With 2010 looming, it’s already time to look back at 2009 and enter our best work in the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild’s annual Front Page Awards.

These awards honor the best work of rank-and-file workers covered by a Guild contract. The work must have been published or publicly used in 2009, and any employee of one of our bargaining units is eligible to enter, as are at-large members. Also eligible are those who were Guild members last year but have since left their positions via buyouts, resignations, promotions, etc.

We also have Guild Service awards, honoring outstanding dedication to the workers and causes that the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild stands for.

The Front Page Awards honor the best work done by members in our bargaining units for their employers. All entries are free, and as many as three works may be entered in a single category. Two copies of each entry must be submitted to the judges and while published clippings are preferred, electronic versions, such as PDFs, are permitted.

Judges have the right to move entries into different categories, and also have the discretion to not confer an award in every category.

The Front Page Awards are open to all WBNG members, including those who do not work under a Guild-negotiated agreement. Guild members who win in their respective categories are eligible for the Grand Prizes in writing, photography and design.

If you were bought out, laid off, promoted to an exempt spot, or even dismissed during calendar 2008, you may still be eligible to enter as long as your submitted work was performed while you were under the Guild contract. If you’re still in touch with one-time Guild colleagues in this situation, let them know that they, too, can be winners.

But in order to win, you’ve got to enter. If you are entering material for consideration in other awards forums, such as the Pulitzers, you really should also enter it in the Front Page Awards.

All entries must be received no later than the close of business on Monday, Feb. 1. You can deliver them in person, or mail them, to: Front Page Awards, Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, 1100 15th St. NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005. The handy, printable entry form should be attached to each entry. Please specify the category in which your entry is being submitted. You can also email a PDF of your work and the entry form to  nbanks@wbng.org. If you have any problems, please call the Guild at 202 785-3650 and ask for Nancy Banks. There’s been so much good work out there, we want to make sure it gets the recognition it deserves.

The Awards

Writing: Morton Mintz Award for Investigative Reporting; Bernie Harrison Memorial Award for Commentary; Frank C. Porter Memorial Award for Labor and Business Reporting; Criticism; Feature Writing; Headline Writing; International News Reporting; Local News Reporting; National News Reporting; Non-Daily Specialized Technical Reporting; Public Service Reporting; Sports Reporting; (Labor) Unit Publication.

Photography: Feature Photography; Local News Photography; National News Photography; Picture Story; Portrait Photography; Sports Photography.

Art: Advertising Design; Editorial Cartooning; Illustration Design; Labor Promotional Campaign; Marketing and Promotion Design; News Graphics Design; Web-Site Design.

(A separate non-editorial Front Page Award is given for Customer Service Professional of the Year.)

Individual Grand Prize winners will be selected from among the winners of the individual Front Page Award categories. You do not have to submit separate entries for the: Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize for Writing; Bill Pryor Memorial Grand Prize for Photography; John Albano Memorial Grand Prize for Art.

If you have questions, contact Front Page Awards Committee Chair Mark Gruenberg (202-898-4825 or press_associates@yahoo.com).

Filed under: Guild News