Guidelines Deadline: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 About the Awards  |  Apply Online

To Qualify

• The contest is open to all news efforts originating between May 1, 2007, and June 11, 2008.
   
• Entries must consist of journalism content created by a news-producing initiative. Individuals must have been affiliated with such initiatives at the time of publication to enter.
   
• Entries could consist of such things as online news experiences, news games, mobile news ideas, citizen media, creative use of cell phones, Webcams, vlogging, podcasting, social networks, computer kiosks, new applications of software, content management systems and other advances in interactive or participatory journalism.
   
• Finalists will be announced in summer 2008. Winners will be announced at the Knight-Batten Awards Symposium on Sept. 10, 2008, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Winners are expected to participate in an educational panel during the awards and will also be invited to take part in other activities to educate the profession about journalism innovations.

     Honored are pioneering approaches to journalism that:

• Encourage new forms of information sharing.
• Spur non-traditional interactions that have an impact on community.
• Enable new and better two-way conversations between audiences and news providers.
• Foster new ways of imparting useful information.
• Create new definitions of news.

  Download 2008 Call For Entries brochure (1.3 MB PDF)

To Enter

  1. Entries must be received by Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

  2. Entrants must complete an online application (available here) and should include working links to stories, Web sites, exhibits and examples. Please specifically direct the judges to the most relevant pages of any Web sites and explain why they are innovative or significant to the coverage.

• Entries must remain online for at least one year from the date of the awards to serve as an educational resource. Winners will be asked to supply a version of their entry suitable for archiving.
• Innovative Blogs and Vlogs are welcome to enter. Please include URLs for any posts you are particularly proud of and make sure that all video and audio content is available online and working properly.
• For entries that involve streaming or podcasts, make archived content available and provide URLs for where it can be found.
• For Web sites requiring registration, a judging password must be provided.

  3. Exhibits not available online, such as tearsheets, CDs or DVDs, may be sent via mail. All exhibits must be clearly labeled with the confirmation number that will be supplied after the online application is completed.

     If your exhibits are NOT available online, please follow these exhibit guidelines:

• For PRINT: If possible, submit the entry as an Adobe PDF document on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Limit entries to the 20 best days of coverage; explain additional efforts in your application. If PDFs are unavailable, tearsheets are acceptable.
   
• For TELEVISION: Submit a compilation of highlights, original stories or series of programs on 1/2-inch VHS videotape or DVD video. Entry must not exceed 25 minutes. Voice-overs and narratives may be included in the compilation of highlights. No commercial breaks. Winners may be asked to supply a higher quality tape or DVD of the original program.
   
• For RADIO: Submit a compilation of highlights, a program or series of programs on high-quality audio cassette or audio CD. Entry must not exceed 25 minutes. Voice-overs and narratives may be included in the compilation of highlights. No commercial breaks. Winners may be asked to supply tapes of the original program(s).

  4. There is a $40 entry fee for each entry. Payment by credit card online is preferred (click here to pay), however J-Lab can accept checks made out to J-Lab/American University. (The Knight-Batten Awards are an American University activity and all checks will be deposited by AU.)

     Checks and exhibits should be mailed to:
        Knight-Batten Innovation Awards
        J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism
        7100 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 101
        College Park, MD  20740-3637

     Sorry. We cannot return any exhibits or supplied materials.
     No faxes please.

• For MORE HELP: If your efforts are not well covered by the above guidelines, contact J-Lab at 301-985-4020, or e-mail news@j-lab.org for recommendations.

Special Awards

• The Citizen Media Award honors impact and achievement in the emerging field of participatory news and user-generated content. It will be given to an exemplary effort that meets at least one of the following criteria:
  • Spotlights and positively impacts undercovered issues.
  • Builds innovative on-ramps for citizen participation and dialogue.
  • Pioneers new ideas for community media.
    
  To qualify for the Citizen Media Award, entries must consist of local news, information or conversation projects to which non-professional journalists contribute content. The contest is open to all citizen media efforts originating between January 1, 2007, and June 11, 2008.
  
• Wild Card Award: A Wild Card Award winner will be selected from the pool of regular applicants. This award will go to an early idea that may not be fully developed or a good idea that deserves a megaphone beside the top winners.

Please note that checking the Citizen Media or Wild Card award boxes on the application will not preclude you from being considered for the grand prize and other awards of distinction.

Entries must be received by Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

Judging

• All questions on the entry form must be completed in English and all submissions must be in English.
   
• The winners will be selected by an impartial board of judges -- the Knight-Batten Advisory Board.
   
• The judges shall have discretion to pick more than one winner, to name a Wild Card winner, and to issue Special Distinction Awards, as merited.
   
• If an Advisory Board member is from a news organization entering the competition, that organization shall receive no special treatment.

Participating

• Entrants will receive an e-mail confirming receipt of entry.
   
• The Knight-Batten Awards program reserves the right to use, reproduce, or link to submissions, with appropriate credits, in educational programs about journalism innovations.
   
• To stay on top of announcements, sign up for the J-Flash newsletter.

For more information on the Knight-Batten Awards Advisory Board click here.

Any questions? E-mail news@j-lab.org or call 301-985-4020.

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, 7100 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 101, College Park, MD 20740
P: 301-985-4020 • F: 301-985-4021 • E: news@j-lab.org • www.j-lab.org