Arkansas Pro Chapter SPJ, Chapter Business, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ Seeks Candidates for 2025–26 Board of Directors

June 5, 2025June 19, 2025by arkansasspjLeave a Comment

Check out the following duties and responsibilities of Arkansas SPJ board members and consider running for the board or an officer position. Send a photo and a brief bio that tells why you want to serve as an SPJ leader, your history with SPJ and what you will bring to the group, including any ideas you have for the coming year, to Arkansas SPJ president Wendy Miller at wendymillerjournalist@gmail.com or ArkansasSPJ@gmail.com by Sunday, June 15.

A list of candidates and their bios will be posted at least 10 days before the election and emailed to our membership. Voting will take place via online ballot Friday, June 27, through Sunday, June 29.

Don’t want to be a board member? Get involved in one of our committees.

ARKANSAS PRO CHAPTER BOARD
Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the health of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro Chapter, the members of the Board of Directors must be current on national dues and be accountable for the following duties and responsibilities:

Attendance
The Board of Directors meets monthly and sometimes calls special meetings via phone or email. Board members must attend a minimum of nine monthly meetings during their July-to-June term of office, but strive to make it to all meetings in-person or by Zoom. Absence from three consecutive meetings, or four or more monthly meetings during their term, will result in the appointment of a new director to the position.

Participation
Board members must actively participate in at least one of the following chapter committees: Freedom of Information Act, Programing, Contests, Membership and Marketing, or other special committees designated by the president. Active participation may include planning at least one event in a year, advancement of the FOIA through lobbying, contributions to the chapter’s website, newsletter or social media campaigns, or other efforts determined by the board.

Arkansas Pro Chapter SPJ, Contest, Diamond Awards, Diamond Journalism Awards, Events

2025 Diamond Journalism Awards Contest now accepting entries

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DEALINE EXTENDED! ENTRIES DUE BY 5 P.M. FRIDAY, MARCH 7

2025 Diamond Journalism Awards Contest now accepting entries

New A-Mark Prize offers $15K in cash for Arkansas investigative reporting

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas SPJ is proud to announce the opening of the 2025 Diamond Journalism Awards. The annual contest is open to professional and student journalists, freelancers and communications professionals.

The contest is open to Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas residents, and entries can be made through March 3.

New this year is the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting, which Arkansas SPJ has partnered with the A-Mark Foundation to present. It distributes $15,000 in cash to reporters and their newsrooms.

A-Mark winners will receive:

First place: $5,000 for the writer(s), plus $2,500 for the newsroom
Second place: $3,000 for the writer(s), $1,500 for the newsroom
Third place: $2,000 for the writer(s), $1,000 for the newsroom

The A-Mark Prize is the only Diamond Journalism Awards category limited to entries with an Arkansas connection, which means one or more of the following: (1) The winning reporter is based in Arkansas; (2) The newspaper or media outlet is based in Arkansas; or (3) The work covers Arkansas.

“We are incredibly proud to offer the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in Arkansas through the A-Mark Foundation,” said Wendy Jordan, Arkansas SPJ president. “This is a wonderful opportunity for journalists covering Arkansas issues to be recognized and monetarily rewarded for their efforts to uncover the truth.”

All Diamond Journalism Awards entries must be published or broadcast in 2024. There are nearly 100 categories in 10 divisions ranging from traditional print and broadcast content to podcasts, communications campaigns and more. Find all of the contest categories here.

Although entrants do not have to be members of SPJ, joining the organization offers more benefits than contest entry fee discounts. If you’re interested in joining, click here.

Entry fees for Diamond Award entries are:

General Competition (Divisions 1-7)

SPJ members: $15 per entry.
Nonmembers: $25 per entry.
Student SPJ members: $10 per entry.
Student nonmembers: $15 per entry.

Craft Achievement & Diamond Awards (Divisions 8 & 9)

SPJ members: $25 per entry.
Nonmembers: $35 per entry.

A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting (Division 10)

SPJ Members and Nonmembers: $40

The Diamond Journalism Awards uses the Better BNC contest management platform for entries and judging and fees are submitted through PayPal. All finalists will be recognized at the Diamond Awards event in July in central Arkansas. A listing of finalists will be announced prior to the event.

Click here to get started. Good luck!

Chapter Business, Contest, Diamond Awards, Diamond Journalism Awards, Freedom of Information, journalism, Uncategorized

Arkansas SPJ partners with A-Mark Foundation to offer 15K in cash prizes for investigative journalism

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Searching for the truth is expensive. It takes time, resources and money, things a lot of newsrooms don’t have much of. But where there’s passion, there’s perseverance.

That’s why Arkansas SPJ and the A-Mark Foundation want to recognize investigative reporting and help to fund the continued effort. The A-Mark Prize will provide $15,000 each year for reporters and their newsrooms.

Beginning in 2025, the Arkansas SPJ Diamond Journalism Awards features the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in Arkansas. Winners will receive:

First place: $5,000 for the writer(s), plus $2,500 for the newsroom
Second place: $3,000 for the writer(s), $1,500 for the newsroom
Third place: $2,000 for the writer(s), $1,000 for the newsroom

Arkansas SPJ is one of only a few chapters hosting these investigative awards this year, and we are proud to partner with the A-Mark Foundation to continue the investigative efforts of hard-working reporters.

“The A-Mark Foundation hopes that our grants will lead to increased recognition and support for investigative journalists across the United States,” said A-Mark senior VP Tracey DeFrancesco. “We noticed that most state-level journalism awards did not have a cash prize, and we hope that providing a monetary award to both reporters and their publishing outlets will enable more important articles to be written.”

What you need to know

The A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Arkansas is described as an award for remarkable investigative reporting in any medium. *This prize is only open to entries with an Arkansas connection. The entry must include investigative reporting by an individual or team in a single report or a series – up to five items including coverage and other supporting elements. Stories should expose a wrong or promote understanding of a problem, issue or subject in the public interest.

The entry must have an Arkansas connection meaning one or more of the following applies: (1) The winning reporter is based in Arkansas; (2) The newspaper or media outlet is based in Arkansas; or (3) The work covers Arkansas. The entry must include investigative reporting by an individual or team in a single report or a series – up to five items including coverage and other supporting elements. Stories should expose a wrong or promote understanding of a problem, issue or subject in the public interest. A supporting statement (400 words max) is required.

The winners will be recognized, and the prizes will be distributed at the Arkansas Diamond Awards ceremony during Summer 2025. All entrants should plan to attend the ceremony in Little Rock in July if they are named a finalist.

If you have questions, email us anytime. The 2025 Diamond Journalism Awards contest is now open. To learn more, click here.

Contest, Diamond Awards, Diamond Journalism Awards, Events, journalism

2023 Diamond Journalism Awards Rules

February 6, 2023November 19, 2024by arkansasspjLeave a Comment

2023 DIAMOND JOURNALISM AWARDS

ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY RULES

ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED!

APRIL 5, 2023

All professional and student journalists, and freelancers, residing in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas can submit entries or have entries submitted on their behalf by news organizations that published or broadcast their work. Authors who reside in the contest states may submit work published or broadcast outside those states.

ALL ENTRIES MUST HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST IN CALENDAR YEAR 2022.

You DON’T have to be a member of the Society of Professional Journalists to enter, but members get a discount on entry fees. SPJ members must provide their membership number in order to qualify for the discount. You can join SPJ by submitting an application here. We suggest submitting entries after your SPJ membership has been confirmed.

Entries may be submitted in more than one category, but a separate entry fee is required for each category.

Any signiﬁcant challenges or corrections to an entry must be noted with the entry. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of the entry.

Non-English entries should also provide an English translation if possible.

Cover letters and supporting material are required only in conjunction with nominations for the following awards: Student Special Project, Student Journalist of the Year, Public Service, Community Journalism, FOI, Outstanding New Journalist and Diamond Journalist of the Year. Entrants in other categories may submit cover letters or supporting material at their discretion but should keep them brief.

Please ensure entry URLs remain valid through June 30, 2023, to accommodate judging and awards presentation.

Contest administrators reserve the right to combine entries in the same category from diﬀerent platforms or circulation groups if an insuﬃcient number of entries make the category non-competitive.

ENTRY FEES

SPJ members: $10 per entry.

To claim the member fee, you must supply your SPJ member number (in the entry platform’s comments box). A team entry may claim the fee if at least one team member is an SPJ member. That person’s name and SPJ member number must be listed in the comments box.

Nonmembers: $20 per entry.

Student SPJ members: $5 per entry. Provide your member number.

Student nonmembers: $10 per entry.

No fees will be refunded.

HOW TO ENTER

The Diamond Journalism Awards uses the Better BNC contest management platform for entries and judging.

If you’re new to using the Better BNC entry platform, go here for instructions .

You can find all the categories here.

Go here to submit payment for entries.