Each year, the SPJ DC Pro Chapter honors the best in print, broadcast and online journalism. This year’s Dateline Awards contest opened on Jan. 3. The deadline was extended by a week and the contest will close on March 7, 2022.
Submit your best work from 2021 at https://betternewspapercontest.com/DCDatelineAwards beginning Jan. 3, 2022. The contest is open to journalists in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. You do not have to be an SPJ member to enter.
To be added to the distribution for contest notifications and updates, email datelinecoordinator (at) gmail.com.
Finalists and winners will be announced in June. Awards are scheduled, COVID-19 conditions permitting, to be given out during the chapter’s annual Dateline Awards and Hall of Fame dinner at the National Press Club on June 14, 2022.
Read on below for guidelines, divisions and categories for the 2022 awards.
For submission tips, read this recent post.
Guidelines
Work published, posted or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021, is eligible. For a series, the majority of the work must have appeared in 2021.
All entries shall be in their original form as published or broadcast. Subsequent corrections or clarifications to the work must be included in the entry or it will be disqualified.
Work by journalists based in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia qualifies. Submissions must be of local interest (specific to the contest area) or about the workings of the Washington D.C., metro region for a wider audience.
More than one entry may be submitted in each category, but each separate entry must be accompanied by its own entry fee. Please do not submit the same entry in more than one category.
If you are a Washington correspondent for a media outlet or publication outside the D.C. metro area, you may qualify to enter the Correspondent Award competition. Entries for this should not be entered in other categories. Contact the awards coordinator for more details.
There is a fee of $30 per entry. (Note: A fee of $2 per entry is added to online payments.) Payment is accepted via Paypal only.
Divisions
- Daily Newspaper includes dailies published in the Washington, D.C., region five or more days a week and wire services covering local issues.
- Weekly Newspaper covering local issues, published fewer than five days a week in the DMV region.
- Magazine covering local issues, published in the Washington, D.C., area.
- Television including on-air and cable channels, appealing solely to local audiences. Each entry should be clearly labeled.
- Radio including city and suburban stations, with stories of local interest. Each entry should be clearly labeled.
- Newsletters/Trade Publications supported by subscription and/or advertising revenue and publications whose audience is specific to interest in a trade.
- Online publications including “web-zines” that appear exclusively in electronic form on the Internet on a regular schedule, as well as websites operated in conjunction with print or broadcast media. One main URL and up to five additional URLs to highlight specific features of the article or package. Entries that do not provide complete and accurate URLs will be disqualified.
Categories
Non-Breaking News
Could include federal, state, local government; health care; medicine/science; education; minority issues; politics; religion; environment; criminal justice; and social justice issues (poverty, homelessness, public housing). Single report or series of reports.
Breaking News
Single report or series of reports that best exemplify breaking coverage on a major news event on deadline.
Features
Single report or series of reports.
Sports
A single report that profiles an individual in sports at any level (high school, college, pro); or a pattern of outstanding coverage of sports, demonstrated by a selection of up to five reports by a writer or team. The entry may include reports from the beat or a series.
Editorial/Opinion Writing
The most persuasive single editorial or series of editorials (up to three). Entry can be unsigned editorials or signed columns.
Business
A single report that profiles an individual in business or development at the state or local level; or a pattern of outstanding coverage of business/development with a selection of up to five reports by a writer or team. The entry may include reports from the beat or a series.
Photojournalism
For best black-and-white and color news photography. Judges will look at technical composition, creativity and overall visual impact.
Investigative Journalism
Reporting that demonstrates in-depth, analytical skills, with information gathered over time. Judges will consider originality, use of public records, if they apply, and outcomes of the investigation. Single report or series of reports.
Commentary
Analysis or interpretation of news events or arts/culture, including food, music and theater. Submit up to three samples.
Column
Submit up to three columns of any subject
Feature Photography
A single published photo, either stand-alone or part of a story
Photography Story
A collection of photos printed together that tell a story—either news or feature in nature. Not for continuing coverage of a subject.
Art/Photo Illustration
Specially designed art and/or photos to illustrate a story. Submit three examples.
Infographic
Standalone infographic or part of a story. Submit up to three samples.
Front-Page Design
Submit three samples by one artist or team. Can represent the front page or section front.
Series
Submit up to five samples of a news or feature series on one topic.
Editorial Cartoon
Submit three samples on any topic.
Beat Reporting
Submit a portfolio of work (no more than five stories) showing sustained excellence in covering a beat. Judges will consider a variety of source development, story generation and beat familiarization. A 100-word supporting statement explaining the entry is optional.
Blog/online news (all divisions, electronic)
Indicate whether it is a site supported by a journalistic/media company or a personal blog by a journalist who also publishes in legacy media or online versions of legacy media or new media. Submit up to three posts.
Separate Awards
Correspondent Award
This is a category for distinguished coverage of the Washington area by a correspondent based here, whose work is published or broadcast for an audience outside the Washington, D.C., area. This category may be a good fit for a journalist’s work that doesn’t qualify in another category. Submit up to five samples.
Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Journalism Award
The Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award will be presented to a finalist in any award classification whose entry best exemplifies journalism aimed at protecting the public from abuses by those who would betray the public trust. No direct entries are accepted for this category. There is a cash prize of up to $1,000 for the winner.
Have questions about entering? Contact:
Laura Jane Willoughby
SPJ Dateline Awards contest coordinator
at datelinecoordinator (at) gmail.com