CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Merriman Smith Memorial fund is pleased to announce competition for awards in presidential news coverage. The prizes for 2018 of $2,500 each will be awarded in two categories.
PRINT Newspaper, wire service, magazine
BROADCAST Radio and television
The awards will be presented at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner, to be held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC, on Saturday, April 28, 2018.
The 2018 awards will be based on the following criteria: A single story written, dictated or broadcast under deadline pressure. The story must have emanated from coverage of the presidency, either in the United States or abroad. Any subject of news interest (political, diplomatic, scientific, economic, social, security, appointments, any foreign or domestic matter ) which developed in the course of presidential news coverage, will be considered. A nominee must have been based in the Washington area and must have been on permanent or temporary assignment covering the presidency. Four factors will be assessed in the judging of a story: accuracy, speed, objectivity, and initiative. Correspondents employed by any recognized news organization are eligible to enter.
GUIDELINES FOR THE 2018 MERRIMAN SMITH AWARD
• Material for consideration must have been published or broadcast in the calendar year ending December 31, 2017.
• Please include the following information: dateline; date of publication or broadcast; time and date of filing, and time and date of deadline; and certification by the nominee’s supervisor that the nominee wrote, dictated or broadcast the story. A completed entry form must accompany each story.
• Print entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, or photocopies. Entries will not be returned.
• Broadcast entries must be in the form of a script and audio/video (DVD). In the case of a live broadcast, an air check is required. * Online entries, which may be submitted in either the broadcast or print category, must be in the form of Web page printouts and other original material.
• Only ONE entry should be filed by a nominee or on a nominee’s behalf.
• Each copy of an entry must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
• The decision of the judges on all matters relating to the awards is final.
• All entries must be received on or before 5 PM, March 2, 2018.
Submit your entries to the Merriman Smith Memorial Award, using the form on our website,whca.net/2017contest/. Please follow the instructions for online submission.
DOWNLOAD AN ENTRY FORM
Download and print the OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM AND GUIDELINES (PDF), or follow the links at right to learn more about the awards and past award-winners.