ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

All individuals submitting entries should read these instructions carefully.

For general information and assistance with entering, contact the Program Director: info@nna-ccj.ca.

For information and assistance on rule interpretations and categories, contact the Executive Director: exec@nna-ccj.ca.

Rules of Entry can be found here. Category descriptions can be found here.

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REGISTRATION

Individuals submitting entries must register for log-in credentials in the entry portal. The security code is 2023. Registered entrants may submit entries on behalf of more than one individual.  If you do not see your publication listed as a selection, please contact exec@nna-ccj.ca.

 

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PAYMENT

Your log-in credentials will be deactivated following payment so please add all your entries before completing payment. You can log in and out as many times as you require and add as many entries as you wish before completing the payment process. Entries that are not paid for will be disqualified. 

Payment options are: 

  • Credit card through paypal
  • Requesting an invoice. An invoice can be paid through credit card by phone, cheque or e-transfer.

 

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2023 FEES

$30 per entry

Note: To encourage new participation, first-time nominees may be eligible for a discount. Contact info@nna-ccj.ca for more information. Please note: this does not apply to first-time nominees being entered as part of the application package of an established publication.  Nor does it apply to previous nominees whose work is being submitted on behalf of a new publication.

 

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SUBMITTING AN ENTRY

Submitting an entry involves selecting, uploading, typing or pasting content into various input fields. These fields include: the name(s) of the publishing organization(s); the name of the individual entering the submission; the language of entry; the category in which the work is being entered; the work itself (as URLs or attached files); paywall information (if required); the name of the entry; the name(s) of the journalist(s) who did the work being submitted; the journalist(s)’ email address(es); and the journalist(s)’ employment status. Also highly recommended, although optional in most cases, is a supporting letter providing information about the entry.

In the four Photo categories and the Editorial Cartooning category, JPG images that meet the technical requirements must be uploaded as attachments. 

Two categories — long feature and short feature — require entries to be uploaded as plain text. In this case, please put an extra return between each paragraph. This will help judges read the work.

The entry system will disconnect if you take too long to complete the submission, so you are strongly advised to have all content you are including in the entry accessible when you start the submission process.

You may make some edits to your entry after you have submitted it, including adding URLs and attachments. Note, the editing function is not perfect and in some cases you may need to delete your entry and start again. 

If you need to submit more than five URLs for an entry, please list them in a file and upload them as an attachment.

If log-in credentials are required to review entered work (for instance, stories behind paywalls), entrants must supply a working username and password for use by NNA administrators and judges in the space provided.

Entrants are permitted to submit hard-copy work in two categories: Project of the Year and Presentation. To do so, you must create an entry in the online entry system and indicate in your supporting letter that the contents of the entry will be submitted in hard copy. Please then contact the Program Director (info@nna-ccj.ca) to make arrangements. Our deadline to receive hard-copy submissions in these two categories is Jan. 15.

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THE ENTRY PROCESS

  1. Register on the contest website using your email address and the security code: 2023. Follow the instructions on your confirmation email to complete registration.
  2. Once logged in, click on the “Add New” button.
  3. On this page, select your organization’s name. If your organization is not listed, contact the Executive Director at exec@nna-ccj.ca. Fill in the name of the submitter — the person who is submitting the entry, not the nominee.
  4. Select the language of the entry: English or French. There is a drop-down menu for your convenience. This field will clear each time you save an entry, so you must select a language for each new entry. 
  5. Select the contest category. There is a drop-down menu for your convenience. This field will clear each time you save an entry, so you must select a category for each new entry. 
  6. Indicate whether the submission has been modified in any way since publication (eg: if corrections or clarifications were required) by selecting Yes or No from the drop-down menu.
  7. Indicate whether the submission made use of Artificial Intelligence by selecting Yes or No from the drop-down menu.
  8. Attach a supporting letter, if desired, for the entry. You can drag and drop files or use the “Add files” button. The letter should be uploaded as a PDF or a Word document. Please note: The supporting letter should help judges understand the significance of the submission for the organization’s audience. More information on the type of material that should be included in a supporting letter can be found HERE.
  9. Copy and paste the URLs for the nominated work into the appropriate boxes. If your entry includes MORE than five articles, you can copy and paste all URLs into a separate Word document and upload it as a file. (See Step 14)
  10. If your news website is behind a paywall, enter a user name and password for judges.
  11. Enter the name of the entry.
  12. Include the name or names of the nominees — the person or people who should be credited for any award. This is generally the writer, reporter, photographer, graphic artist, cartoonist, etc. It is not necessarily the name of the person submitting the entry nor the person picking up the award at the gala. Entries created by, and attributed to, more than five people should be credited as Team entries, without individual names.
  13. Add the emails of all nominees.
  14. Add any other files. You can drag and drop files or use the “Add files” button. Generally, files should be in PDF format except photos, which should be in high-resolution JPG format. Upload as many files as are necessary to complete your entry, but refer to the contest rules for any limitations. 
  15. When you have completed your submission, click the “Save” button. If you click the “Back to list” button, you will lose the entry you just completed. After clicking “Save,” you will be directed back to the list of your entries.
  16. To submit another entry, click “Add New.” As long as you have not logged out of the system, your newspaper name will still be in place and you can simply start at Step 5 again. You may log out and log back in later to continue adding entries. You will need to select your newspaper name each time you log in.
  17. If at any time you want to edit an entry, just click the editing box to the left of the entry you want to edit. You may upload new attachments and add URLs. Hit SAVE when finished, and then Back to List. Note that the editing function is limited. After making changes, you should click on the editing box again to see that the new elements are in place. In some cases, you may need to delete your entry and create a new one. If you try to edit an entry and it has been locked, please contact info@nna-ccj.ca.
  18. If you are done submitting entries, please review the list. Please add all your entries prior to processing payment, as your account will be deactivated once you finish the payment stage. Please contact info@nna-ccj.ca if you need to have your account reactivated. 

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ENTRY DEADLINES FOR 2023 CONTEST

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Editorial Cartooning
  • Editorials
  • Feature Photo
  • Sports

Thursday, January 11, 2024

  • Business
  • Columns
  • Explanatory Work
  • Local Reporting
  • Sports Photo

Saturday, January 13, 2024

  • News Photo
  • International
  • Long Feature
  • Politics
  • Presentation/Design
  • Sustained News Coverage

Monday, January 15, 2024

  • Beat Reporting
  • Breaking News
  • Photo Story
  • Investigations
  • Project of the Year
  • Short Feature
  • Special Topic
  • Special Recognition Citation

All deadlines are as of midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. Eastern time the following day).

 

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ENTRANTS

a. An “entrant” is any individual or group of up to five individuals, in accordance with 1 (b), or a team, in accordance with 1 (c).

b. Entries submitted for work performed by up to five individuals will be credited to those individuals.

c. Entries submitted for work performed by more than five individuals will be credited to a “team,” with no individuals named.

d. In the following categories, entries may be submitted only by a single individual: (4) Short Feature, (5) Long Feature, (6) Editorial Writing, (7) Columns, (9) Editorial Cartooning, (18) News Photo, (19) Feature Photo, (20) Sports Photo, (21) Photo Story.

e. In (13) Beat Reporting, joint entries may be submitted by two individuals only if both individuals share responsibility for covering the same beat, and all of the submitted work was credited to both individuals on publication.

f. In all other categories, entries may be credited to between one and five named individuals, provided that all of those named as entrants contributed substantially to the submitted work.

g. Entries in categories other than those set out above in 1 (d) may be submitted by or on behalf of a single individual even if another individual received byline credit on one or more elements of the entry, provided that the individual not named as an entrant did not contribute substantially to the submitted work.

h. In the case of entries credited to a “team,” there are no restrictions or requirements with respect to the level of individual contribution to the submitted work.

i. Entrants whose entered work was done on a freelance or contract basis, rather than as an employee of the organization that published the work, may be required to supply information about their journalistic activity during the contest year, for the purpose of determining eligibility.

 

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CATEGORY RESTRICTIONS

a. Work cannot be entered in more than one category, with the following exceptions:

i. Work entered in (3) Local Reporting and (23) Special Topic categories may also be entered in another category.

ii. Work entered in other categories may form part or all of an entry in (2) Presentation. Judges in Presentation are judging appearance/design/display of the work, not its content.

iii. Photographs entered in (18) News Photo may be included as part of entries in the Breaking News category, but should not be the primary element of those entries.

b. While multiple elements are allowed in many categories, entrants are strongly encouraged to be judicious and avoid overburdening judges with too many elements, especially any that add little value to the entry.

c. If an entry does not comply with the restrictions of the intended category, NNA administrators may, in their sole discretion, require that the entry be amended to bring it into compliance.

 

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FILE FORMATS

a. Except for entries on hard copy as set out in 4 (b), entrants must use the fields provided in the online entry system to input all elements of an entry.

b. Because (4) Long Feature and (5) Short Feature are intended to judge written work, entries in those categories must be submitted only in uniform text format. Submission of online content and illustrations is not permitted.

c. Entries in (9) Editorial Cartooning and the four Photo categories (18, 19, 20, 21) must be submitted in high-res format. JPG is preferred.

d. Photographs must not have been digitally altered beyond normal cropping, toning and balancing.

e. In two categories, (1) Project of the Year and (2) Presentation, hard-copy entries, consisting of three tearsheets or comparably sized photocopies, are permitted. Entrants must first register the entry online and receive an Entry ID number. Further information on how to submit hard-copy entries can be obtained from the Program Director (info@nna-ccj.ca).

f. In most categories, work can be entered through the provision of technology that allows judges to assess the work in its intended form. Organizations submitting such content must provide devices with entry content pre-loaded, and pay all associated shipping costs. Further information on how to submit such entries can be obtained from the Program Director (info@nna-ccj.ca).

Note: In cases where work has been revised after initial publication, entries must include the version of the work published most recently. Any corrections or clarifications published after work was originally published must be clearly identified in any online archives of the work, and as part of the entry through the provision of a Supporting Letter from a senior editor of the organization, or by providing notice of such correction or clarification to the Executive Director of the NNAs at the email address provided on the NNA website if the correction or clarification is published after the entry and Supporting Letter have been submitted and before the NNA winners for the relevant year have been announced.

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SUPPORTING LETTERS

a. Supporting letters provide helpful information to judges that might not be apparent from the entered work itself, including such matters as the circumstances that led to the work, any challenges associated with production of the work, and relative resources available to the entering organization in producing the work.  (Further advice on crafting supporting letters, and why they matter, can be found here.)

b. Supporting letters are strongly encouraged for all entries, and are required in the following circumstances:

i. All entries in (1) Project of the Year category must be accompanied by a supporting letter from a supervising editor outlining the circumstances under which the submitted work was done, and any other relevant information.

ii. All entries in (13) Beat Reporting category must be accompanied by a supporting letter from a supervising editor outlining the reporter’s qualifications and experience in reporting on the beat or specialized coverage area.

iii. All entries involving any outside funding, involvement or support for the work (including but not limited to co-productions, joint reporting endeavours, scholarships, fellowships, bursaries and residencies) must be accompanied by a supporting letter from a supervising editor outlining how the entry complies with Rules 11 and 12. In the case of entries arising from co-productions involving more than one news organization as set out under Rule 12, a supporting letter from a supervising editor must provide details about the co-production arrangement and certify that the entered work was entirely or substantially performed by or for an organization or organizations that are eligible to enter the competition. In addition, such entrants must supply any other information requested by contest organizers for the purpose of ensuring that the entry is eligible and compliant with contest rules and procedures, and that judges are able to properly assess the work.

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