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ENTRY FEES

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SPJ members: $40 per entry
Nonmembers: $60 per entry

Other payment stuff…

• To qualify for the member fee, supply your SPJ member ID number in the payment area of www.betterbnc.com or, if paying by check, in your email to the contest administrator.
• Only one member of team entries need be an SPJ member to qualify for the reduced fee. (The entrant, not the contact person, must be an SPJ member to qualify.)
• Credit card payments are accepted on the Better BNC website. After completing your entry online, follow the site’s instructions for paying online.

To pay by check, please send payment to…

Green Eyeshade Awards
c/o Sarah Prickett
1818 N. Taylor St. #356
Little Rock, AR 72207

Include a list of entries that the check will cover (including entrant name, entry title, news organization and check total). Make sure the envelope is postmarked by Feb. 10, 2012.

In addition, please email the contest administrator with the entrant’s name, entry title, news organization and check total. If the check will cover multiple entries, please include a list of the entrants and entry titles. Use the subject line Green Eyeshade Awards Payment by Check.

No fees will be refunded, and all entries become the property of Green Eyeshade Awards and/or SPJ.

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JUDGING

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Professional journalists and academics from outside the southeastern United States serve as judges. They can withhold awards if no entry meets judging standards, and they will reject entries that don’t comply with entry rules.

Judging criteria include but are not limited to:

• clarity
• style
• accuracy
• enterprise
• resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles
• service to the community
• contribution to the public’s understanding of issues and events
• adherence to SPJ Code of Ethics

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PUBLIC SERVICE CATEGORIES

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Entries will be judged on:

• significance of the service rendered
• evidence of courage and initiative against opposition
• presentation and results obtained

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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

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• All entries must be submitted online at www.betterbnc.com.
• BetterBNC allows files up to 5 megabytes (5mb) only. Entrants should host large files on their corporate server or use one of many free services such as Issuu, YouTube, etc., and reduce their JPG or PDF file size by re-distilling to 72 dpi.
• An entry may be submitted in only one category except where noted.
• An individual may submit no more than two entries in the same category.
• Cover letters are optional except where noted. If you decide you need one, limit to one page. A cover letter might include information about impact or community reaction. It should not try to “sell” the story to the judges.
• All entries must be accompanied by a completed online entry form and
  payment.

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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

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Corrections or serious challenges to an entry must be included with the entry. If judges or Green Eyeshade Awards administrators learn that a correction was not included, the entry will be disqualified.

Some categories have other specific entry requirements. Read everything carefully.

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DIVISION-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

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PRINT…

• In categories that call for a number of samples, it is not required that these samples be related; in categories that call for a series, stories in a series must be related and must have been labeled as such when published.
• Individual categories specify the number of articles that make up an entry.
• When uploading documents to the Better BNC website, only 6 file types are allowed at present: DOC, PDF, TXT, JPG, PNG, and GIF .

ART AND GRAPHICS…

• Submit photo and graphics entries as PDF pages as they appeared in print.

TELEVISION…

• Submit entries as URL or hyperlink to your server that judges can access during judging period.
• Entries must remain intact and accessible until finalists are announced. Make sure the content is hosted online, either on your station website or a free hosting site (such as kiwi6 or wikiupload).

RADIO…

• Submit entries as hyperlink to audio files that judges can access during judging period.
• Entries must remain intact and accessible until finalists are announced. Make sure the content is hosted online, either on your station website or a free hosting site (such as kiwi6 or wikiupload).

ONLINE (affiliated or Independent)…

• All entries require cover letters summarizing the story and must refer to an active URL.
• Websites affiliated with print or broadcast organizations must include in the cover letter an explanation of how the entry differed from or enhanced print or broadcast coverage.
• Independent websites must describe in their cover letters their journalistic role in the community they cover.
• Denote on entry form whether site is affiliated or independent.
• Nominated sites must remain intact and accessible until finalists are
  announced.