Categories
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT
One Award, more than one Award, or no Award (A Crystal Pillar
with the National Television Academy logo) is given to those person(s)
directly responsible for the content and execution of the material
presented in the entry.
1. Station Excellence
For excellence in overall station operations during the eligibility period.
Entry should reflect the station’s overall local product including any news &
sports coverage, other locally produced programs, promotional announcements,
on-air examples of events hosted by the station and involvement in the
community, and any further evidence of station excellence. Entry should
emphasize the quality, breadth and efficacy of a station’s operations, stressing substance rather than style, and exhibit station’s performance in sustaining excellence throughout the eligibility year. The composite entry must be comprised only of material as actually aired. No introductions, post production, music or special effects may be added. Entry should include a one-page, written synopsis of the station’s operation, product, accomplishments and achievements. Entry length shall not exceed 60 minutes.
NEWS PROGRAMMING
One Award, more than one Award, or no Award (a Crystal Pillar with the National Television Academy logo) may be given to the producer(s) and others directly responsible for the content and execution of the news program, segment or coverage. Anchors, reporters, photographers, editors, assignment editors, hosts, directors and qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry’s award-worthiness. For any entry designated as a series, a minimum of two segments must be included.
2. General Assignment Report
For excellence in coverage of a single or multi-part story or topic aired within a regularly scheduled newscast or newscasts. Entry may include live and/or taped elements. Time limit: 10 minutes.
3. Breaking News
For excellence in coverage of a single unanticipated news event that is aired simultaneously with the
news event being covered and aired either within or outside of a regularly scheduled newscast. Entry
may include multiple live or taped elements. Time limit: 15 minutes.
4. Spot News
For excellence in coverage of a single unanticipated news event that is shot edited and produced within 24 hours on a regularly scheduled newscast. Entry may include multiple live and/or taped elements. Elements of a related Breaking News entry may be included in a Spot News entry but not in their entirety. Time Limit: Limited to a single report.
5. Investigative Report
For excellence in reporting of a community problem requiring research and investigative journalism,
aired within a regularly scheduled newscast. Entry will be judged on the quality and extent of research,
the presentation, and the impact of the reporting. Written documentation is required (100-word
limit). Time limit: 30 minutes.
6. Feature News Report
For excellence in reporting of a single or multi-part feature news story or topic aired within a regularly scheduled newscast. Time limit 10 minutes or two complete reports, if longer for series.
7. Specialty Assignment Report
For excellence in coverage of special interest information. Time limit: 10 minutes or two complete reports, if longer for series.
NEWS & PROGRAM SPECIALTY
The following areas are open to entries created, written, produced and broadcast/cablecast by news, public affairs and program personnel. One Award, more than one Award, or no Award (a Crystal Pillar with the National Television Academy logo) is given to the producer(s) directly responsible for the content and execution of the news program, segment or coverage. Anchors, reporters, directors, photographers, editors, assignment editors, hosts, writers and qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry’s award-worthiness.
8. Weather / Weathercast
For excellence in coverage of weather in general, weather related topics or subject matter within a regularly scheduled news program. Time limit: 10 minutes or two complete reports, if longer for series.
9. Sports
For excellence in coverage of sports in general, sports related topics or subject matter within a regularly scheduled news program. Time limit: 10 minutes or two complete reports, if longer for series.
10. Sports Program
For excellence in a regularly scheduled daily or weekly sports program, or for coverage of a one-time-only sports event (not sporting game or play-by-play) or sports series. Entry may be live or taped. Entry must have, as its basis, special coverage not to be taken from a regularly scheduled newscast. Entries may include multi-camera and pre-produced segments that cover the full spectrum of the event. Entry may have no post edits except for the removal of commercials. Entry will be judged on overall content, presentation, enterprise, writing, format, teases, etc. Time limit: 30 minutes. (A maximum of three edits is permitted to bring longer programs to the time limit).
11. Magazine
For excellence in presentation of stories whose prime purpose is to be instructional; to teach formally or informally about a subject or subjects. Series entries accepted. Time limit: 30 minutes.
12. Informational
For excellence in a regularly scheduled program or special consisting of various segments of local interest designed to entertain and inform. Series entries accepted. Time limit: 30 minutes.
SPOT ANNOUNCEMENTS
One Award, more than one Award, or no Award (a Crystal Pillar with the National Television Academy logo) is given to the producer(s) and others directly responsible for the content and execution of the promotion or commercial. Entries must be locally conceived, produced and aired. Spots that contain more than 50% of network or syndicator-provided material do not qualify. Music, graphics and pre-edited video constitute such material. Spots may be 5-seconds to 2-minutes in length. Program length commercials (infomercials) are not eligible. If a campaign is entered, a maximum of three spots may be included.
13. Promotion
For excellence in announcements that promote a news image, a specific story, stories or series, including sports, weather and/or franchise stories. This includes promos for news specials, breaking weather, sports specials, etc.
CRAFTS ACHIEVEMENT
One Award, more than one Award, or no Award (a Crystal Pillar with the National Television Academy logo) is given for excellence in a specific television discipline demonstrating the skills of one or more individuals. Entries may contain a single example of the craft or a composite of material as originally broadcast. Time limit: 15 minutes. While craft entrants may submit more than one entry per craft discipline, only one of those entries may be a composite. Craft awards are intended for hands-on craftpersons, not those that supervise craftpersons.
14. Director / Technical Director
15. On-Camera Talent - Anchor / Reporter / Host / Moderator
16. On-Camera Talent - Weathercaster
17. On-Camera Talent - Sports Anchor/ Reporter
18. Producer / Writer
Enter complete segment or composite not to exceed 30 minutes. Unless part of a composite entry, producer material entered in this producer cannot be part of a full-length program (news or non-news) already entered elsewhere.
19. Photographer/ Editor
TO ENTER ONLINE ONLY
