to tell news stories. Judges will consider strong writing, narrative skill, engaging graphical and visual elements, and compelling audio.

• The submission may consist of a single or multiday presentation.
• Digital components might include (but are not limited to) blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, mobile content, video, audio, photo galleries, data visualization tools and/or other interactive elements.
• A nominating letter no longer than 500 words* must accompany the entry.

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* Nomination letters: The contest software is set to limit the number of characters in all nomination letters to 3,200, or about 500 words.