Submission Procedures

Entry limit: Entrants may submit up to THREE entries in all (across one or more categories).

You cannot enter the same story or stories in two different categories, nor may you enter a story both as an individual entry and as part of a group of stories.

Translations:  If the submitted work was published or broadcast in a language other than English, you must provide an English translation. See the online FAQ for further discussion.

Access to entries: If an outlet has a pay wall or limited access (such as no more than five free stories per month), the entrant MUST provide password access for the story links or, preferably, readable PDFs of the content. Failure to provide accessible content will result in disqualification.

For all entries, including broadcast entries, you must ensure that Dropbox links or other storage links (and their passwords) do not expire during the screening and judging period (1 August 2023 to 30 October 2023). 

Print/Online Categories

Science Reporting – Large Outlet

Science Reporting – Small Outlet

In these two categories, each entry can be any of the following as long as the total length does not exceed 5,000 words:

  • A single article, in print or online.
  • Up to three articles from a thematic series, in print or online, each clearly designated as part of a series. For series with more than three parts, enter only three for judging.
  • A group of two or three unrelated articles in print or online (see online FAQ for more discussion).

Submit a link or PDF (up to 10MB in size) of each story, showing the date of publication and author byline.

Science Reporting – In-Depth

In this category, each entry should exceed 5,000 words and can consist of any of the following:

  • A single article, in print or online.
  • Up to three articles from a thematic series, in print or online, each clearly designated as part of a series. For series with more than three parts, enter only three for judging.
  • A group of two or three unrelated articles, in print or online (see online FAQ for more discussion).

Submit a link or PDF (up to 10MB in size) of each story, showing the date of publication and author byline.

Magazine

In this category, each entry can be any of the following, as long as the total length does not exceed 5,000 words:

  • A single article, in print or online.
  • Up to three articles from a thematic series, in print or online, each clearly designated as part of a series. For series with more than three parts, enter only three for judging.
  • A group of two or three unrelated articles, in print or online (see online FAQ for more discussion).

Submit a link or PDF (up to 10MB in size) of each story, showing the date of publication and author byline. Whether a story is submitted as a print PDF or an online link, the publication date for the purposes of the contest will be the date the story was first posted online.

Audio Category

Entries in the audio category may be radio broadcasts or podcasts. An entry may consist of either a single story; an entry of two or three related or unrelated stories; or a thematic series (submit no more than three parts of the series for judging).

Submit a link to an MP3 file of the radio broadcast or podcast. The MP3 file must be accessible throughout the screening and judging period — 1 August 2023 to 30 October 2023 — either through an active URL or an archived link.

Additionally, please upload a text version of the audio transcript or submit a link where judges can read the transcript online.

NOTE: For lengthy podcasts (i.e. more than 30 minutes), we prefer no more than two examples in all from a single entrant.

Video Categories   

Video Spot News/Feature Reporting: A single segment or series not to total more than 20 minutes in all.

Video In-Depth Reporting: Programs or segments of more than 20 minutes

An eligible entry for each video award may consist of a single story; a thematic series (submit no more than three parts for judging); or three unrelated stories. Entries may be broadcast, cable or stand-alone online videos. The original programming must have aired during the contest year.

Submit an online link to the video or videos entered.  For videos not readily available online, submit files hosted on Dropbox, Vimeo or YouTube. Do not provide any other links that will require an automatic download. The video file must be freely accessible throughout the screening and judging period — 1 August 2023 to 30 October 2023 —either through an active URL or an archived link. Additionally, please upload a text version of the TV/cable broadcast transcript or online video transcript. You may also submit a link where judges can read the transcript online.

PLEASE NOTE: Videos that are integral to an online text or multimedia package will continue to be judged as part of such entries in the appropriate category: Large Outlet, Small Outlet, In-Depth or Magazine.

Children’s Science News Category

Work distributed via any medium — print, broadcast or online — is eligible for the prize. It recognizes excellence in reporting news on science for children, including young teens up to age 14.

Entries will be accepted across all categories: large newspapers, small newspapers, magazines, television, audio and online.

Please follow the print, broadcast or online submission procedures and rules described above. As with the other awards, entries may consist of an individual item, a series (with up to three segments submitted for judging), or a group of three unrelated items.