ENTRIES FOR THE 69THANNUAL ONTARIO NEWSPAPER AWARDS
Work produced in 2022

The entry system will open for submissions on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 9 a.m. ET, and close on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

The awards are open to any person employed in a news capacity by any of the participating newspapers listed on the member page.  Joint submissions from multiple papers are accepted if all contributors work for ONA member papers.

WHAT  CONSTITUTES AN ENTRY?
Any item appearing in an eligible daily newspaper in the calendar year 2022. Freelance contributions are eligible provided the content originated with an ONA-member newspaper. The list of eligible newspapers appears under the “Our Members” tab on the homepage.

All entries must be accompanied by:

A memorandum — maximum 350 words — outlining the circumstances under which the story was written. The name of a senior editor or managing editor typed at the bottom of the letter is an accepted signoff.  The name on the letter stands as proof they have approved the submission and will be accountable for it. Remember, the system only allows you to submit two files per category. Many entrants submit the cover letter as one file and zip all accompanying documents in the second file (scroll to the bottom to see easy HOW-TO zip tips).

WHICH CATEGORIES MAY I ENTER?

• Competitors are limited to ONE (1) entry in any one category, except when involved in a team entry. Five categories are open to all circulation-level papers, 10 are limited based on circulation (see exception noted below).
• Members of a team may also make individual entries in the same category.

• Unless part of a team submission, the same entry CANNOT be submitted in more than one category, EXCEPT under the following specific conditions:

  1. Column/Opinion writing submissions may be part of a portfolio entry.
  2. Submissions to the Spot News Writing (Under 25,000) may also be entered in Spot News Writing (Over 25,000).
  3. Submissions to the Feature Writing (Under 25,000) may also be entered in Feature Writing (Over 25,000).

WHAT IS THE JUDGING PROCEDURE?

Judges consider all aspects of news, reporting and writing, and photography.

However, full consideration is given to accuracy, pressure of deadline, results and effect of publication, and individual initiative in obtaining the story or photograph. The inclusion of a memorandum by the entrant outlining these points and electronically signed off on by the managing editor or senior editor is required.

Categories that receive fewer than five (5) entries will not be judged; in the event that happens, the applicants will be notified by email.

NOTE: The committee reserves the right to reject any entry that does not meet content or packaging requirements.

The submission deadline is Friday, May 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET, after which time the site will be closed to entries.

We encourage all applicants to get their submissions in earlier than the posted deadline. The ONA committee looks forward to assisting anyone experiencing difficulty in their submissions.

APPLY ONLINE NOW

Here’s the procedure:

  1. Go to the submission URL: www.onawards.ca/submit/.
  2. Fill in your contact information in the required boxes.
  3. Scroll down and type in the number of entries you wish to submit, from 1 to 10.
  4. For each category you are entering, first select the category name from the dropdown field, then click the browse button and attach a cover letter (signed by a managing editor or senior editor) and the entry itself. File formats accepted are: jpg, pdf, tiff, zip, doc, docx, rtf. You may also opt to provide an online link to your submission instead of a file. If so, please ensure you include the link/URL and the paywall username/password in your cover letter so the judge may access your submission.
  5. After selecting all the categories and files you are entering, click the green Submit button at the bottom of the form.

It’s preferred you submit the cover letter signed by the managing editor and the text of your entry using Microsoft Word if possible.

Photo Categories:

More than one jpg can be submitted for the photo categories, but due to size, the file will need to be in zip format, such as using WinZip to fold them into one file that can later be extracted. There’s a trial edition available on the link provided, or use your favourite zip program. Another easy way to zip your files is to create a new folder on your desktop. Name it the category to which you’re applying to (i.e. Feature Photography). Drag and drop the documents you wish to enter into the folder. Right-click the folder on your desktop. Scroll down to ‘Send To’ and select Compressed Zip. You’ve just created a much smaller folder that is compatible with our size capacity. Press the Submit button.

Please submit any questions to newspaperawards2019@gmail.com.