RTNDA - Awards - RTNDA/UNITY Awards

Awards

RTNDA/UNITY Awards

RTNDA honors outstanding achievements in the coverage of diversity with the RTNDA/UNITY Award. The award is part of the covenant the association has adopted with UNITY: Journalists of Color, to achieve diversity in the newsroom through developing news content and editorial staffs that reflect the changing face of communities. The purpose of the award is to encourage and showcase journalistic excellence in covering issues of race and ethnicity. It is presented annually to news organizations that show an ongoing commitment to covering the diversity of the communities they serve.

Enter your radio or television news organization in the RTNDA/UNITY Awards and showcase your ongoing commitment to covering diversity issues. This prestigious award will bring recognition to your news team and increased respect from your audience.

New in 2009! RTNDA has gone entirely digital. All submission of entries will be done online and the media uploaded for judging. For more information about this change, click here. This means you won’t have to burn your work to CD or DVD for mailing. If during the process you have difficulties uploading your media, you’re not sure what category a particular piece should be entered in, you’re not sure you’re a member, etc., please refer to the staff contact list below.

The news organization must submit an entry that demonstrates journalistic excellence in covering issues of race and ethnicity in the community it serves. That coverage may include but is not limited to, an examination of racism, race relations, problems confronting indigenous groups, issues of language, and/or explorations of social conditions common to racial or ethnic groups in the community served. The entry may be a single story or a compilation of work. A written presentation is required and should include a list of material on the entry.

Entries may be edited and must not exceed 60 minutes (all commercials breaks must be removed).
Entries will be pre-screened.
Voice-overs or narratives are permitted only if they were part of the original piece.
A written presentation is required (it can be entered into the description box) and should include a list of material on entry and an explanation of the news organization's philosophy related to the coverage of diversity issues.
Judging will be based on the original work samples and not on the way the entry is submitted.

Entry Deadline

Entries and media should all be complete and uploaded no later than January 31, 2009. Entries completed/uploaded after this date will be assessed a late fee of $25 per entry. Entries completed after February 13, 2008 will not be accepted.

Eligibility

Entries may be submitted by individuals, stations, networks, syndication services, program services and websites. Entries without appropriate station, network or company authorization will not be accepted. You do not have to be a member of RTNDA to enter the competition or win an award. International entries are accepted.

Entry Process

To start your entry, click here. Once you’ve finished the entry and provided payment, you will receive an e-mail from RTNDA that your entry is complete. It will contain instructions, and a link, on how to upload the media that accompanies your entry. Please do not lose this e-mail as it is the only way to access the upload site. Only one e-mail per entry will be sent and each link can only be used once.

Entry Requirements

AUDIO REQUIREMENTS: All audio files must be .mp3. No audio in any format other than .mp3 will be accepted.

VIDEO REQUIREMENTS: All video files must be one of the following formats: .flv, .wmv, .mov, .avi, or .mpg.

The preferred format for video files is .flv. If your media is not in flash video, it will automatically convert when uploading from the following formats: .wmv, .mov, .avi, .mpg.

No video in any format other than .flv, .wmv, .mov, .avi, or .mpg will be accepted.

Please click on the link in your confirmation e-mail and follow the steps for uploading.

The material may be shortened but may not be altered in any other way, including chronological rearrangement.
Voice-overs or narratives are permitted only if they were part of the original piece that appeared.
Time limits are strictly enforced.
To ensure an equitable competition and unbiased judging, all materials in excess of those requested will be discarded.
A written presentation is required (one page maximum) and should include a list of uploaded material and an explanation of the news organization's philosophy regarding coverage of diversity issues.
Non-English-language entries are encouraged but must be accompanied by a written English translation or subtitles.

Entry Fees

Station
	Member*	Nonmember
Radio	$65	$115
Television	$110	$195

Network/Syndication Service/Program Service
	Member*	Nonmember
Radio	$135	$220
Television	$150	$245
*To qualify for member rates on entry fees, a member of your full-time news staff must be an RTNDA member through March 1, 2009. Not sure of your member status? E-mail membership@rtnda.org

If entering at the member rate, you must give the name of the RTNDA member and member number. The member must be paid in full through March 1st, 2009. If you are unsure of your member status or can’t remember your member number, contact RTNDA staff at 202.467.5203 or e-mail us at membership@rtnda.org.

Payment for entry fees can be made online by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) when you submit your entry or by mailing a check. If payment is made by check, please include a copy of the invoice received via e-mail or note the invoice number(s) directly on the check to ensure proper credit to your account. Entries must be paid for in full by the time judging starts or they won't be judged. If submitted later than the January 31, 2009 deadline, please include the late fee of $25 per entry. Checks should be made payable to RTNDA. Our mailing address has changed since last year's competition. All checks can be sent to:

RTNDA
4121 Plank Road, #512
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

Disqualification

An entry that does not follow competition rules as outlined in here will be disqualified. Entries that are longer than the time limit will be disqualified. Entrants will not be notified of disqualification, nor will entry fees be refunded.

Judging of Entries

Entries are judged by a panel of journalism professionals representing UNITY: Journalists of Color, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association, Native American Journalists Association and RTNDA. An award will be given in each category unless, in the opinion of the judges, no award is deserved. The decision of the judges is final.

Notification

RTNDA/UNITY Award recipients will be announced in late June 2009.

Awards and Recognition

Recipients of an RTNDA/UNITY Award will receive a custom-designed award, which will be presented at the RTNDA Awards Dinner in October 2009 in New York.

RTNDA Staff Contact Information

Awards Issues (Category questions, requirements, etc.)
Stacey Staniak
202.467.5214
staceys@rtnda.org

Technical Issues (Uploading or entry problems, etc.)
Marny Klump
202.467.5202
marnyk@rtnda.org

Calendar

January 31, 2009
Entry Deadline (all entries must be complete and media uploaded by this date to avoid a penalty fee). Click here to enter now.

February 13, 2009
The last day that entries can be submitted and media uploaded. Entries received after this date will not be accepted. Entries received between February 1 - February 13 will be assessed a $25 per entry late fee.

June 2009
RTNDA/UNITY Winners Announced

October 2009
RTNDA Awards Dinner in New York