National Federation of Press Women: Competitions

Competitions

Communications Contest
Communicator of Achievement
High School Communications Competition
President's Award
State Affiliate President Award
Contact Us

Communications Contest

Excellence is the byword in the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest.

NFPW’s national competition offers hundreds of categories in print and electronic journalism, advertising, public relations, new media, photography, speech writing and authorship.

The national contest judges are leaders in their respective fields of expertise. They are not NFPW members and do not enter work in the competition.

Attention 2008 contest winners:

Check out this year's winners. (xls, cwk)

Use this news release template to announce your award. (pdf)

Order a handsome engraved plaque to commemorate your honors. (pdf)

Below you will find information about the following topics:

Eligibility
Deadlines
Forms
Categories
Contest Fees
Awards
National Contest Director
Contest Winners

All 2008 national contest entries must have been published, issued, broadcast, printed or e-published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007.

Eligibility

The NFPW Communications Contest is open only to members of NFPW.

Any NFPW member—whether professional, student or retired—who has received a first-place award in an NFPW state-affiliate communications contest is eligible for the national competition. The affiliate contest directors will submit the first-place entries from the statewide competitions to the national contest manager.

Be aware that each affiliate has its own contest deadlines. Download the list of Affiliate Contest Directors (.doc, pdf, cwk). Contact the appropriate director for more information.

Members who reside in a state with no NFPW affiliate (or their affiliates do not have an annual contest) may submit entries directly to NFPW’s At-large Contest. Those entries will compete with all other non-affiliated members’ work. The first-place winner in each category in the At-large Contest is then eligible to compete in the national communications contest. The At-large Contest director will submit the first-place entries to the national competition.

Deadlines for the At-large Contest

January 26, 2008: Postmark deadline for Books / Fiction / Verse entries — extended

February 1, 2008: Postmark deadline for all other category entries.

For more information about submitting entries to the At-large Contest, contact 2008 At-large Contest Director Cathy Petrini at petrini1@aol.com.

National Contest Deadlines

National contest deadlines for entries from affiliate contest directors and the at-large contest director to the national communications contest are:

March 17: Postmark deadline for Books / Fiction / Verse entries.

March 31: Postmark deadline for all other category entries

Forms

Each entry must be accompanied by the 2008 4-part entry form supplied by the national contest manager. Entries will be submitted by the respective contest directors.

2008 NFPW Communications Contest Entry Form

NFPW Membership Form

Categories

The NFPW Communications Contest provides an opportunity to compete in a broad range of Categories.

Click here for a complete listing of the contest divisions below with descriptions of categories and sub-categories in each division. (.doc, pdf)

Print Media
Photography
Radio / Television
World Wide Web
Advertising
Public Relations / Promotion / Publicity
Speeches
Achievement / Research
Books / Fiction / Verse

Contest Fees

The fee for each entry in the NFPW Communications Contest is $20.

Entrants in the national competition will send a check, made out to their affiliates and send to the affiliate contest directors.

At-large entrants will send a check, made out to NFPW, to the at-large director. If submitting more than one entry, a single check may be sent to cover all entry fees.

Each affiliate contest director and the at-large contest director will send a single check, made out to NFPW, to the NFPW contest manager to cover all entries in their respective contests.

Affiliate Entries are sent in bulk by the affiliate Contest Director to Gwen White, National Communications Contest Manager. More information about Guidelines and Submission policies may be found in the Members Only section.

At-Large Entries, send to:

Cathy Petrini
NFPW At-Large Contest Director
10 Alexandria Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 739-8186
petrini1@aol.com

Awards

Awards in any given category or sub-category shall be limited to first, second and third place and honorable mention. Judges’ decisions shall be final. All awards shall be honorary, except sweepstakes awards.

Winners are honored at the Communications Contest Awards Banquet scheduled during the annual NFPW Communications Conference. The 2008 conference will be September 11 – 13 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The conference is a great opportunity to network with communications colleagues across the U.S. and be recognized for exemplary work.

The entrant accumulating the most points (based on the number of his or her winning entries and the number of entries in those categories) is named recipient of the NFPW Sweepstakes Award. Read about 2007 Sweepstakes winner Julie Grimm (pdf, .doc, Appleworks) and other honorees, then check out all past Sweepstakes winners (pdf).

As a winner in the national communications contest, you will receive a handsome certificate with your name and the title of the work that is honored. If you go to the awards banquet, you will receive this certificate onstage from the NFPW president and the judge’s comments may be read. If you can not attend, the certificate will be mailed to you.

Members or their employers may purchase personalized NFPW award plaques. Information about these classy plaques is available in the Members Only section.

Members who win in the national competition are supported with additional materials to help them promote their award to the public and professional communities.

National Communications Contest Director

For general information about the competition, contact:

Karen Galanaugh, APR
Director
NFPW National Communications Contest (2008 and 2009)
(302) 478-8115 (Delaware)
E-mail communication is preferred - kareng@galanaugh.com

Contest Winners

Check out the winners of the annual NFPW Communications Contest.

2008 NFPW Communications Contest
(cwk, xls)

2007 NFPW Communications Contest

2006 NFPW Communications Contest

2005 NFPW Communications Contest

2004 NFPW Communications Contest

1998 – 2004 NFPW Communications Contest

Communicator of Achievement

The Communicator of Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by National Federation of Press Women upon those members who have redefined "outstanding."

The Communicator of Achievement Award program is one of NFPW's prized projects — an opportunity for our members to shine.

The recipient, chosen from nominees from each state affiliate, is recognized for exceptional achievement in the communications field, service to NFPW and to the community.

The COA Award winner and the runner-up are announced at the Communicator of Achievement Award Banquet scheduled during NFPW’s annual conference. Each state affiliate’s nominee is introduced at the banquet and featured in NFPW’s AGENDA newsletter prior to the conference.

For complete information:

2008 COA Rules (.doc, pdf)
2008 COA Entry Form (.doc, pdf)
2008 Letter from COA Chairman (.doc, pdf)

All nomination materials must be received by May 1, 2008.
Send to: Eva Marie Pearson, 219 Monk Rd., Pine Bluff, AR 71602

For more information, contact the COA Director, Eva Marie Pearson.

For information on local competition, contact your state’s COA director.

Read about our 2007 Communicator of Achievement, Peggyann Hutchinson of Oregon. (pdf)

Read an in-depth account about Betty Packard, San Francisco, our 2006 Communicator of Achievement, and her many "firsts."

Read the news release about our 2006 winners, Betty Packard of San Francisco, and first runner-up Vivian Sade-Rosswurm of Chicago. (.doc, pdf)

Read about our 2005 winner, Ree Strange Sheck of New Mexico and runner-up Rhonda McBride of Alaska.

High School Communications Competition

High School Communications Competition Co-Directors

Denise Pinkney
denise.pinkney@bcbsnd.com
701/277-2561

Karen Stensrud
kstensrud@statebanks.com
701/293-9336

We believe the High School Communications Competition sponsored by National Federation of Press Women inspires students to excel in their quest for excellence.

Students compete in one of 13 categories: Editorial, Opinion, News, Feature, Sports, Column, Feature Photo, Sports Photo, Cartooning, Reviews, Graphics, and Layout - Single-Page or Double Truck.

Awards are $100 cash for first place, plaques for second and third places, and certificates for honorable mention. Honors are presented during the High School Communications Competition Luncheon at the annual conference. National winners are invited to make remarks at the luncheon if they wish to do so.

Work eligible for the 2008 competition must have been completed between March 1, 2007, and Feb. 29, 2008. Contact your state high school competition director for local details. First-place state winners advance to national competition.

Students living in a state with no NFPW affiliate may compete on an at-large basis.

Eastern At-Large Director: Barbara Clarihew
These states include: Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York
and Rhode Island.

Please send Eastern At-Large entries postmarked no later than March 7, 2008, to:

Barbara Clarihew
3856 Diablo Canyon
Tucson, AZ 85718

Western At-Large Director: Jane Eppinga
These states include: Hawaii, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, Utah and Washington.

Please send Western At-Large entries postmarked no later than March 7, 2008, to:

Jane Eppinga
8 S. Calcite Drive
Tucson AZ 85745

The only nationwide communications competition for high school students, the contest is endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Dow Jones announces first-place winners and promotes the competition in its publication distributed to journalism advisers across the nation, giving students and their teachers/advisers local and nationwide recognition.

For complete information on the competition:

2008 Guidelines (.doc, pdf)

Entry Form (.doc, pdf)

Letter to affiliate contest directors (.doc, pdf)

Contest directors: Mail packet of entries first class, priority or express mail to arrive no later than April 11, 2008.
Send to: Denise Pinkney, 4276 39th Ave. So., Fargo, N.D. 58104

Winners in 2007 (.doc, pdf)

Winners in 2006 (.doc, pdf)

Winners in 2005 (.doc, pdf, AppleWorks)

2005 High School Winners program (.doc, pdf, AppleWorks)

Winners in 2004 (pdf)

Winners in 2003 (pdf)

Winners in 2002 (pdf)

President's Award

Periodically, National Federation of Press Women honors those who have wielded a powerful nationwide influence through their communication skills. It is one of the highest honors that NFPW can bestow.

Winners are:

1982: Sarah McClendon, Washington, D.C.
...former White House reporter and freelance journalist who has waged a relentless effort to raise human rights issues in the mass media and continues to work as an analyst and lecturer

1983: Betty Ford, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
...former First Lady who made millions aware of substance abuse

1984: Allen Neuharth, Rochester, N.Y.
...author and founder of the nationwide USA Today

1987: Hortense Myers, Indianapolis, Ind. (deceased)
...trailblazing journalist

1988: Special Freedom Award
...to eight high school students who wrote and edited the stories that led to the decision on censorship by the U.S. Supreme Court in Hazelwood School District et al vs. Kuhlmeier et al in Missouri

1989: Helen Thomas, Washington, D.C.
...longtime reporter for UPI who has become a front-row institution at White House press conferences

1991: Nancy Woodhull, Alabama (deceased)
...journalist, activist and a founder of USA Today

1993: Charlotte Schexnayder, Arkansas
...journalist and newspaper publisher, elected to Arkansas House of Representatives for seven terms and former NFPW President. Read more (pdf)

1994: Louise Shadduck, Idaho
...journalist, Idaho Secretary of Commerce and Development, former NFPW President and two-time Communicator of Achievement Award winner. Read more (pdf)