Wire and email advisories will specifiy where to send '04 contest entries

Divisions: Writing and Editorials, Photography, Page Design and Eureka.

Contest Year: April 1 through March 31. All entries must be postmarked by May 15, 2003.

Eligibility: A newspaper must be a dues-paid member of NEAPNEA. Sunday editions must submit entries in the member's largest daily circulation class.

Entering the contest:

Labels: Staple - do not tape - a label to the back side, upper right corner of each entry. For multiple entries, attach one label to the last photo, section or clips. You should use the entry labels you received by regular mail with the contest notification.

Entry sizes: Entries, whether tearsheets or clips, should be folded no larger than 8 1/2" x 11"

Sorting: Place entries for each category into separate manila folders. Example: feature stories should be in one folder, all news stories in another. Write the contest category on each folder's tab.

Photo Entries: Clips or 8"x10" prints are acceptable. If you're submitting a print, tape a tearsheet with the folio visible to the back of each print.

Number of Entries Permitted: Maximum of three entries per category in each division.

Photocopies: Photocopies are acceptable. Printouts of the text are not, because the judges need to see the copy as it appeared in print. Do not submit entries in ring binders or scrapbooks.

Contact Form: Submit the contact form provided with each package of entries.

Circulation Class: Use the latest Editor & Publisher figures. The average circulation of your Monday through Saturday editions determines your circulation class. Disregard your Sunday circulation. If the entry is written by the staffs of more than one newspaper, use the papers' combined circulation to determine the class and fee.

Class divisions/entry fees - based on circulation
Class 1:	60,000-plus	$11.00 per entry
Class 2:	30,000 to 59,999	$9.00 per entry
Class 3:	Up to 29,999	$6.00 per entry

Entry fees: Fill out the NEAPNEA Contest Entry Worksheet to accompany your entries along with a check made out to NEAPNEA

WRITING AND EDITORIAL

The same story or series of stories may not be entered in more than one category.

Deadline news coverage: Must be written on deadline, or where prior planning and research was not possible. A note from the editor, explaining the time restrictions and deadline framework may be attached to the entry. It may include multiple stories published on a single day.

General News: Continuing coverage of a developing news event, demonstrating commitment to ongoing coverage stretched over many days. Submit no more than 10 stories.

Feature Story: Does not include analysis, which should be entered under Enterprise category.

Enterprise: A non-deadline, issue-oriented, pre-planned story or series of stories. May be published on one or more days. Sidebars may be included. Analysis or sports reporting may be entered in this category.

Investigative Reporting:A story or series of stories that exposes corruption, misfeasance or injustice through original reporting, research or analysis.

Business/Consumer News: Continuing coverage, spot news or a pre-planned package or series on a business development or a topic of interest to consumers.

Local Column: Three columns by the same writer per entry. A maximum of three writers may be entered by one newspaper.

Sports Story: Game coverage, feature or sports news.

Sports Column: Please submit three columns written by the same writer to be judged as one entry. Maximum of three writers may be entered from each newspaper.

Editorial: Three editorials by the same writer per entry. A maximum of three writers may be entered by one newspaper.

DESIGN

Each newspaper is allowed three entries per category. No special reprints or veloxes allowed.

• Page 1
• Sports Page
• Feature/Perspective Page
• Business Page design
• Local/Region section front
• Informational Graphic
• Illustration

PHOTO

• Deadline News
• General news (planned or unplanned).
• Feature
• Portrait or Profile
• Sports Action
• Sports Feature
• Photo Story: Two or more photos, picture pages, picture story or photo patch.

EUREKA!

One award will be made from all circulation classes for the best innovation of the year. This award recognizes a novel idea, innovative procedure or other creative concept that benefits any part of newspaper operations and which could be generally adapted for use by other newspapers. Page design, news packaging, newsroom organization and production are some of the elements that could produce a Eureka! winner.

The entry should be in the form of a letter signed by the publisher. It should describe the idea and its benefits and include tearsheets, photographs or other material that would be helpful in describing the innovation. The entry fee is $10.