Newspapers (Dailies, weeklies, monthlies, and community newpapers)

In this category there will be three finalists including one overall gold winner and two silver winners.

These awards, in the opinion of the judges, display the most skill in reporting a breaking news event. Breaking News applies to stories completed in response to an unanticipated event. Two separate entries per print journalist may be submitted. An entry consists of the initial story or package of stories from the first publication or issue after the event.

Each entry must be accompanied by a short explanation of the story and how it developed. Details should include the story's chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Judges will look for entries which display the most skill in reporting a breaking/spot news event. Breaking news applies to stories in response to an unanticipated occurrence.

An entry consists of the initial story or package of stories from the first newscast or issue after the event. An entry may include more than one report and more than one journalist.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% Degree of difficulty – logistical and other challenges experienced in getting and filing the story, including deadline pressure.

30% Comprehensiveness and quality of information.

30% The quality of writing and presentation.

10% Resources used by the journalists.

Newspapers

In this category there will be three finalists including one overall gold winner and two silver winners.

These awards, in the opinion of the judges, display initiative and show enterprise in journalism. Investigative journalism stories are welcome in this category. Continuing coverage of a breaking news event may also be entered here.

Judges will look for enterprising journalism that goes beyond the obvious, the ordinary, the expected, and the regular. They will look for journalism that puts issues in context and in perspective and thereby makes those issues make sense.

Two separate entries per print journalist may be submitted. Entries should include a story or a series of not more than three related stories that displays enterprise as well as depth and quality of research. If a series, enter them on 1 pdf. The difficulty of the story or stories will be considered.

Each entry must be accompanied by a short explanation of the story and how it developed. Details should include the story's chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% Entries which display initiative and show enterprise in journalism, going beyond the obvious, the ordinary, and the expected.

30% Issues are in context and in perspective.

30% The difficulty of the story.

10% Resources used by the journalists.

Newpapers

In this category there will be three finalists including one overall gold winner and two silver winners.

These awards, in the opinion of the judges, display excellence and creativity in the presentation of feature or human interest stories with journalistic merit.

Two separate entries per print journalist may be submitted. The entry can be the original item plus not more than 3 items, if a series. If a series, enter them on 1 pdf. Each entry should be accompanied by a short explanation of the story and how it developed. Details should include the story's chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% The substance of the story.

30% How well the story is told.

30% The treatment of the story including such ingredients as novelty or original treatment, drama, personalization, human interest, humor, and pathos.

10% Resources used by the journalist.

Newspaper or their Online Platform

The category is open to photographs published in Newspapers or Online Reporting.

In this category there will be three finalists including one overall gold winner and two silver finalists.

These awards, in the opinion of the judges, display creativity in capturing a news event in a single photograph. Please enter only the SINGLE photograph.

News photojournalism can be a spot news picture of an unscheduled event such as a fire, accident, or natural disaster or a general news picture with serious content and strong human interest of a scheduled or organized news event such as a protest or press conference.

Two separate entries per photographer may be submitted. No stock shots.

Each entry should be accompanied by a short explanation of the photograph and how it developed. Details should include the photo’s chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation, as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

20% Creativity in capturing the breaking news visuals.

25% Degree of difficulty – logistical and other challenges the photographer had to contend with in getting and filing the pictures.

20% Deadline pressures.

25% Quality – composition, clarity and crispness of image.

10% Resources used by the photographer.

Newspaper or their Online Platform

The category is open to photographs published in newspapers or their on line platforms.

In this category there will be three finalists including one overall gold winner and two silver winners.

Photographs entered in this category can either be a posed or unposed portrait with journalistic merit that reveals the essence of the subject's character or the story behind the picture. Feature photos can also be entered of a found situation that has a high human-interest element or a creative view on an everyday scene.

The entry must be a single original photograph, not a series, and shot during the entry calendar year. No stock shots.

Two separate entries per newspaper photographer may be submitted as originally published.

Each entry should be accompanied by a short explanation of how it developed. Details should include the photo’s chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% Composition, clarity and crispness of the photographic image.

30% The narrative or story value of the photograph.

30% The imagination, persistence and creativity of the photographer. (Preference should be given to the capture of the spontaneous moment over the pre-planned and calculated set-up shot).

10% Resources used by the photographer.

Newspaper or their Online Platform

The category is open to editorial cartoons published in newspapers or their online platforms.

There will be three finalists for this category including an overall gold winner and two silver winners.

The award, in the opinion of the judges, displays a visual commentary featuring art and argument, humour and polemic.

Each cartoonist is allowed to submit one entry consisting of up to three separate editorial cartoons.

Each entry should be accompanied by a short explanation of the story and how it developed. Details should include the story's chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation as well as the resources (money and time) available to complete the story.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% Cogency of the editorial point and significance of the issue.

30% Bite, humour, and originality.

30% Quality of drawing and artwork.

10% Resources used by the editorial cartoonist.

This award honours Atlantic Canadian community newspapers, which demonstrate excellence in their coverage of a single news story. The award is open to any newspaper which is not a daily and which is published in Atlantic Canada. Judges will be asked to consider the degree of difficulty of the story, journalistic merit, quality of writing and the items relevance and timeliness for the community.

Three entries will be selected as finalists and one gold winner and two silver winners will be chosen from the finalists.

Evaluation Scale / Main Factors

30% Degree of difficulty in getting and filing the story

30% Journalistic merit

30% Quality of writing

10% Relevance and timeliness of the news item to the community