2024 IMA Contest Rules and Instructions

Open Call accounts are recommended for outlets that have entries in both the Associate and Professional Divisions to accommodate outlets or publications with multiple entries under one account. Open Call entrants may submit under the Professional (Indigenous members) and Associate (non-Indigenous members or non-member) Divisions. A separate account is required for Student entries. Open Call is the easiest account type to launch for all submissions including the Student Division. 

Registered Authorized Entrants are accounts previously established by the contest administrator. Authorized Entrants can only submit to one of the following divisions: Professional (Indigenous member), Associate (non-Indigenous member or non-member) or Student. Entrants submitting under multiple divisions should see instructions above for Open Call. Preset accounts may be set up by contacting Sterling Cosper at: scosper@naja.com.

Open Call Login:

1. Click “Open Call Login” in the blue bar at the top of the page
2. If you already have an Open Call Contestant account, enter your email address associated with the account and password, then click “Login” and skip to “Request to make entries in a contest” below
3. If you do not already have an Open Call Contestant account, click “Create your Open Call account”
4. Fill out the form
5. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page

Once you fill out the form to create your Open Call Contestant account, the system will send you a validation email with a link that must be clicked before you can log into your account. The contest admin must approve new account requests before entrants can submit entries.

Request to make entries in a contest (Open Call Only):

1. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text in the blue bar at the top of the page
2. Select “My Contests” in the menu that appears
3. In the “Available Contests” section, check the box next to the contest you would like to enter
4. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text again
5. Select “Manage Entries”

Authorized Entrant Login:

1. Select the contest you would like to enter
2. Select your Media Organization
3. Enter your email address
4. Enter your password
5. Click “Login”

View BNC contestant instructions here.

• Student Division
• Associate Division I (non-Indigenous entrants) – (Circulation below 5,000)
• Associate Division II (non-Indigenous) – (Circulation 5,000 – 10,000)
• Associate Division III (non-Indigenous) – (Circulation above 10,000)
• Professional Division I (Indigenous entrants) – (Circulation below 5,000)
• Professional Division II (Indigenous) – (Circulation 5,000 – 10,000)
• Professional Division III (Indigenous) – (Circulation above 10,000)

Contest Rules and Eligibility Guidelines

• • Contest entries will be accepted through the extended deadline of March 22, 2024.
  • Categories with less than the required number of total entries may be combined.

• NEW rule for 2024: Entrants in all Professional and Student Divisions must have a current IJA membership that specifies their Indigenous affiliation. 

• • • IJA members qualify for a 50% discount on entries, bringing the fee to $25 per entry for associates and professionals and $10 for students. 
    • Indigenous affiliation is required for High School, College, Professional, and Tribal Media membership levels and can also be included for individuals with Lifetime, Corporate, Nonprofit and Sustaining Institutional memberships. 
    • Members can join or renew here. 
    • For assistance, contact Membership Manager Sterling Cosper at: scosper@naja.com.
  • Associate members (including non-Indigenous students) may only enter the following categories:
    • Best Photo of Indigenous Communities (Exclusive to Associate Entrants)
    • Best Coverage of Indigenous Communities (Exclusive to Associate Entrants)
    • New: Best News Story 
    • New: Best Feature Story
• Professional Divisions are reserved for Indigenous journalists; all entrants in this division must be current IJA members to enter the contest; Associate Divisions are reserved for non-Indigenous entrants, including students.
• The Student Division is for Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students and entrants must be IJA members. Non-Indigenous students may enter the Associate Division, according to circulation level. 
• Entries with multiple bylines or credits may enter Indigenous categories as long as the team represents a minimum of 50% Indigenous contributors.
• If an editor or producer is entering work on behalf of an Indigenous colleague at the member rate, the entrant must be a current IJA member or the entry will not be considered. (All Student and Professional entrants must be current members). 
• Entries may only be submitted via the BetterBNC portal; no email submissions will be accepted. 
• Please provide clear directions for locating entry within any master publication / folder(s). Include page numbers for print/digital and time stamps for broadcast in the Notes section, as needed.  
• Entrants submitting a single story from a full issue should include issue information, page number(s), jumps and headline / cutline in the Notes section of the entry form to provide specific location instructions to judges. 
• Individuals may submit up to five separate entries in any one category, as desired. Entries in multiple categories are encouraged. (Example: In the best news photo category, an individual may submit up to but no more than five different photos to compete against each other. In addition to competing with themselves, entrants would also be competing against other outlets or individual submissions.)
• General excellence awards are for Indigenous-owned media outlets (tribal media) that are at least 50 percent Indigenous-owned, managed or controlled. Entrants must submit links or clips for 3-5 editions/broadcasts to be considered for this category. 
• Best Layout is for Indigenous-owned media outlets (tribal media) that are at least 50 percent Indigenous-owned, managed or controlled. Entrants must submit links to at least 3 editions to be considered for this category. 
• Best Multimedia is open to documentaries, series, or extended interviews/talk shows, compilations of audio, video, images, and original art for online audiences. Entries can be stand-alone or complementary to aired content ranging from one minute to an hour in length.   
• Contest administrators and judges may transfer entries across categories based on their interpretation of contest guidelines. Entrants will not be notified of such a transfer prior to the announcement of awards.
• Judges reserve the right to withhold awards in any category if they determine no entries merit recognition.
• Entries must have been published in 2023.

Categories that allow/require more than one piece/body of work per entry are specified in the category description. All other categories take one piece only.

Associate entrants may only enter Best Photo of Indigenous Communities, Best Coverage of Indigenous Communities, Best News Story and Best Feature Story. The Student Division is for Indigenous student members. Non-Indigenous students may enter the Associate Division that fits their circulation level.

All Student and Professional (Indigenous) entrants must be members to verify their Indigenous affiliation(s) in accordance with new rules. The regular entry fee is $25 per entry for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Professional members. Students are $10 per entry for Indigenous Student members and $50 per entry for all non-member entrants.

• Payment will be accepted via credit or debit cards linked via PayPal within the BNC payment system. 
  • Payment via invoice or checks will only be accepted for Indigenous media outlets. 
  • PayPal will process all credit card payments at the point of sale (a PayPal account is not required to utilize this service). 
• If entrants encounter issues with the BNC PayPal interface, they should check the billing address and card information is correct before submitting a help ticket. 
  • Recommended browsers are Firefox and Chrome.
  • On the “Calculate Entry Fee” page, select the paid entries, then click the “Pay Now with Card” button. Look in the upper right corner of the address bar to locate a small icon with a red “X” over it. Click the icon and an option to allow BetterBNC to forward to PayPal should appear. Entrants may need to refresh the page, re-select the entries, then click “Pay Now with Card” again to be taken to the payment form to enter a card number and billing address.
  • If this interface doesn’t work after troubleshooting, contact scosper@naja.com for an alternate payment portal. 
• Total payment for multiple entries may be submitted as a single transaction, however, all payments must be received by IJA on or before the entry deadline in order for the entry to be eligible for judging. 
• Checks should be addressed to: Native American Journalists Association, NAJA – OU Gaylord College, 395 W. Lindsey St., Norman, OK 73019.
• Each entry must have a completed entry within the BNC portal and accompanying payment. Only complete entries with full payment received on or before the entry deadline will be judged.
• IJA may not issue refunds but will make every attempt to judge all entries submitted, which may result in some categories or divisions being combined to meet the minimum entry requirement. 

BNC Payment info (see bullet list above for troubleshooting if it doesn’t ask for billing address)

1. When all entries are submitted log into your account
2. Navigate to the Manage Entries page
3. Click “Calculate Entry Fees”
4. Follow the on screen instructions to pay for selected entries

Award Pickup
Awardees may pick up awards plaques in person during the 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet on Saturday, July 27 during the 2024 Indigenous Media Conference at the Omni Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. 

Additional copies of awards will be available at cost. The deadline to submit requests for shipping originals or duplicates will be Friday, Sep. 6, 2024. 

Entrants may also complete the Direct / Advanced Shipping Form to submit shipping requests ahead of possible placement in the contest. Send any corrections and requests for duplicates at cost to Membership Manager Sterling Cosper: scosper@naja.com. 

Before submitting the form, entrants should communicate internally about coordinating pickup for fellow employees within their outlets to avoid request duplication. This includes awards pickup at the banquet or requesting direct shipping after contest results are announced.

BetterBNC Contestant Instructions download

Indigenous Media Awards Contestant Instructions

Below are directions for preparing and submitting entries. If you have questions, please contact Membership Manager Sterling Cosper: scosper@naja.com.

IMPORTANT: BetterBNC is optimized for the Google Chrome browser; and Firefox for PC and Macintosh/Apple. Please have a recent version downloaded and installed for the best contest experience.

 

• Login

1. Go to betterbnc.com.
2. Click contestant login
3. Select the appropriate contestant type:
4. 1. 1. If you are the single point of contact for your organization, select Contestant Manager, then skip to “4. Contestant Manager Login”.
      2. If you have received an email authorizing you to submit entries on behalf of your media organization, select “Authorized Entrant” on the log in page, then skip to “5. Authorized Entrant Login” below
      3. If you are an individual submitting your own entries (including non- members and freelancers), please see the “Open Call Contestant Only” instructions below

• Contestant Manager Login:

1. 1. Select the contest you would like to enter
   2. Select your Media Organization
   3. Enter your password**
   4. Click “Login”

**Note: If it is your first time logging into your account, use the temporary password: bnc (lower case). After you log in using that temporary password, the system will require you to update your password. Going forward (including future years) you will log in with the password you set.

If the designated Contestant Manager should leave your media organization, please contact your Contest Administrator to have the contact info in your account updated.

 

• Authorized Entrant Login:

1. Select the contest you would like to enter
2. Select your Media Organization
3. Enter your email address
4. Enter your password
5. Click “Login”

• Open Call Login:

1. 1. Click “Open Call Login” in the blue bar at the top of the page
   2. If you already have an Open Call Contestant account, enter your email address and password, then click “Login” and skip to section “7. Request to make entries in a contest” below
   3. If you do not already have an Open Call Contestant account, click “Create your Open Call account”
   4. Fill out the form
   5. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page

Once you fill out the form to create your Open Call Contestant account, the system will send you a validation email with a link that must be clicked before you can log into your account.

 

• Request to make entries in a contest (Open Call Only):

1. 1. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text in the blue bar at the top of the page
   2. Select “My Contests” in the menu that appears
   3. In the “Available Contests” section, check the box next to the contest you would like to enter
   4. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text again
   5. Select “Manage Entries

• Submit Entries

1. Click “Submit Entry” from the Manage Entries page
2. Select a Division (group of Categories)
3. Select a Category
4. Select the Media Organization where the entry was published or performed (Open Call Only)
5. Enter the entry headline or title
6. Add entry content (may vary by category)
7. To upload digital file attachments (other than audio/video), click “Browse”, navigate to the desired file, and then click “Open”. Allowed file types are PDF, DOC/DOCX, TXT, JPG, GIF, and PNG. To upload additional attachments to a single entry, click the “Browse and Attach More Files” button. BetterBNC will allow up to about a 20MB file, however, we suggest keeping your files around 5MB in case the judges have a slow connection. For files larger than 20MB, you can click the “RealView” icon on the Submit Entry page to create a free account, upload your files, and then copy and paste the URL into the URL field on the Submit Entry page. You may also use a similar 3^rd– party website that provides hosting services (scribd.com, issuu.com, )
8. To add web/audio/video content, copy and paste the content’s URL address into the provided Website URL field. To host your content online, either upload it to a free streaming content website (e.g.YouTube) or talk to your IT person about adding it to your stations/publications website. Make sure the content will be accessible online throughout the duration of the contest and awards process. Here are some examples of free streaming content websites where you can upload audio and video content:
   1. Audio: kiwi6.com, www.soundcloud.com
   2. Video: youtube.com, www.vimeo.com
9. IMPORTANT: Please be sure that items are not behind a paywall or a password-protected area. If they are, you must provide username/password info in the Comments section of your entry. Judges may disqualify your entry if work samples are inaccessible.
10. Add Comments
11. Enter Credits
12. Click “Submit Entry”

• Pay for Entries

1. When all entries are submitted log into your account
2. Navigate to the Manage Entries page
3. Click “Calculate Entry Fees”
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to pay for your entries

If you have trouble with the BNC PayPal interface, check to see if it is requesting billing address along with your card info. Remember the recommended browsers are Firefox and Chrome. Browsers can block the full portal. After going to the “Calculate Entry Fee” page and selecting your entries that you are paying for, click the “Pay Now with Card” button, then look in the upper right corner, in the far right of your address bar, and see if there is a small icon with a red “X” over it. If so, click that icon and you should have an option to allow BetterBNC to forward you to PayPal. After doing that, you may need to refresh the page, select your entries again, then click “Pay Now with Card” again and it will take you to the full form that asks for your card number as well as your billing address.

IJA will select and assign judges to ensure timely completion of assignments.

2024 IJA-Medill Milestone Achievement Award

The IJA-Medill Milestone Achievement Award recognizes important contributions made by journalists in the past, as well as encourages the new generation of Indigenous journalists to achieve career excellence. This award honors IJA’s mission and the exemplary people who have led the way with outstanding work and contributions to the field of journalism.

The winner of the IJA-Medill Milestone Achievement Award will receive $5,000 from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. IJA will present the award during the IJA Membership Luncheon and Business Meeting on July 26 during the 2024 Indigenous Media Conference at the Omni Hotel in Oklahoma City. All entrants must be IJA members, however, there is no entry fee for this category and there is no cost to nominate a member for this award. 

2024 IJA Elias Boudinot Free Press Award

The IJA Elias Boudinot Free Press Award recognizes a publication or media outlet that has shown dedication and commitment to upholding freedom of the press, information and transparency within Indigenous Communities. All entrants must be IJA members, however, there is no entry fee for this category and there is no cost to nominate a member for this award. The recipient will be honored during the 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet on July 27.

2024 IJA Tim Giago Free Press Award

As one of the founders of the Native American Press Association in 1983, Tim Giago has shaped the mission of what is now IJA. This mission has always focused on uniting and empowering Indigenous media and championing accurate journalism, despite the unique challenges that come with reporting on our own tribal communities. The Tim Giago Free Press Award recognizes an individual IJA member that has shown dedication and commitment to upholding freedom of the press, information and transparency within their Indigenous community. Nominees must be current IJA members, however, there is no fee to nominate a member or enter this category. 

The award comes with a $2,500 cash prize for the selected recipient, who will be honored during the 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet on July 27.

2024 IJA Richard LaCourse Award

The IJA Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism honors groundbreaking work by a Indigenous journalist or a team that creatively uses digital tools in the role of community watchdog. Special consideration is given to journalism that helps a community understand and address important issues. A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of the IJA Richard LaCourse Award. All entrants must be IJA members, however, there is no entry fee for this category. The recipient will be honored during the 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet on July 27.