Eligibility

• All entries must have been created and aired from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
• All entries must have been created by Active or Life Members in good standing. If you are not currently an active member, you may join and submit your membership dues for both 2022 and 2023. Then, you may enter work completed by December 31, 2022.
• At least 80% of each individual entry must be the work of the entrant.
• Teams of two or more members may enter stories together. Each member must have contributed at least 30% to the entry. This will, by definition, limit team entries to a maximum of three entrants, no matter how many people contributed to the entry. Team entries may be entered only once for the entire team, but each entrant must pay a separate entry fee and list the entry name on their own individual entry form and indicate that it is a team entry. Team members must indicate on their summary sheet how many total people worked on the entry.
• The entry deadline is Tuesday, January 31 at 11:59 PM.
• The Video Contest Committee reserves the right to disqualify any entry.
• In recognition of how workplaces have shifted to allow more remote work since the pandemic, WHNPA has changed our eligibility requirements. Visual journalists who move out of the Washington area may remain active members and enter the contest so long as they continue to be employed by a DC-based news organization or bureau, or are remote workers whose employer and position remains the same as it was pre-pandemic. Visual journalists who work outside of the area and report to a news organization or bureau that is not in the Washington area are not eligible. For example, someone who works for a news organization in New York and they report to editors in New York, but their company happens to have a bureau in DC, would not be eligible. But someone who works outside the Washington area but primarily reports to a bureau or newsroom in the Washington region would be eligible. Visual journalists who move out of the area during the year but no longer work for a DC-based news organization or bureau may still enter the contest, but only only work that was made while they were active members and still living in the area can be entered.
• Any piece that is entered in the Digital Storytelling Contest may not also be entered in this contest, and vice versa. Entries in this contest must have initially been broadcast by a news organization engaged primarily in broadcasting, cablecasting or subscription-based television. Entries initially posted to the internet by organizations or individuals engaged primarily in print or web publishing should be entered in the Digital Storytelling contest and do not qualify for the Broadcast Video contest.

Entry Rules and Procedures

• Please read carefully! ALL ENTRIES ARE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY.
• There is a two (2) entry limit per category per entrant. A team entry counts as one entry for each member on the entry.
• The file name of the digital entry MUST match exactly with the file name on entered on the summary sheet.
• Story title should be brief, between two and four words maximum. This is the title that will be used for publishing award winners.
• All photography entries must be filled on the Photography Summary sheet and all Editing entries must be filled out on the Editing Summary sheet. Please be careful when naming the organization for whom the work was done, as this cannot be changed after the winners are posted.
• Entry forms and summary sheets must be submitted electronically at the same time you upload your files.
• Three images that represent your story in must be sent with each entry. These images must be in the Jpeg format.
• Entries may be submitted as .MOV or .MP4 files. Dimensions should be 1280 X 720. Files must be encoded using H264.
• Naming convention for each file should be category type & number_name of entry_entrant initials. For example, if Charlie MacDonald entered a piece named “Security” in the General News Editing category, the name of the Sequence and exported file would be:E02_Security_CM.
• The Naming Convention for the three Jpegs should be the same as the files except with a _1, _2 or _3 at the end of the name: E02_Security_CM_1.
• Please keep your story titles short!
• Team entries must contain the word “TEAM” at the end of the slug on both the entry and the three jpegs.
• Files can be uploaded to the posted to the link on our website.
• You can upload multiple files at the same time however it is suggested that you do not exceed 5GB for each upload.
• An entry for photography may be entered in only one photography category, and an entry for editing may only be entered in only one editing category. However the same story may be entered in both one photography category and one editing category. The only exceptions to this rule are the lighting and audio categories. In the Photography contest, you may submit an entry in the lighting and audio categories which you have also submitted in one other category. In the Editing contest, you may submit an entry in the audio category which you have also submitted in another category.
• Each entry, even if it’s submitted in more than one category, must be submitted separately and named appropriately for that category (eg: If you’re entering the same entry in P01 and E01, the entries must be submitted and paid for separately, and labeled appropriately for each category).
• Entrants must not be identified in a piece in any way (by chyron, in narration, or on-screen credit).
• Please provide a written description in the summary sheet of any elements not shot or created by entrant. At least 80% of the entry must be the work of the entrant.
• Any piece that is entered in the Digital Storytelling Contest may NOT also be entered in this contest, and vice versa.
• There is a flat entry fee of $67.00 for the first five OR fewer entries. Each additional entry is $15.50 per entry.
• Payment will be via PayPal on the WHNPA website or mailed checks made payable to WHNPA.
• Winners will be posted on the WHNPA website when the contest is completed.

Photography Categories

• P01 BREAKING NEWS – Coverage of breaking news – day of. Must be shot, edited and aired/posted within 10 hours. Follow-up stories do not belong in this category. May include live element.
• P02 GENERAL NEWS – A news story, four minutes or less: must be shot, edited, and aired or fed the same day.
• P03 DAY FEATURE – Feature story must be shot, edited, and aired same day.
• P04 NEWS FEATURE – Story shot, edited, and aired within 48 hours.
• P05 FEATURE – Feature story shot and edited over an extended length of time (10 minute maximum.)
• P06 NEWS SPECIAL REPORTS/SERIES – Special report or multiple part series. Your entry must be limited to 15 minutes. For a special report you may show one 15-minute segment of your entry or two or three segments (separated by a dip to black) for a total of 15 minutes. For a series show at least two segments not to exceed 15 minutes. No other editing is allowed.
• P07 MAGAZINE OR DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – Extended long format or magazine piece of at least 20 minutes when originally aired. Your entry must be limited to 15 minutes. You may show one 15-minute segment of your project or two or three segments (separated by a dip to black) for a total of 15 minutes. No other editing is allowed. If multiple photographers worked on your project please be very clear which work you did, or as it may be easier to identify, which work you did not shoot in your entry.
• P08 SPORTS – Coverage, analysis, or preparation of or for a sports event or activity. Entry not to exceed 10 minutes.
• P09 POLITICAL/CAMPAIGN – Story about political newsmakers.
• P10 WHITE HOUSE/PRESIDENTIAL – Story or composite of the current U.S. President or White House administration. Total entry not to exceed 5 minutes.
• P11 LIGHTING – Field Lighting for a single story or composite of excerpts from one or more stories. Total entry not to exceed 2 minutes.
• P12 NETWORK – Aired or unaired segment or package, not to exceed 5 minutes.
• P13 AUDIO – Field audio for a single story. No composites. Total entry not to exceed 5 minutes.
• P14 CONFLICT/DISASTER COVERAGE – This category recognizes work created in dangerous situations where the photographer has put his or her personal safety at risk. Entry not to exceed 10 minutes.
• P15 RAW FOOTAGE – Video of a news event not entered in another category. May be an edited series of clips or one clip. Entry not to exceed 2 minutes. This category is intended for those who covered an event which was not used as a story by their organization. All video in each entry must be from a single story. No composite entries. The name of the entry must reflect the title when assigned. You may submit two entries, but each must represent a single assignment.

Editing Categories

• E01 BREAKING NEWS – Coverage of breaking news events-day of. Must be shot, edited and aired/posted within 10 hours. Follow-up stories do not belong in this category.
• E02 GENERAL NEWS – A news story shot, edited, and aired or fed the same day. (4 minutes maximum).
• E03 DAY FEATURE – Segment or package edited and aired the same day.
• E04 NEWS FEATURE – Segment or package edited and aired within 48 hours.
• E05 EDITING SHORT FORM – Segment or package edited over an extended period (five minute maximum).
• E06 EDITING LONG FORM – Segment, package or series edited over an extended period. Must be at least five minutes long when originally aired. Your entry must be limited to 15 minutes. For a package/story you may show one 15-minute segment of your entry or two or three segments (separated by a dip to black) for a total of 15 minutes. For a series, show at least two segments not to exceed 15 minutes. No other editing is allowed.
• E07 MAGAZINE FEATURE – Story of extended length edited for a magazine program.
• E08 DOCUMENTARY – Extended long form, non-magazine piece of at least 20 minutes when originally aired. Your entry must be limited to 15 minutes. You may show one 15-minute segment of your documentary or two or three segments (separated by a dip to black) for a total of 15 minutes. No other editing is allowed.
• E09 SPORTS – Coverage, analysis, preparation, of or for a sports event or activity.
• E10 POLITICAL/CAMPAIGN – Story about political newsmakers.
• E11 WHITE HOUSE/PRESIDENTIAL – Story or composite of the current U.S. President or White House administration. Total entry not to exceed 5 minutes.
• E12 AUDIO – Creative use of audio in a segment or package. Limited to 5 minutes, regardless of program length. You may show one 5-minute segment of your production or two or three segments (separated by dip to black) for a total entry not to exceed 5 minutes. No other editing is allowed.
• E13 PROMOTIONAL – Material edited for use in promotion.

Deadline

Entry fees & forms must be received by the deadline of January 31, 2023, at 11:59PM EST.

Special Note

• An individual can win only one place in each category. This includes Team entries! If you are on a Team entry in one category, you may enter only one more individual or Team piece in that category.
• The Committee will review entries for correct placement in the categories and any entry may be re-classified at the discretion of the Contest Committee and/or the Contest Judges.
• If there are fewer than five entries in a given category, the committee and/or judges may, at their discretion, retain or drop the category and place the entries in other appropriate categories.

Contest Committee

Doug Wilkes (Co-Chair): dougwilkes@yahoo.com
Pege Gilgannon (Co-Chair): magilgannon@sbgtv.com
Sam Beattie: beattie.sam@gmail.com
Stu Cohen: stucohen@aol.com
Sam Pinczuk: snapshot.pinczuk@gmail.com
Andrew Smith: andrew.e.smith@warnermedia.com
Maxine Collins: maxine.collins@bbc.co.uk

Click here to begin the entry process.