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2016 ASNE Awards open for submissions


Deadline for entry submission is 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 5. Two more categories are sponsored this year with a cash prize of $2,500.

The ASNE Awards, one of the few journalism contests in which news organizations of all sizes compete on equal footing, are now accepting nominations. With more sponsored categories, this year's awards give entrants a higher chance of winning a cash prize. Review the 
rules and categories, and submit entries by 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 5.

The awards, which encompass nine categories and honor the best in print, online and mobile content, do not include circulation divisions. This means small news operations compete head-to-head with traditional award-winning juggernauts, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post.
 
Having no circulation divisions could mean to some competitors that it's more difficult to win an award, but, on the other hand, it makes victory that much sweeter. Journalists at The Post and Courier (South Carolina); ProPublica; the El Paso (Texas) Times; The Joplin (Missouri) Globe; The Bergen County Record; the Wisconsin State Journal; The News-Star, Monroe, Louisiana; and the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle have been winners in the ASNE Awards competition in the past years. In the ASNE contest, quality journalism finds its way to the top of the pile regardless of the size of the organization producing it.  
 
In calculating entry fees, however, the ASNE contest does take size into account. There is a $75 fee for newspapers with circulations above 100,000 and a $40 entry fee for everyone else, including online-only news organizations. The contest is open to all newspapers, news services and news websites in the United States, including those without an ASNE member on staff.
  
Each participating organization must create their own account this year by logging onto ASNE Awards contest. Click on the Register button to begin the process. Submit entries by 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 5. Please note that ASNE no longer sends out a contest-website login to the editor or main contact at news organizations. For questions, contact ASNE Finance Director Cindy Roe at croe@asne.org or 573-884-2405.
  
Thanks to our sponsors, seven of the nine ASNE awards come with a $2,500 cash prize. They are:

  • The Batten Medal, sponsored by a group of editors from the former Knight Ridder company
  • The Burl Osborne Award for Editorial Leadership, sponsored by The Dallas Morning News
  • The Deborah Howell Award for Nondeadline Writing, sponsored by Advance Publications, Inc.
  • The Dori J. Maynard Award for Diversity in Journalism, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
  • The Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting, sponsored by The Seattle Times
  • The Mike Royko Award for Commentary/Column Writing, sponsored by the Chicago Tribune
  • The Punch Sulzberger Award for Online Storytelling, sponsored by The New York Times

The remaining two awards not sponsored are:

  • Breaking News Writing Award
  • Community Service Photojournalism Award 

Winners will be announced in the spring and will be recognized at the Sept. 11-14 ASNE-APME conference in Philadelphia.

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