Education Reportin Awards: Contest Categories - Education Writers Association

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2012 Contest Categories

The Education Writers Association National Awards in Education Reporting honor exceptional work covering stories that add to the understanding of education from early childhood through college. Entries will be judged on criteria that include the quality of writing, clarity, insight, innovative presentation, deadline pressures, and explanation of issues. Please note that the categories have changed and that applicants should review them all before entering their submissions. For example, we have added a category designated exclusively for education-only print, online and broadcast news publications. Additionally, the metric for publication size has changed; outlet size will be judged by newsroom size. Entries must be submitted on behalf of specific journalists rather than organizations.

* In calculating the staff size, please consider all the FTE employees in the newsroom who contribute to a finished product. In addition to reporters, the calculation should include, among others, all editors, designers, online producers and multimedia content producers, such as photographers, data analysts and videographers.

I. GENERAL NEWS OUTLETS, SMALL NEWSROOM: Print or online journalism publications with 25 or fewer FTE newsroom staffers. Written sources of education news, such as dailies and news blogs, are eligible. Examples of such outlets include Statesboro Herald, The Texas Tribune and Door County Advocate.

A. Single-Topic News or Feature: One or more pieces of news or human interest coverage--including series--that are focused on a single topic, event or general theme. Up to five articles may be submitted. An additional five URLs featuring multimedia or interactive elements may accompany the entered works. Examples of multimedia and interactive elements include photos, audio, video, graphics, searchable databases and chats.

B. Beat Reporting: Up to seven pieces showing breadth and depth in beat reporting by individual journalists throughout the year. Entries will be judged as a package that may include breaking news, features, in-depth reporting, news blogging, and data analysis. Up to three pieces may have bylines shared with other reporters. Up to five URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements, such as photos, audio, video, graphics, and interactive features such as searchable databases and chats.

C. Investigative Reporting: Up to seven articles on the same subject, demonstrating ingenuity in uncovering a problem or condition that otherwise may not have come to public attention. Up to seven URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements, such as photos, audio, video, graphics, and interactive features such as searchable databases and chats.

D. Opinion: Entries may consist of a single signed or unsigned blog item, editorial or column expressing the opinion of the author and/or the publication. Entries may also consist of a series of up to four editorials, columns or blog entries on the same general theme or from the same opinion blog.

II. GENERAL NEWS OUTLETS, MEDIUM NEWSROOM: Print or online journalism publications with a FTE newsroom staff of 26 to 100 employees. Written sources of education news, such as dailies and news blogs, are eligible. Examples of such outlets include The Tennessean, ProPublica and Las Vegas Sun.

III. GENERAL NEWS OUTLETS, LARGE NEWSROOM: Print or online journalism publications with a FTE newsroom staff of more than 100 employees. Written sources of education news, such as dailies and news blogs, are eligible. Examples of such outlets include The Huffington Post and Los Angeles Times.

IV. EDUCATION-ONLY NEWS OUTLETS: Print, online or broadcast journalism outlets that cover exclusively education, maintain editorial independence and are not published or produced by advocacy groups, professional organizations, higher education institutions, alumni periodicals or think tanks. There are no size restrictions. Examples of such outlets include Education Week, Inside Higher Ed, Learning Matters, and EdNews Colorado.

V. BROADCAST: Entries may include spot news, feature segments, special programs, newscasts, streamed online stories, or podcasts for television or radio journalism organizations that maintain editorial independence and are not produced by lobbying groups, professional organizations, educational institutions, alumni periodicals, advocates or think tanks. Examples include National Public Radio, NBC News, and KCET.

A. Single-Topic News or Feature: One or more pieces of news or human interest coverage--including series--that are focused on a single topic, event or general theme. Up to five pieces may be submitted. An additional five URLs featuring multimedia or interactive elements may accompany the entered works.

B. Beat Reporting: Up to seven pieces showing breadth and depth in beat reporting by individual reporting teams (including one reporter, producer and/or camera person) throughout the year. Entries will be judged as a package. Credit for up to three pieces may be shared with other staff. Up to five URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements.

C. Investigative Reporting: Up to seven pieces on the same subject, demonstrating ingenuity in uncovering a problem or condition that otherwise may not have come to public attention. Up to seven URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements.

VI. MAGAZINES AND WEEKLIES: Print and online magazines and weekly newspapers that are editorially independent and not published by advocacy groups. Examples of such outlets include The Atlantic, Miami New Times, The Texas Observer and Chicago Reader.

A. Feature Reporting: Up to five pieces that exhibit strong narrative writing, deft explanatory reporting and/or commentary. Submissions may explain or explore a policy issue, controversy or theme and may include profiles of individuals or organizations. Individual journalists may submit pieces that appeared in different publications. As many as five additional URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements.

B. Investigative Reporting: Up to seven articles on the same subject or theme, demonstrating ingenuity in uncovering a problem or condition that otherwise may not have come to public attention. Individual journalists may submit pieces that appeared in different publications. Up to seven URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements, such as photos, audio, video, graphics, and interactive features such as searchable databases and chats.

VII. EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS AND EXPERTS: Content produced by advocacy groups, professional organizations, higher education institutions, alumni periodicals, think tanks, and individual advocates, activists and bloggers are eligible. Examples include the American School Board Journal, New America Foundation, Thomas B. Fordham Institute and School Reform News.

A. Continuing Coverage of an Issue: Up to five pieces that provide incisive, provocative and/or research-based content on an education issue, policy or theme. Submissions are not limited to a single blog or publication within an organization; packages that include works from various individual blogs and publication titles affiliated with the organization are eligible. Additionally, as many as seven URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements.

B. Best Blog: Overall excellence for a policy or advocacy blog that provides fresh perspectives on education-related issues. Up to seven items may be submitted. Additionally, as many as seven URLs may be submitted for accompanying multimedia elements. The category will be judged by individual blogs, therefore individual bloggers from one organization can submit separate entries.