National Newspaper Awards open 2022 contest with a new entry system
TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2022 – The National Newspapers Awards is introducing a new entry system today, as it begins accepting entries for the 2022 competition.
Entries will be accepted in 23 categories from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15, 2023.
The new system is designed to simplify and streamline the process for submitting and judging entries. Built by Advanced Contest Entry System in Springfield, Illinois, it was designed by newspaper people for the newspaper industry and serves more than three dozen news organizations. Our system has been tested by media representatives from across the country, as well as a panel of veteran judges, and has received excellent reviews.
The new entry system is one of several changes being implemented this year, alongside a new award for Special Topics Reporting, a Special Recognition Citation and a modernized website. The Special Topics Reporting categories this year are Indigenous Issues / climate change.
The cost to enter this year’s competition has been set at $30 per submission. Finalists will be announced in mid-March, with winners named at an in-person gala on May 5 at The Design Exchange in Toronto. It will be the first in-person gala since 2019. Tickets will be available for purchase next spring.
To be eligible, an entry must have been published first in 2022 by an eligible organization, with the work having been performed by an eligible entrant, as defined under the contest rules of entry. Rules can be viewed here. Entry procedures can be viewed here, while tips on using the new system can be found here. Categories can be viewed here.
While supporting letters are not mandatory for all categories, they are encouraged since they provide valuable context for judges. A video on how to write a supporting letter can be viewed here.
After opening for entries on Dec. 1, categories will be closed to entries on a staggered basis, with final deadlines as follows:
Arts and Entertainment: Monday, Jan. 9
Beat Reporting (Joan Hollobon Award): Sunday, Jan. 15
Breaking News (Stuart M. Robertson Award): Sunday, Jan. 15
Breaking News Photo: Sunday, Jan. 15
Business: Wednesday, Jan. 11
Columns (Mary Ann Shadd Cary Award): Wednesday, Jan. 11
Editorial Cartooning: Monday, Jan. 9
Editorials (Claude Ryan Award): Monday, Jan. 9
Explanatory Work: Wednesday, Jan. 11
Feature Photo: Monday, Jan. 9
General News Photo: Friday, Jan. 13
International (Norman Webster Award): Friday, Jan. 13
Investigations (George Brown Award): Sunday, Jan. 15
Local Reporting (E. Cora Hind Award): Wednesday, Jan. 11
Long Feature (William Southam Award): Friday, Jan. 13
Politics (John Wesley Dafoe Award): Friday, Jan. 13
Presentation/Design: Friday, Jan. 13
Project of the Year (John Honderich Award): Friday, Jan. 13
Short Feature (Bob Levin Award): Sunday, Jan. 15
Special Topics Reporting: Sunday, Jan. 15
Sports: Monday, Jan. 9
Sports Photo: Wednesday, Jan. 11
Sustained News Coverage: Friday, Jan. 13
Sponsorship opportunities remain available for the in-person gala and for named awards. For information on either opportunity, contact us at the co-ordinates below.
This is the 74th year for the awards program, and the 34th under the current administrative structure. The awards were established by the Toronto Press Club in 1949 to encourage excellence and reward achievement in daily newspaper work in Canada. The competition is now open to newspapers, news agencies and online news sites approved for entry by the NNA Board of Governors.
For more information, contact:
Bev Wake
Executive Director
National Newspaper Awards
604-220-7254
Andria Samis
Program Director
National Newspaper Awards
416-738-3654
