Guidelines

Deadline: JUNE 11, 2010

Deadline:
June 11, 2010

To Qualify

• The contest is open to all news efforts originating between May 1, 2009, and June 11, 2010.
• News producers and those in related fields may enter journalism content, tools or new applications that promote the information needs of communities and/or enhance digital engagement. Individuals must have been affiliated with such initiatives at the time of publication or launch to enter.
• Entries could consist of such things as networked journalism projects, new social networking ideas, innovative citizen media initiatives, news games, creative use of mobile devices, data mining ideas, new online applications, augmented reality experiences, other advances in interactive and participatory journalism or out-of-the-box thinking. Entries may also employ simple efforts that notably connect in new ways with a community.
• Finalists will be announced in Summer 2010. Winners will be announced at the Knight-Batten Awards Symposium on September 14, 2010, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Winners are expected to participate in an educational panel during the awards and will also be invited to take part in other activities to educate the profession about journalism innovations.

Honored are pioneering approaches to news and information that:

• Spark widespread audience engagement.
• Encourage new forms of information sharing.
• Spur non-traditional interactions that have an impact on a community.
• Foster animated two-way conversations between audiences and news providers.
• Create new ways of imparting useful information.
• Employ new definitions of news.

To Enter

1. Entries must be received by Friday, June 11, 2010.
2. Entrants must complete an online application (available here) and must include working links to stories, Web sites, exhibits and examples. Please specifically direct the judges to the most relevant pages of any Web sites and explain why they are innovative or significant to the coverage.
   • Entries must remain online for at least one year from the date of the awards to serve as an educational resource. Winners will be asked to supply a version of their entry suitable for archiving.
   • Innovative Blogs and Vlogs are welcome to enter. Please include URLs for any posts you are particularly proud of and make sure that all video and audio content is available online and working properly.
   • For entries that involve streaming or podcasts, make archived content available and provide URLs for where it can be found.
   • For Web sites requiring registration, a judging password must be provided.

3. Exhibits not available online, such as tearsheets, CDs or DVDs, may be sent via mail. All exhibits must be clearly labeled with the confirmation number that will be supplied after the online application is completed.
   If your exhibits are NOT available online, please follow these exhibit guidelines:

   • For PRINT: If possible, submit the entry as an Adobe PDF document on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Limit entries to the 20 best days of coverage; explain additional efforts in your application. If PDFs are unavailable, tearsheets are acceptable.
   • For TELEVISION: Submit a compilation of highlights, original stories or series of programs on a DVD video or a CD as digital files. Entry must not exceed 25 minutes. Voice-overs and narratives may be included in the compilation of highlights. No commercial breaks. Winners may be asked to supply a higher quality DVD of the original program.
   • For RADIO: Submit a compilation of highlights, a program or series of programs on audio CD. Entry must not exceed 25 minutes. Voice-overs and narratives may be included in the compilation of highlights. No commercial breaks. Winners may be asked to supply CDs of the original program(s).

4. There is a $40 entry fee for each entry. Payment by credit card online is preferred (click here to pay), however J-Lab can accept checks made out to J-Lab/American University. (The Knight-Batten Awards are an American University School of Communication activity and all checks will be deposited by AU.)

       Checks and exhibits should be mailed to:
         Knight-Batten Innovation Awards
         J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism
         3201 New Mexico Ave. NW, Ste. 330
         Washington, DC 20016

Sorry. We cannot return any exhibits or supplied materials.
No faxes please.

• For MORE HELP: If your efforts are not well covered by the above guidelines, contact J-Lab at (202) 885-8100, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for recommendations.

Entries must be received by Friday, June 11, 2010.

Judging

• All questions on the entry form must be completed in English and all submissions must be in English.
• The winners will be selected by an impartial board of judges—the Knight-Batten Advisory Board.
• The judges shall have discretion to pick more than one winner, to name a Wild Card winner, and to issue Special Distinction Awards, as merited.
• If an Advisory Board member is from a news organization entering the competition, that organization shall receive no special treatment.

Participating

• Entrants will receive an e-mail confirming receipt of entry.
• The Knight-Batten Awards program reserves the right to use, reproduce, or link to submissions, with appropriate credits, in educational programs about journalism innovations.
• To stay on top of announcements, sign up for the J-Flash newsletter.

For more information on the Knight-Batten Awards Advisory Board click here.

Any questions? E-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 202-885-8100.

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J-Lab helps journalists and citizens use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life with projects on innovations in journalism, citizen media, news games, interactive stories, entrepreneurship, research, training, and publications.

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