How to enter the Diamond Journalism Awards

Important:

  1. Go to http://www.betterbnc.com
  2. Click the “Open Call Login” tab at the top of the page
  3. If you’ve previously entered our contest, enter your email address and password, then click “Login”
  4. Skip to section “g. Request to make entries in a contest”
  5. If this is your first time entering the Diamond Journalism Awards, click “Create Your Open Call Contestant account”
  6. Fill out the form
  7. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page (The system will send you a validation email with a link that must be clicked before you can log into your new account.)
  8. Request to make entries in the contest
  9. Hover over the “Open Call Contestant” text at the top of the page
  10. Select “My Contests” in the menu that appears
  11. In the “Available Contests” section, check the box next to the contest you would like to enter [2022 AR-SPJ Diamond Journalism Awards]
  12. Hover over the “Open Call Contestant” text again
  13. Select “Manage Entries”
  14. Click “Submit Entry” from the “Manage Entries” page
  15. Select a Division
    • For most professional categories choose PRINT/ONLINE, RADIO/AUDIO or TV/VIDEO
    • For Features and Sports categories choose NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, ONLINE ONLY, RADIO/AUDIO or TV/VIDEO
    • For Diamond Journalist of the Year and other special awards choose SPECIAL AWARDS
    • College students choose STUDENT JOURNALISM
  16. Select a Category from the drop-down menu
  17. Enter the entry headline or title
  18. Upload entry content (other than audio/video)
    • Click “Browse” to navigate to the desired file, then click “Open”
    • We accept only PDF, JPG, GIF and PNG files or URLs linking to entry content
    • You can upload multiple files by clicking “Browse” again and “Attach More Files”
    • Maximum file size is 20MB, but we suggest keeping files around 5MB in case judges have slow connections
    • For files larger than 20MB, you can submit your own link or you can click the “RealView” icon on the Submit Entry page to create a free account, upload your files, then copy and paste the created URL into the URL field on the Submit Entry page. You may also use a 3rd party service such as issuu.com or scribd.com for greater than 20MB files.
    • To add web/audio/video content, copy and paste the entry’s URL into the URL field on the Submit Entry page or provide a link hosting site such as YouTube or streaming service like vimeo or soundcloud.
    • Make sure content entered via these methods remains accessible through July 1 to facilitate judging and the awards presentations.
    • If your entries are behind a paywall or are otherwise password-protected, you must provide username/password information in the Comments section on the Submit Entry page. Your work may be disqualified if it is inaccessible.
  19. Add any other comments on the Submit Entry page, especially your SPJ member number to take advantage of the member discount
  20. Enter Credits
  21. Click “Submit Entry”
  22. Be sure to save the Entry Label that pops up after you click submit. This is your record of your submission.
  23. Paying for your entries
    • After you’ve submitted all your entries, log into your account if you have logged off
    • Navigate to the Manage Entries page
    • Click “Calculate Entry Fees”
    • Follow the instructions to submit payment via PayPal