COLUMBIA, Mo. — Reporters now have until March 9th to submit their best work in religion reporting from 2017. Journalists, authors, photographers and students are invited to enter the 2018 Religion News Association Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence. More than $10,000 among 21 award categories is up for grabs this year.

NEW FOR 2018

Journalists at online news outlets will have a chance to enter an Excellence in Religion Reporting category for the first time in 2018. The new category joins those for newspapers, television, radio/podcasts, magazine and student journalists in honoring a reporter’s body of work for the 2017 calendar year. The new online category is meant to honor journalists at online news outlets without a print or broadcast equivalent (examples may include Vox and The Daily Beast).

The newspaper categories were reduced this year by one and will now be calculated by daily circulation sizes rather than weekday circulations. The new categories are:

• Religion reporting: Small daily newspapers (daily circ. 1–50,000 // Cassels Award)
• Religion reporting: Mid-size daily newspapers (daily circ. 50,001–100,000 // Cornell Award)
• Religion reporting: Large daily newspapers & wire services (daily circ. 100,001+)

In addition, non-daily newspapers of all circulation sizes will enter their body of work in the new Excellence in Magazine and Non-Daily Newspaper Religion Reporting Award.

CATEGORIES

In all, entrants can choose from 21 categories, including eight multiple media awards that all media outlets are encouraged to enter. Each category awards up to three prizes: 1st ($250), 2nd ($150); 3rd ($100).

DAILY NEWSPAPERS

• Religion reporting: Small newspapers
• Religion reporting: Mid-size newspapers
• Religion reporting: Large newspapers & wire services

MAGAZINES & NON-DAILY NEWSPAPERS

• Religion reporting: Magazines and non-daily newspapers
• Overall excellence: Magazine single issue

ONLINE-ONLY NEWS OUTLETS

• Religion Reporting: Online-only news outlets

MULTIPLE MEDIA

• Feature writing  //  Supple Award
• Enterprise, series and serials  //  Renner Award
• Commentary/blogs
• News analysis
• Short video
• Online religion sections  //  Schachern Award
• Photography, single photo
• Photography, galleries

BROADCAST

• Television news magazine
• Television local news
• Television national network/cable news
• Documentary
• Radio/podcast

BOOKS

• Nonfiction religion book

STUDENTS

• Student religion reporting //  Chandler Award

HOW TO ENTER

Enter online by March 9, 2018. Entrants need not be RNA members, but joining will save up to $45/entry.

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