Ohio’s Best Journalism contest will begin accepting submissions for 2022 (for work performed in 2021) beginning today. We’re excited for the coming year based upon the successful rebound of the contest in 2021. Thanks so much for your support. Ready to submit? Click here for the contest portal. If you already have submitted in the past, please use the same login information. A list of categories and other contest information (winners’ list from 2021, videos of some of our best of show winners and 2021 contest booklet) can be found on our competition website. A reminder to the growing number of freelance journalists in our profession: Our contest features numerous freelance categories. Click here for Freelance categories. View the “Rules” and “Help” tabs in the header of the contest home page for complete directions and explanations to help you submit entries.
The deadline for entries is midnight Monday, March 7, 2022. We’re excited to announce that our judging partner this year is Press Club of Long Island.
As in previous years, journalists who work for newspaper, magazine, radio, television, trade, digital and college media in Ohio and adjacent states that have significant reach into Ohio are eligible to submit entries. Freelance journalists, who are Ohio residents, are eligible, regardless of where their work is published, broadcast or webcast. Newsletter and blog submissions are also welcome. Entrants need not be members of the Society of Professional Journalists. Submitted work must have been published or broadcast in 2021. All websites and links for digital submissions must remain active throughout 2022.
Please take note of the following when submitting entries: - If you submit an entry that requires a password-protected URL to be accessed, there is a specific field for you to submit the user name/password information for judges.
- There is a field asking whose name(s) should appear on any award, as well as the name of the media outlet, should your entry receive an award. Thank you for paying close attention to this field and entering the information correctly. This will help avoid any errors when awards are created.
- Please be sure to submit your entry in the correct category. Large print categories are reserved for publications with circulation of 60,000 and higher; small print categories are reserved for publications with circulation of less than 60,000.
Our annual statewide contest is presented collaboratively by the Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland Pro Chapters of The Society of Professional Journalists and honors print, broadcast, digital, trade, freelance and college journalists in Ohio for their best work during 2021. Our contest is the only Ohio competition that honors journalists who fulfill the SPJ mission: defense of the First Amendment, support of literacy, resistance to censorship, advocacy for openness of public records and meetings, media self-criticism and community service. Our contest also recognizes the best college newspaper in the state.
FEES: A $30 entry fee must accompany each submission, except college entries. College students pay a $10 entry fee for writing of news, feature, sports and opinion. College newspapers may enter the best college newspaper category for free. There is a $5 discount per entry for work by SPJ members. You may submit any given article in as many relevant categories as you wish. Not an SPJ member? Join here and save. https://www.spj.org/join.asp
SPREAD THE WORD: Please forward this message to anyone you think would like to participate in Ohio’s Best Journalism contest! Our contest portal, OpenWater, makes it easy to share the contest site with your colleagues and friends. Look for the social media icons (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) on the left side of the contest site landing page.
We’re always trying to increase submissions to our contest and add newcomers to our database for contest information and updates. If you want to add the contact information of your colleagues and friends, who want to be added to our elist, or if they want to add themselves, here is the link.
Many thanks to all of your for continuing to support our contest – and Ohio journalism. It goes without saying that we couldn’t make it happen without all of your submissions. Proceeds are used to support student journalism scholarship programs (high school and college) at the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus pro SPJ chapters, as well as to help us provide programming for students and professional journalists throughout the state.
If you have any questions, please email our contest administrator, Sarah Mills Bacha, at contact@ohiospjawards.org or please visit our website – www.ohiospjawards.org
We look forward to receiving your entries soon! | 
