2012 SUNSHINE STATE AWARDS

Submit your entries online: Entry deadline extended to March 16          

SPJ’s South Florida Pro Chapter is pleased to announce the 18th annual Sunshine State Awards competition, open to all print, broadcast and online journalists in the state of Florida. The competition recognizes quality journalism in the best tradition of our profession. Out-of-state journalists will judge all entries and may award first-, second- and third-place honors in each category. Finalists will be notified in late April and winners will be announced at the annual Sunshine State Awards ceremony.

• For guidelines and a step-by-step submission directions, please visit the About the Awards page.
• A series may consist of up to six items unless otherwise noted.

CATEGORIES

ALL-MEDIA DIVISION

• Eligible: All professional journalists working in Florida.

JAMES BATTEN AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE: Named in honor of late Knight-Ridder Chairman and CEO James Batten, a champion of “civic journalism.” Entries must contribute to the public good by correcting a wrong, bringing to light an issue or adding significantly to the public debate. Entries will be judged by the significance of the contribution, initiative in overcoming opposition and evidence of courage. Up to 10 items may be entered, including coverage, a required supporting statement of up to 400 words, and other supporting elements of your choice.

NEWSPAPER DIVISION

• Eligible: Journalists (staff and freelancers) working for newspapers produced and/or circulated in Florida; wire service bureaus in Florida; and Florida bureaus of national and out-of-state publications. 
• Online journalists may also enter the writing categories.
• Certain categories contain sub-categories based on circulation size:
• Large: Publications with circulation of 100,000 or more (including their associated online content), as well as all wire services
• Small: Publications with circulation of less than 100,000 (including their associated online content) as well as standalone online products

If no sub-categories are listed for the category, no size distinctions apply. In case of a dispute or error, entries may be reassigned to another category.

GENE MILLER AWARD FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Named in honor of late Miami Herald reporter and editor Gene Miller. Investigative reporting in the public interest, in a single report or a series. Stories should be original reporting that exposes a wrong or promotes understanding of a problem, issue, or subject in the public interest.

BREAKING NEWS REPORTING (Large/Small): Deadline coverage of a breaking news event, plus appropriate follows. Submit a single report or series. Judges will consider deadline pressures, complexity of subject and story length, interest, and importance.

NON-DEADLINE NEWS REPORTING (Large/Small): Enterprise reporting that digs deeper into a newsworthy topic or subject. Submit a single report or series.

FEATURE REPORTING: Narrative pieces, trend stories, enterprisers, and human interest stories that do not fit clearly into other categories. Submit a single report only; no series. Judges will consider originality of approach, the drama evoked, clarity, suitability of the writing to the subject, and sustained writing quality.

COMMENTARY and CRITICISM: Analysis or interpretation of news or cultural events, including arts reviews. Submit up to three samples.

EDITORIAL WRITING: Submit three samples; can be on one topic or multiple topics.

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Submit three samples on any topic.

BEAT REPORTING: Reporters should submit a portfolio of work (no more than six stories) that show sustained excellence in covering a beat. Judges will consider variety of stories, source development, story generation and beat familiarization. A 250-word supporting statement per category is optional. Awards will be given in each of the following areas of coverage:

• Arts (not criticism)
• Business
• Community: includes municipalities, industry-specific groups and minority communities
• Crime/Courts
• Education
• Environmental
• Government/Politics
• Health/Science
• Religion
• Sports

SPECIAL PUBLICATION/SECTION: Best overall quality, including news value, writing, design, story mix, etc., in a special, one-time-only section of a publication. Must consist of editorial content produced by editorial staff.

PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN DIVISION

BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY (Large/Small): Deadline coverage of a breaking news event, plus appropriate follows. Submit a single report or series.

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 tear sheets by a single artist or team.

FRONT PAGE DESIGN (Large/Small): Submit three samples by one artist or team. Can represent the newspaper’s front page or section front.

MAGAZINE DIVISION

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Stories should be original reporting that exposes a wrong or promotes understanding of a problem, issue, or subject in the public interest.

FEATURE REPORTING: Submit a single report on a topic. Judges will consider originality of approach, the drama evoked, clarity, suitability of the writing to the subject, and sustained writing quality.

PROFILE REPORTING: Submit a single report that showcases a person. Could be a news or feature report, or a column. Judges will consider originality of approach, the drama evoked, clarity, suitability of the writing to the subject, and sustained writing quality.

COMMENTARY and CRITICISM: Analysis or interpretation of news or cultural events, including art reviews. Submit up to three samples.

TRADE/SPECIAL INTEREST PUBLICATION: Best overall quality, including news value, writing, design, story mix, etc., in a publication focusing on a specialized audience. Submit two complete issues.

COVER DESIGN: Submit three samples.

INSIDE DESIGN: Submit three samples. Can be a spread or story design.

TELEVISION DIVISION

BEST NEWSCAST: Best overall news and feature quality, including news value, writing, production, story mix, etc. Submit one complete broadcast of your choice.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Submit a single report or a series. Stories should be original reporting that exposes a wrong or promotes understanding of a problem, issue, or subject in the public interest.

SPOT NEWS REPORTING: Reporting of a single event in a single broadcast under deadline. Provide the date and time aired.

SPORTS REPORTING: A single report or a series of up to three pieces.

GOVERNMENT COVERAGE: A single report or a series of up to three pieces.

CONTINUING COVERAGE: Sustained excellence in covering an issue of local interest, such as a trial, election or political issue. Submit up to six pieces.

FEATURE REPORTING: Profiles, trend pieces and human interest stories; submit a single report or a series. Judges will consider originality of approach, the drama evoked, clarity, suitability of the writing to the subject, and sustained writing quality.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Submit a single public affairs program. Entries may be documentaries or regular programming. Entries must be the original work of the station. Town hall meetings are not eligible.

RADIO DIVISION

BEST NEWSCAST: Best overall news and feature quality, including news value, writing, production, story mix, etc. Submit one complete broadcast of your choice.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Submit a single report or a series. Stories should be original reporting that exposes a wrong or promotes understanding of a problem, issue, or subject in the public interest.

SPOT NEWS REPORTING: Reporting of a single event in a single broadcast under deadline. Provide the date and time aired.

SPORTS REPORTING: A single report or a series.

GOVERNMENT COVERAGE: A single report or a series.

CONTINUING COVERAGE: Sustained excellence in covering an issue of local interest, such as a trial, election or political issue. Submit up to six pieces.

FEATURE REPORTING: Profiles, trend pieces and human interest stories; submit a single report or a series. Judges will consider originality of approach, the drama evoked, clarity, suitability of the writing to the subject, and sustained writing quality.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Submit a single public affairs program. Entries may be documentaries or regular programming. Entries must be the original work of the station. Town hall meetings are not eligible. 

ONLINE DIVISION

BLOG – AFFILIATED: Blogs that are associated with or sponsored by a print or broadcast media.

BLOG – INDEPENDENT: Stand-alone blogs sites not sponsored by print or broadcast media.

NEWS WEB SITE: News Web sites of all sizes, regardless of whether they stand alone or are sponsored by print or broadcast media. Judges will evaluate the following:

• Site’s overall value to users
• Depth and originality of news content
• Appropriate variety of content presentation methods (text, video, audio, etc.)
• Quality of the writing
• Usability (including navigation and accessibility)
• Layout

Submit the URL of the home page as well as the URLs of two additional pages of the site for judging. Judges may navigate further to evaluate the entire site.

PACKAGE: A special, one-time project that includes but isn’t limited to the use of published writing (print or web), video, audio, social media or any combination of them. Judges will consider complexity of story and execution in all mediums submitted. One-time projects may include multiple pieces of all mediums.

USER-GENERATED CONTENT: A story in any format that was an interactive community collaboration. This includes, but is not limited to, blogging, podcasts, videos, and photos.

STUDENT DIVISION

• Student categories are presented in partnership with the Florida College Press Association

COLLEGE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR: Honors the college journalist displaying the most promise through published or broadcast stories. Submit six of your best stories published in 2010 and a signed recommendation letter from an adviser or teacher.

COLLEGE NEWSPAPER (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the college newspaper delivering the most significant, creative, and daring feats of journalism over the past year. Submit PDFs of three complete issues published in 2010.

COLLEGE MAGAZINE: Honors the college magazine delivering the most significant, creative, and daring feats of journalism over the past year. Submit PDFs of three complete issues published in 2010.

COLLEGE NEWS BROADCAST (TV and Radio): Honors the college television or radio program delivering the most significant, creative, and daring feats of news reporting or news analysis over the past year. Submit online files of three complete programs broadcast in 2010.

COLLEGE MEDIA WEBSITE: Honors the site sporting the most originality, interactivity, navigational ease, and quality journalism.

NEWS STORY (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the breaking news story or investigative report exhibiting a “Stop the Presses!” news hook and the highest standards of information gathering, storytelling, and journalistic courage.

NEWS PHOTO: Honors the most newsworthy, innovative, and eye-opening published image captured by a Florida college student photographer over the past year.

FEATURE STORY (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the profile or general feature story exhibiting the highest standards of information gathering, storytelling, and journalistic courage.

FEATURE PHOTO: Honors the most soul-stirring, significant published feature image captured by a Florida college student photographer over the past year.

SPORTS STORY (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the 2010 game story, sports feature story or sports editorial exhibiting the sharpest, most well-reported take on a matter of athletic importance.

SPORTS PHOTO: Honors the single most newsworthy, innovative, and eye-opening published sports image captured by a Florida college student photographer over the past year.

SPORTS COLUMN: Honors the 2011 sports column displaying the keenest, most well-researched analysis of a sports issue of interest or importance. Submit a single story.

FRONT PAGE DESIGN (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the student publication exhibiting the most innovative, visually seductive, and journalistically sound front pages. Submit PDFs of three front pages from issues published in 2010.

FEATURE DESIGN (Weekly/Non-weekly): Honors the most innovative, visually appealing and journalistically sound feature design. Submit a single design.

EDITORIAL/OPINION COLUMN: Honors the 2010 op-ed or opinion column displaying the keenest, most well-researched analysis of an issue of interest or importance.