Hearst Journalism Awards

Hearst Journalism Awards MJ-school Trophy Case (2002-19)The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960 to provide support, encouragement and assistance to journalism education at the college and university level. The program awards scholarships to students for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, with matching grants to the students’ schools. The annual program consists of five monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, three radio and television competitions (one in radio and two in television), and four multimedia competitions — with championship finals in all divisions.

A comprehensive list of current competition deadlines can be found on the Hearst Journalism Awards Program website.

The overall intercollegiate winners are those schools whose students have earned the highest accumulated points in all divisions. The UNC School of Media and Journalism has been named first place overall intercollegiate winners in the Hearst Journalism Awards eight times in 2019201720162015, 2011, 2010, 2006 and 2002.

Radio & Television

The MJ-school has placed in first in the overall radio and television competition five times: 2016, 2015, 2013, 2008 and 2006. It has placed second or third in the overall radio and television competition 11 times: 2019201820172014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2004 and 2003.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Radio & Television Competition has three categories: Television I: FeaturesRadio: News and Features and Television II: News

 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018

The first category in the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Radio & Television Competition will be Television Features. Entries must be non-deadline reporting of personalities, events, or issues. Entries may be based on but not limited to public affairs, business, investigations, science, sports or weather. Each entry must consist of at least two reports totaling no more than ten minutes. The reports may be part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to ten minutes.

Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the reports entered as long as they were produced primarily by the entrant.

Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2017 through Nov. 12, 2018.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019

The second competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Radio & Television Competition will be Radio News and Features. Entries must be coverage of breaking or developing news stories, and/or non-deadline news, non-deadline reporting of personalities, events or issues. Entries may be based on but not limited to public affairs, business, investigations, science, sports or weather.

Each entry must consist of at least one report in news and one report in features, with one piece 60 seconds or less and the second piece up to three minutes. Any additional pieces submitted must be less than three minutes each, with a combined running time of less than seven minutes. The reports may be part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to seven minutes.

Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the reports entered as long as they were produced primarily by the entrant.

Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2017 through Jan. 14, 2019.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019

The third competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Radio & Television Competition will be Television News. Entries must be based on coverage of breaking or developing news stories related to campus, community, national or international issues, sports, business, investigative, science, weather or other current newsworthy matters. Reports must have a hard news focus, regardless of subject. Each entry must consist of at least two reports totaling no more than ten minutes. The reports may be part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to ten minutes.

Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the reports entered as long as they were produced primarily by the entrant.

All entries submitted must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2017 through Feb. 18, 2019.

 

Please note that for the Radio & Television category, an entrant may not enter both categories simultaneously, but may enter a different category in each competition, ie: radio in November and television II in February. For more information on the process of submitting entries to the Radio & Television Competition, visit the Hearst Journalism Awards broadcast news guidelines web page.

Radio & Television entries will be judged based on the following criteria: Writing; reporting; on-camera presentation; editing; clarity; depth; knowledge of subject; production values; originality; visual storytelling; graphics; and human interest.

For more information about the Radio & Television Competition, contact Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies C.A. Tuggle.

Results by category: 2018-192017-182016-172015-162014-152013-142012-132011-122010-112009-102008-092007-082006-072005-062004-052003-042002-03

 

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Multimedia

The MJ-school has placed first in the overall multimedia competition one time: 2019. The MJ-school has placed second or third in the overall multimedia competition seven times: 2018201720162015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Multimedia Competition has four categories: Multimedia I: Features, Multimedia II: News, Multimedia III: Enterprise Reporting and Multimedia IV: Team Reporting — News.

 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018

The first competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Multimedia Competition will be features. Multimedia entrants must be undergraduate media and journalism majors (or recent graduates) in an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program.

Entries must consist of a narrative feature story (as opposed to a personality profile) for an online audience using linear multimedia techniques, with an emphasis on multimedia storytelling, the quality of journalism and creative use of the medium. Entries in this category can be largely focused on a single video narrative with other elements. The submitted entry must have been published on the web between Sept. 1, 2017, and Nov. 26, 2018, inclusively.

Each entry must have been posted on the Web and the entrant must have completed at least three of the following components: writing, photos, audio slideshows, video, animation, interactivity, Flash, graphics or any other data-driven tools. Entrants also could have used social media, including blogging. Entries must be journalism, and may not include dramatization, and are defined as a single piece of journalism executed essentially by one journalist.

Entries should be submitted to Professor Davison by Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. One entry per entrant is permitted.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019

The second competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Multimedia Competition will be news. Multimedia entrants must be undergraduate media and journalism majors (or recent graduates) in an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program.

Entries should consist of a hard news or breaking news event produced under deadline pressure. The entry should clearly demonstrate how quickly and accurately the entrant used available multimedia techniques to cover the story, with emphasis on the quality of journalism and creative use of the medium, and demonstrate use of real-time reporting for an online audience. Entrants also could have used social media, including blogging. Entrants must indicate publishing timeline on disclosure form when entering.

The submitted entry must have been published on the web between Sept. 1, 2017, and Jan. 21, 2019, inclusively. The entrant must have completed at least three substantial components from the following list: writing, photos, audio slideshows, video, animation, interactivity, Flash, graphics or any other data-driven tools. Feature stories and entries that consist primarily of video will be disqualified.

Entries should be submitted to Professor Davison by Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. One project per entrant is permitted.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019

The third competition for the 2018-19 multimedia competition in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program will be enterprise reporting. Multimedia entrants must be undergraduate media and journalism majors (or recent graduates) in an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program. Only one project per entrant is permitted.

Entries consist of a multimedia piece for an online audience using visual storytelling techniques, including explanatory and investigative journalism – across any topic. Entries must be journalism, and may not include dramatization, and are defined as a single piece of journalism executed essentially by one journalist. Entries that are primarily video will be disqualified.

Each entry must have been posted on the web and the entrant must have completed at least three substantial components from the following list: writing, photos, audio slideshows, video, animation, interactivity, Flash, graphics or any other data-driven tools. Entrants also could have used social media, including blogging.

The entry must have been produced and posted on the web between September 1, 2017, and March 4, 2019.

Entries should be submitted to Professor Davison by Tuesday, Feb, 26, 2019. One project per entrant is permitted.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The fourth competition for the 2018-19 multimedia competition in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program will be team multimedia storytelling, with a focus on news. Entrants MUST be undergraduate students (with the exception of minor help from graduate students who may have assisted with the project.) A team is defined as 2 people to no more than 15 people. Awards will be divided by the individual undergraduates on the winning teams. Each university may enter a total of two team projects.

Entries consist of team reporting in covering news for an online audience using multimedia techniques, with an emphasis on multimedia storytelling, the quality of journalism and creative use of the medium. Entries must be news; they can be based on but are not limited to public affairs, business, science or sports news. Entries must be journalism, and may not include dramatization. The entry must have been posted on the web and the entrants must have completed at least three substantial components from the following list: writing, photos, audio slideshows, video, animation, interactivity, Flash, graphics or any other data-driven tools. Entrants also could have used social media, including blogging.

Entrants must indicate publishing timeline on disclosure form when entering.

Entries that consist primarily of a video will be disqualified.

The entry must have been produced and posted on the web between Sept. 1, 2017, and April 8, 2019.

Entries should be submitted to Professor Davison by Tuesday, April 2, 2018. One project per entrant is permitted.

 

For more information about the Multimedia Competition, contact Julian W. Scheer Term Professor Patrick Davison.

Results by category: 2018-192017-18 | 2016-17 2015-16 | 2014-15 | 2013-14 | 2012-13 | 2011-12 | 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08

 

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Photojournalism

The MJ-school has placed in first in the overall photojournalism competition one time: 2016. The MJ-school has placed second or third in the overall photojournalism competition 10 times: 2019201820172014, 2011, 2010, 2009, 20062005 and 2003.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Photojournalism Competition has two categories: Photo News and Feature and Photo Picture Story/Series.

 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018

The first competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Photojournalism Competition will be news and features photography. Photo entrants do not have to be media and journalism majors to enter the photo competitions as long as they are attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program. Submitted content may not be digitally altered significantly beyond standard optimization as in cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc. It is not permissible to alter the basic reality of a photograph.

Entries should consist of a minimum of four images (at least two news and two features) and a maximum of eight images. News photography includes breaking news, general news or news photos relating to sporting events.

Feature photography includes features, portraits, sports and documentary photography. All photographs must have been taken during the following time frame and one image must have been disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2017, through Nov. 5, 2018.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019

The second competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Photojournalism Competition will be picture stories or series. Photo entrants do not have to be media and journalism majors to enter the photo competitions as long as they are attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program. Submitted content may not be digitally altered significantly beyond standard optimization as in cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc. It is not permissible to alter the basic reality of a photograph.

Each entry for this category must include one picture story/series with up to fifteen images on any subject.

All photographs must have been taken during the following time frame and one image must have been disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2017, through Feb. 11, 2019.

 

Please note that photojournalism competition entries are submitted through a two-part process. For more information on that process, visit the Hearst Journalism Awards photojournalism guidelines webpage.

For more information about the Photojournalism Competition, contact Julian W. Scheer Term Professor Patrick Davison.

Results by category: 2018-192017-18 | 2016-17 2015-162014-152013-142012-132011-122010-112009-102008-092007-082006-072005-062004-052003-042002-03

 

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Writing

The MJ-school has placed second or third in the overall writing competition one time: 2015.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Writing Competition has five categories: Feature Writing, Enterprise Reporting, Sports Writing, Personality/Profile Writing and Breaking News Writing.

 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018

The first competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Writing Competition will be feature writing. The competition is open to undergraduate students who are media journalism majors or premajors. Students who graduated in spring or summer 2018 or who will graduate in December 2018 may submit work that was published within the prescribed dates below and while they were enrolled.

The category is defined as a "color or mood article covering news, business, feature or entertainment as opposed to a conventional news story or personality profile." Articles must have been published between Oct. 1, 2017 and Oct. 29, 2018, inclusively. Only single byline articles in print or online are allowed. Entries can be single articles, or they can include sidebars that are shorter than the main article, related to the topic and published on the same day and written by the same entrant. An entry submitted once may not be resubmitted in any other Hearst competition. Students may submit work that has been published in a campus or professional publication. If the work is from a professional publication, the entry must include a letter from the publication's editor stating that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.

Students should email their entries to Lecturer John Robinson at robinsjl@email.unc.edu by Tuesday, Oct. 23, so they can be judged by the MJ-school’s Hearst committee prior to the national contest deadline.

Letters from editors also can be emailed to Lecturer Robinson. Students may submit more than one story.

Two students and a single entry from each student will be selected from the school to send to the national competition. The school winners will each receive $50.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018

The second writing competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Program will be enterprise reporting. The competition is open to undergraduate students who are media and journalism majors. Students who graduated in spring or summer 2018 or will graduate in December 2018 can submit work.

Entries must illustrate the student’s ability to handle original reporting — including explanatory and investigative journalism — across any topic. If from a series, one article of the series may be submitted but must be accompanied by not more than one page summarizing the remaining articles and describing resultant actions, if any. Sidebars subordinate in length and content to the article may be included.

Articles must have been published between Dec. 1, 2017 and Dec. 10, 2018. Only single byline articles are allowed. Students may submit more than one story.

Students may submit work that has been published in a campus or professional publication. If the work is from a professional publication, the entry must include a letter from the publication's editor stating that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.

Students should email their entries to Lecturer John Robinson at robinsjl@email.unc.edu by Tuesday, Dec. 4, so they can be judged by the school’s Hearst committee prior to the national contest deadline. Letters from editors also can be emailed to Lecturer Robinson.

Two students and a single entry from each student will be selected from the school to send to the national competition. The school winners will each receive $50.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019

The third competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Program will be sports writing.

The competition is open to undergraduate students who are media and  journalism majors. The competition is open to a news or feature story or commentary in sports, which must relate to an event or issue, not to a sports personality. Sidebars subordinate in length and content to the article may be included. Articles must have been published between Feb. 1, 2018, and Feb. 4, 2019.

Students may submit work that has been published in a campus or professional publication. If the work is from a professional publication, the entry must include a letter from the publication's editor stating that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.

Students should email their entries to Lecturer John Robinson at robinsjl@email.unc.edu by Tuesday, Jan. 29, so they can be judged by the school’s Hearst committee prior to the national contest deadline. Letters from editors also can be emailed to Lecturer Robinson.

Students may submit more than one story.

Two students and a single entry from each student will be selected from the school to send to the national competition. The school winners will each receive $50.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 5, 2019

The fourth competition for the 2018-19 writing competition in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program will be personality/profile writing. The competition is open only to undergraduate students who are media and journalism majors.

The entry should be a personality sketch of an individual on or off campus. Articles must have been published online, in print or both between March 1, 2018, and March 12, 2019. No articles on personal blogs can be accepted. Entries must be a single article written by a single student (or recent graduate). Only single bylines are allowed. Sidebars subordinate in length and content to the article submitted, written by the same entrant on the same topic and published the same day, will be considered part of a single entry. Students may submit work that has been published in a campus or professional publication. If the entry is from a professional publication, it must verified by an accompanying letter from the publication's editor stating that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.

Students should email their entries to Lecturer John Robinson at robinsjl@email.unc.edu by Tuesday, March 5, so they can be judged by the MJ-school’s Hearst committee prior to the national contest deadline.

Letters from editors also can be emailed to Lecturer Robinson. Students may submit more than one story but no more than four for consideration by the school's Hearst committee.

Two students and a single entry from each student will be selected from the school to send to the national competition. The school winners will each receive $50.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, April 9, 2019

The last competition for the 2018-19 Hearst Journalism Awards Writing Competition is breaking news writing. The competition is open to undergraduate students who are media and journalism majors or premajors. Students who graduated in spring or summer 2018 or will graduate in December 2018 can submit work.

Contest guidelines state: “Entries should be a report of an event written under deadline pressure. The entry should clearly demonstrate how quickly and accurately the entrant used available journalism tools to cover the story, with emphasis on a demonstrated use of real-time reporting. The article must be major coverage of the event, and not a sidebar, analysis, etc.”

Articles must have been published between March 1, 2018, and April 15, 2019, inclusively. Only single byline articles are allowed. Entries can be single articles, or they can include sidebars that are shorter than the main article, related to the topic and published on the same day and written by the same entrant. An entry submitted once may not be resubmitted in any other Hearst competition.

Students may submit work that has been published in a campus or professional publication. If the work is from a professional publication, the entry must include a letter from the publication's editor stating that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.

IMPORTANT: Entries must include a statement about date and time of event; if the story was printed in a one-day publishing cycle, in the next disseminated publication (if not a daily), or when it was disseminated; and the circumstances of the story and explanation of any help or advice the entrant received in producing the story.

Students should email their entries to Lecturer John Robinson at robinsjl@email.unc.edu by Tuesday, April 9, so they can be judged by the school’s Hearst committee prior to the national contest deadline. Letters from editors also can be emailed to Lecturer Robinson.

Students may submit more than one story but no more than four.

Two students and a single entry from each student will be selected from the school to send to the national competition. The school winners will each receive $50.

 

For more information about the Writing Competition, contact Lecturer John Robinson.

Results by category: 2018-192017-18 | 2016-17 2015-162014-152013-142012-132011-122010-112009-102008-092007-082006-072005-062004-052003-042002-03

 

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