Take some time to consider entries for this year’s newspaper contest

By Michelle Nedved

Every year after I submit our entries to the WNPA Better Newspaper Contest, my staff and I agree we’re going to be diligent in the coming year. We’re going to keep contest categories in mind when we pitch stories. We’re going to pull those awesome ad designs as they’re created.

We’ll make note of our best issues for General Excellence. It never happens.

Entries for the 2023 BNC must be published between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. So that gives us about six weeks to get out our best work. It’s also a good time to start reviewing old issues and organize potential submissions.

The BNC is a fantastic way to not only support the WNPA, but to inspire and celebrate your staff. To be recognized by our peers is an honor that can offset the stressors of this job.

Those hard-hitting stories that pissed off your city council and garnered glares from the mayor can also be the first place investigative reporting winner that elicits hoots, hollars and those annoying plastic hand clappy things during the awards dinner. That sports photo that nearly caused your green reporter to be tackled by a smelly high school football team can also be that award winner that convinces her to stay the course in community journalism.

We’ve added some new categories this year that we hope will inspire more submissions. They include Ads Featuring Animals, Romantic Ads, Ads Celebrating Where You Live, Arts & Entertainment Ads, Obituary Pages and Classified Pages.

We are also hoping to revitalize the Community Service Award, which has experienced a major decline in submissions over the last several years.

This award goes to a newspaper staff or individual who fulfills a newspaper’s responsibility to use enterprise or initiative to advance the public good. Entries will be judged by the newspaper’s willingness to commit resources, the effort involved, the initiative shown and the impact of the project. It’s an open competition across all circula- tion groups.

Use your imagination. Something you’ve always done that seems mundane to you could qualify as a community service project. Think about promotions the newspaper has done in-kind of non-profits or events, events the newspaper has hosted or helped organize, or something unrelated to journalism that your staff supports.

The BNC.com site opens for entries on April 1. May 1 is the deadline for regular entries and the deadline for Tourism Sections is June 2. Winners are announced at the WNPA Convention Oct. 7 in Kennewick.

The BNC and the Awards Dinner at the Convention is our chance to celebrate ourselves and each other. I’ve said it before in these pages. This is a tough job and our relationships with our communities can be a contentious one. It can be downright scary for someone new to the field of journalism. Take the time and thought to reflect on the important work you and your staff has done over the last year and give us all the opportunity to celebrate!

Michelle Nedved is Publisher of the Newport Miner and this year’s WNPA President.