|
|
|
 |
|
Chandler Award
Awarded to the Student Writer of the Year for excellence in writing with emphasis on reporting skill and a grasp of religion issues that is fair, balanced and in accordance with journalistic standards. Named for Russell Chandler, former religion writer for The Los Angeles Times. This student contest is made possible through the Chandler Legacy Fund. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: Entries must be received by May 12, 2008 (or postmarked by May 12).
Eligibility The Chandler prize was awarded for the first time in 2002. Russ Chandler was an award winning religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times from 1974-1992. His work earned him the John Templeton Reporter of the Year Award and the James O. Supple Memorial Award, three times each. He was president of RNA from 1982-1984. He also received the Excellence in the Media’s Silver Angel Award for Religion in 1985 and 1989, as well as The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s Faith and Freedom Award in 1993. Russ and his wife, ML, fund the annual award. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: CHANDLER AWARD ENTRY PREPARATION & PAYMENT QUESTIONS What are “letter-size, computer printouts?” The ideal submission is plain text, printed out portrait-oriented on 8.5” x 11” paper, with a 1.5” left margin, three-hole punched on the left side. Most entrants either print stories directly from their paper’s Web site archives and then blacken out any identifying information, or they copy and paste the text of their story into a word processing program and cut any identifying text before printing out the story. Either way, be sure your printed version still has its headline and publication date. Because all entries are submitted to judges without identifying information, we take extra care to assure no pages come out of order. To help do this, entries are put into three-ring binders before going to the judges. May I send clips cut out from my newspaper? We accept clips. Please still trim or blacken any identifying information (ie: photographer credit, paper name, etc.), and remove any photos. We request a 1.5” margin so none of the story is obscured when it is put in a three-ring binder for judging. What identifying information IS allowed on my entry?
What identifying information is NOT allowed on my entry?
Tip: Correction fluid works best to cover up identifying information. May I hand write information such as publication dates on my entry? Yes you may. May I use markers to cover up identifying information? Yes you may. Correction fluid also works well to cover up information. May I submit more or less than three (3) stories for the Chandler contest? You must submit exactly three (3) stories to have a valid entry. May I submit columns for my Chandler entry? Only news and feature stories may be submitted. Columns are not allowed. Should I include sidebars with my entry? You may (but are not required) to submit one sidebar per story. The sidebar must be printed on the same day as the story. May I submit a story with more than one byline? Only one of your three stories may have a multiple byline. Please note on the top of that story: “Multiple byline; entrant did main writing.” What is the publishing date range to enter stories in the Chandler contests? Stories must have been published in the current academic year (summer through spring). Do I have to number the pages in my entry? No. Should I submit personal comments or a letter from my editor with my Chandler entry? No. All such letters are removed before entries are sent to judges. May my school use one check to cover multiple people’s entries? Yes. Include with the check a list of all the people and contests the check covers to make certain proper credit is given. May payment checks be sent separately from entries? Yes, just note on your entry form that the check will arrive at RNA under separate cover. Be sure the check’s memo includes who and what contest the payment covers. What forms of payment do you accept? Check, credit card (VISA, MC, DISC, AMEX), cash, money order. Checks and money orders should be made payable to RNA or Religion Newswriters Association. Will I receive confirmation that RNA received my entry? No. You are welcome to call 614-891-9001, ext. 2#, if you’d like to verify that RNA received it. Should I staple my entry form to the entry? Please do not staple the form to your entry. You may use paperclips if you like, but they are not necessary. Entries will be placed into notebooks for judging. CHANDLER ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS Which “students” are eligible to enter Chandler? Full- or part-time students who are not now and never have been employed full-time as reporters or editors at general circulation newspapers are eligible. Internship employment does not count. What are the publishing guidelines for Chandler entries? All entries should have been published in print format in a student or general circulation newspaper or magazine. Stories from the printed publication or its online adjunct are allowed. Stories may include the main text, related sidebars, infographics, charts or other text material that appeared solely online. Articles written during internships at general circulation media outlets are eligible. Do I have to be a student member of RNA to enter Chandler? No, but you are welcome to use your entry form to join RNA. Do I have to be a religion beat student reporter to submit an entry? No. Any journalist may enter provided the stories were published in an eligible publication. I work for a newspaper outside North America. May I enter RNA’s contests? No, only U.S. and Canadian college newspapers or general circulation newspapers are eligible to enter RNA’s contests. Are broadcast outlets or online-only outlets eligible to enter Chandler? Chandler is for print-primary publications. However, articles that also appeared on a newspaper’s Web site are eligible as well. Why would an entry be disqualified, and what is the process for disqualification? An entry could be disqualified for the following reasons: 1) Didn’t follow contest rules. 2) Doesn’t meet eligibility requirements. 3) Didn’t follow entry preparation guidelines. The contest chairperson contacts the entrant to let him/her know their entry is disqualified and why. The entry fee is returned. May I submit more than one entry for the Chandler Award? Yes. You may enter Chandler as many times as you like, provided the stories for each entry are different. May I enter other contests too? Full-time students many not enter both Chandler and another contest. If my entry (computer printouts) are anonymous, how do you know who won? We assign each entry a unique number. We write that number on the entry form and the entry itself. The judges list the winners by entry number. The RNA staff then matches the entry number to the entry form to reveal the winners’ names. Who judges the contest? Judges include former contest winners, religion writers or others with specialized knowledge of religion reporting. Judges are not allowed to judge contests in which they may have a conflict of interest. How many finalists/winners will the judges choose? Judges generally select 10 finalists and three top winners. When will I know if I’m a finalist? RNA posts the finalists on its Web site, www.RNA.org, by May 15 (July 15 for Chandler finalists). The list is also published in the RNA newsletter. When will I know if I’m a winner? The contest chairman will contact winners in July. Winners are revealed to the general public at the Awards Banquet at RNA’s Annual Conference. What are Chandler’s cash awards? First—$600 and $500 toward travel to RNA’s Annual Conference, Second—$300, Third—$150 Do I have to collect my prize in person to receive it? No. Most winners do try to attend the Awards Banquet, however, because the event is so enjoyable. There is no cost to you and one guest to attend the banquet. If you are unable to attend the banquet, we will mail you your check and plaque. May I get a copy of the judges’ comments about my entry? Only winners receive judges’ comments, if the judges provide them. Do you publish past entries? We link online to stories from the first, second and third place entries in each writing contest (when possible). Do you return entries? We are not able to return entries. |
Printer Friendly
Email
 |
