Contest FAQ 2009

Frequently asked questions about the Arizona Press Club Awards Competition for the Best Journalism in Arizona

When are entries due?

Answer: All entries must be postmarked by Jan. 20, 2010, unless other arrangements are made in advance with contest chairman Le Templar. Contact Le by e-mail or by calling (602) 448-5198.

Where do I send my entries?

Answer: Mail your entries to Arizona Press Club, P.O. Box 16427, Phoenix AZ 85011-6427.

What are the entry fees?

Answer:

We divide publications into two different categories. If you work for a daily newspaper with a circulation of 20,000 or less, a nondaily publication with a circulation of 50,000 or less, or an online-only publication, you are considered “non-metro.” If you’re not in any of these categories, you are part of the “metro” group.

“Metro” journalists must pay a one-time membership fee of $20, plus an additional $10 for each entry. “Non-metro” journalists must pay a $10 membership fee, plus $5 for each entry.

If you are entering any of our “Big Four” categories – Community Journalist of the Year, Virg Hill Journalist of the Year, Designer of the Year, and Photographer of the Year – you’ll be paying a slightly bigger fee, $10 for Community Journalist of the Year and $25 for the other three. You must also pay the appropriate membership fee ($10 if you qualify for a non-metro rate or $20 for the metro rate). Anyone entering one of these categories must still pay individual entry fees for other submissions, but not additional membership fees.

For example, if you enter Virg Hill Journalist of the Year, plus three other Metro categories, your fee will be $75. That’s the $25 Virg Hill fee, $20 membership fee, plus three $10 entries.

Another example: If you’re a non-metro journalist, and you enter a total of three categories -- none of them in the “Big Four” -- your total fee would be $25. That’s the $10 membership fee, plus three $5 entries.

If I am entering work from two or more publications (I switched jobs mid-year, or my employer requires me to write for a couple of publications), do I have to pay two or more membership fees?

Answer: No. Pay only one membership fee.

What are the entry fees for Spanish-language publications?

Answer: Spanish publications pay the non-metro fees: $10 per person for membership and $5 for each individual entry.

The categories seemed to have changed a lot this year, and some categories I entered in the past have disappeared. Why?

Answer: The Arizona Press Club is striving to keep pace with the rapid upheaval in the print journalism industry, while offering recognition for the best statewide reporting, design and photography, regardless of the media platform. We believe this year’s changes reflect these goals. If you think we made a mistake in our reconfigurations, please let us know. We may well make more revisions next year.

Where are the magazine categories?

Answer: There are no separate magazine categories this year. Magazine journalists are encouraged to enter the circulation category appropriate to their publication. If your magazine circulation is more than 50,000, then you should be entering the “metro” categories. If the circulation is smaller, you should feel free to enter “non-metro.”

Magazine journalists are also encouraged to enter the “Best in Arizona” categories, where both metro and non-metro publications compete together.

Can stand-alone online journalism sites enter the Press Club contest?

Answer: Yes! Work from journalism web sites that aren’t connected to a print publication can be entered in the appropriate non-metro and combined “Best in Arizona” categories. But experienced journalists working for Web-only media operations are strongly encouraged to enter metro categories.

What category do I enter if I have a submission that appeared only online for a Web site associated with a print publication?

Answer: Choose the category appropriate for your print publication and for the topic of the submission. For example, a story that appeared only on azcentral.com should be entered in “metro” and “Best in Arizona” categories.

Can I still submit an entry if I don’t have access to a paper copy of what was printed?

Answer: Print outs of electronic or Web site versions of published stories are acceptable. But the print out must represent the submission as it was originally published, without corrections for typos, grammar errors or inaccurate information.

What membership fee should be paid by freelance journalists?

Answer: If you are entering submissions from ONLY non-metro publications, pay a $10 entry fee. But if you are entering submissions from a metro publication, or from a mixture of metro and nonmetro publications, pay the $20 entry fee.

What membership fee should be paid by journalists working for a Web site that’s unaffiliated with a print publication?

Answer: Regardless of whether you enter metro or non-metro categories – and we strongly encourage experienced journalists to enter metro even if they’re working for a small web site – you need only pay the non-metro fees.

I’ve written five stories about crime this year. Should I submit them as one entry in the “public safety” category – or five entries?

Answer: Multi-story submissions must be closely related. If your stories all focus on, say, one crime and how it’s affected various people, that’s one entry – but if they cover a murder in Phoenix, police brutality in Tucson, and theft in Flagstaff, they should definitely be entered separately.

The rules say I can enter one story or up to five stories. Do sidebars count?

Answer: Yes. If you choose to include a sidebar, that’s considered one story toward your maximum of five per entry.

I have a question that isn’t answered here. Where can I go for more help?

Answer: Email contest chairman Le Templar, or call him at (602) 448-5198.