Newhouse School announces third annual Mirror Awards competition

Wendy S. Loughlin
(315) 443-2785

Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is now accepting entries for the third annual Mirror Awards competition recognizing excellence in media industry reporting. This year’s competition includes new categories for digital media. Application deadline is Feb. 6. There is no fee to enter.

Established by the Newhouse School in 2006, the Mirror Awards honor the reporters, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit. The competition is open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries in a format intended for a mass audience. Eligible work includes print, broadcast and online editorial content focusing on the development or distribution of news and entertainment content.

This year’s awards categories include:

• Best Single Article, Traditional Media: A carefully researched print, television or radio piece of any length. Print articles may include sidebars and graphics, if relevant. Regular features/columns, opinion pieces or film/television reviews should not be entered.
• Best Single Article, Digital Media: Must meet the criteria of the Best Single Article, Traditional Media category but must be exclusive to a digital platform. This category includes blogs, video and other online formats.
• Best Profile, Traditional Media: Any carefully researched and sourced piece dealing with a single person or organization noteworthy in the media industry. Excerpts from “three dot columns”/social notebook features or excerpts from books (unless the book was originally published in serial form in a periodical) should not be entered. These pieces should be from print, radio or television.
• Best Profile, Digital Media: Must meet the criteria of the Best Profile, Traditional Media category but must be exclusive to a digital platform. This category includes blogs, video and other online formats.
• Best Commentary, Traditional Media: Two to four pieces that demonstrate the writer’s overall knowledge of the issues, analytic skills and unique voice. Submissions may address a single subject or may cover a variety of subjects and may be originally published in print, broadcast or radio. This is the category for opinion, humor, columnists, etc.
• Best Commentary, Digital Media: Must meet the criteria of the Best Commentary, Traditional Media category but must be exclusive to a digital platform. This category includes blogs, video and other online formats. Please submit no more than 10 pieces.
• Best In-Depth Piece, Traditional Media: Entries can be one article or broadcast or a series of articles that cross platforms. Entries will be judged on both the quality of the reporting and the importance of the story covered.
• Best In-Depth Piece, Digital Media: Must meet the criteria of the Best In- Depth Piece, Traditional Media category but must be exclusive to a digital platform. This category includes blogs, video and other online formats.
• People’s Choice: The finalists in each category will be made available online; the public and fellow members of the press may vote for their favorites in each category.

All entries must have been published or broadcast between Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2008.

Entries are evaluated based on three criteria: excellence of craft, framing of the issue and appropriateness for the intended audience. Winners are chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators.

Complete competition guidelines and an entry form are available online at http://mirrorawards.syr.edu.

For more information about the Mirror Awards competition, contact Jean Brooks at (315) 443-5711 or mirror@syr.edu, or see http://mirrorawards.syr.edu. For press inquiries, contact Wendy Loughlin at (315) 443-2785 or wsloughl@syr.edu.