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BNC Awards of Excellence Categories

jump to: Advertising • Writing • Complete Section Categories

Category Checklist

[]Best Habitat Conservation Story (Ducks Unlimited Canada Award)[]Sue Gawlak Best Local Editorial (sponsored by the St.  Albert Gazette) 
[]Sports Writing Award[]Best Local News Story (sponsored by Mount Royal University)
[]Best Feature Story By a Local Writer (sponsored by SAIT)[]Best Feature Column by a Local Writer (Gordon Scott Memorial Award)
[]Education Writing Award (Lethbridge College Award)
—-(Ad categories) ——(Whole sections category)—-
[]Excellence in Creative Advertising[]
[]Effective and Original Use of Colour in Advertising[]Special Supplement or Section (Metro Creative Graphics Award)
[]Best House Ad

Writing Categories

  • For the following writing categories:
  • Entry must come from a staff member or regular freelancer/contributor
  • If entering a series of stories, do not submit more than five stories from a series
  • If additional information would help the judges understand the issues around an entry feel free to include a text document explaining the background, or subsequent results

Sports Writing Award

This award is given to the best article, feature or series highlighting sports activities in the community. The focus can be on an individual, a sporting team, event, sports activity, innovations, history, etc – but it must relate directly to sports related to the community. The award strives to recognize a sports story that goes beyond the normal game recount.

Entries are judged on:
Quality and clarity of writing (style, organization of thoughts, grammar) – 30 points
Quality of reporting (research, initiative) – 30
Original treatment of the topic. – 20
Interest to community – 20

Best Local News Story 

Awarded to the best local story of the year. Editor may accompany entry with copies of letters, follow-up news stories, a description of why the story was selected, and the name of the writer.

Quality and clarity of writing (style, organization of thoughts, grammar) – 30
Impact on readers – 20
Subject matter/interest to the community – 10

Sue Gawlak Best Local Editorial 

Include: Editor is encouraged accompany entry with copies of letters, follow-up news stories, a description of why the editorial was selected, and other material indicating the effects of the editorial. 

Editor may wish to name the writers of the editorial or indicate it was prepared by an editorial committee. 

Sponsored by: St. Albert Gazette

Best Habitat Conservation Story

Ducks Unlimited Canada Award

Awarded to best story related to conservation in Alberta. Judges will be considering the subject material, clarity, content and originality of the story. Stories must provide environmentally-focused information and provoke discussion related to the conservation of wetlands and their associated uplands habitats such as:

  • Healthy watershed management/planning/implementation
  • Water quality and quantity issues relating to wetlands (droughts/filtration/flooding/etc)
  • Wildlife friendly agricultural crops and practices that contribute to wildlife habitat conservation 
  • Native grassland conservation and management that benefits wetlands and wildlife (rangeland stewardship)
  • Research, Individuals and Organizations or Education for youth or adults relating to any of the above

Include: Please include Editor’s name as well as Writer

Judging will be arranged by Ducks Unlimited Canada

CASH AWARD • $200 – 1st place

Best Feature Column by a Local Writer

(Gordon Scott Memorial Award)

Awarded to the best feature column written by a local person. 

Entries are judged on:
Quality, clarity of writing (style, grammar, etc)- 30 points
Impact on Readers – 20 pts
Subject matter/interest to community – 10 pts

Education Writing Award

This award recognizes excellence in the coverage (in a single article) of K – 12  education in your community

Entries are judged on:
Writing Style – 30 points
Originality – 30 points
Impact on Community – 20 points
Quality of Reporting – 20 points 

Judging will be arranged by Lethbridge College

Best Feature Story By a Local Writer 

(Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Award)

Awarded to the best feature story on any subject matter 

Judging will be arranged by SAIT journalism department. 

Advertising categories

Advertisements for the three following categories

  • Must be produced by your staff or your freelancer (not an ad submitted by a customer or agency)
  • Use original or stock art, photography, and copy writing.
  • It must be created entirely, specifically for your publication. If it is made to be used in your publication group, it may only be entered once, for one paper in your group.

Effective and Original Use of Colour in Advertising

This award recognizes the use of colour in advertising. The judge will look at how colour was used to be effective and appropriate.

Include: Full page tearsheets are required. The overall impact score includes how the ad played in relation to the rest of the page. Indicate the name of the production person(s) on the entry form

Entries are judged on:
Overall impact due to use of colour  – 30 points
Overall Design – 25
Quality of copywriting – 15
Images/ graphics – 15
Creativity/ originality – 15

Best In-House Advertisement

This new award recognizes creativity and skill in your newspaper’s use of unsold space for self-promotional advertising.  An in-house ad may be for the advertising space itself (ie. ‘buy this space’), for the newspaper itself (ie. ‘Our newspaper is awesome’) , or for one of your other side-projects (ie. promoting a supplement, in-house printing service, a charity/fund-raiser your paper is organizing).

The ad can be B&W or colour. The use of colour in itself will not be considered in judging.

Include: Full page tearsheets are required. The overall design score includes how the ad played in relation to the rest of the page. Indicate the name of the production person(s) on the entry form

Entries are judged on:
Overall impact  – 30 points
Overall Design – 25
Quality of copywriting – 15
Images/ graphics – 15
Creativity/ originality – 15

Excellence in Creative Advertising

This award recognizes creativity in newspaper advertising. Colour will not be considered in judging. 

Include: Full page tearsheets are required. The overall impact score includes how the ad played in relation to the rest of the page. Indicate the name of the production person(s) on the entry form

Entries are judged on:
Overall impact – 30 points
Design – 25
Quality of copywriting – 15
Images/ graphics – 15
Creativity/ originality  – 15

Complete Section categories

Special Sections and Supplements

Awarded to the best example of a special section or supplement. Entry must consist of a minimum of four tabloid pages or two broadsheet pages. Subject matter may cover ANY special promotion.  Entries will be judged on content, originality, layout, effectiveness of presentation and adherence to a stated theme.  Local content is favoured over use of “canned copy” or other outside material.   Advertising and print quality are also

Judging will be arranged by the category sponsor, Metro Creative Graphics