What are the eligibility requirements for entering?
You must be an undergraduate journalism major attending an ASJMC-accredited domestic, undergraduate journalism program at the time your entry was published/aired/posted. An exception to the journalism major rule is made for students entering the photo competitions. Please see RULES for more information.

What's the ASJMC?
The ASJMC is the acronym for the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. Journalism schools are accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).

My school does not have an accredited journalism department. Can I enter?
No, you must attend a school that has an accredited journalism unit. An exception is made for students entering the photo competitions. The accrediting process is through the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas.

How do I enter?
Two students from accredited journalism programs may enter each competition. The school selects which two students’ work to enter. The submission process takes place online. Each journalism administrator is sent login information to access the competition site, fill out entrants’ forms and upload their entries. Please contact the journalism department administrator or the Hearst Journalism Awards program office for more information: jwatten@hearstfdn.org or 415-908-4560.

How many competitions are there?
There are five writing competitions (Feature, Enterprise Reporting, Sports, Personality/Profile, Breaking News), two photo competitions (News and Feature, Picture Story/Series), one radio competition (News and Features combined) and two television competitions (Features and News) and four multimedia competitions (Features, News, Enterprise, and Team Reporting-News) throughout the school year, with Championship rounds in each category.

How many students from each school can enter each competition?
Up to two students per university can enter each competition. The students to be entered are selected by the schools.

How many times can I enter?
Entrants may submit distinct work in multiple competitions except for the following conditions: In the writing categories, if you win first place or place twice in the top 5 of two competitions, you may not enter another writing competition. In the photo categories, if you place first through fifth in photo competition I, you may not enter photo competition II. In the broadcast categories, if you place first through fifth, you may not enter another broadcast competition. In the multimedia categories, if you place first, you may not enter another multimedia competition.

Can I enter the same work twice?
A competition entry may only be submitted once.

Can graduates enter their work?
If you graduated in the spring or summer, you may enter the next year's competitions but you would not be eligible to participate in the Championship. Fall graduates are eligible to participate in that school year's competitions and in the Championship.

Can I enter work from an internship?
Yes. However, any entry published/aired/posted in off-campus media must be accompanied by a letter from the editor attesting to minimum editor rewriting.

Can I enter work that was published on a website?
Yes, if it is an online version of the school's magazine or newspaper, or a professional publications' website. Entries from personal or professors' websites are not eligible.

How much professional experience can an entrant have?
An entrant may have participated in one or multiple internships as long as the total adds up to no more than one year (full time).

Who judges the work?
Ten media professionals--working journalists/editors--judge the students' work. The judges rotate every 3 years. For a current list, please see the judges page.

How is the work judged?
The judges are e-mailed the entries. The judges review the submissions and assign points to the top 10 (10 for 1st place through 1 for 10th place). The scores are then sent back to the Hearst office, where they are tabulated and the students are ranked.

What do I win?
First through fifth place winners in each competition receive certificates and scholarship checks ranging from $2,600 through $1,000, with matching grants to their journalism departments. Top winners receive medallions and may qualify for the Championship. See the awards page for more information.

What is the Championship?
The Championship is the culminating event of the competitions, where the top winners from the monthly writing, photojournalism, broadcast and multimedia competitions are flown to San Francisco for on-the-spot assignments and additional scholarship awards.

Who qualifies for the Championship?
In writing, the first-place winners in the five monthly competitions and the three highest-scoring non-first place winners qualify. In photo, the top five from the two monthly competitions and the two highest-scoring finalists qualify for a semi-final round from which five are chosen to come to San Francisco. In radio broadcast, the top five qualify. In television, the top five in competitions I and II qualify for a semi-final round of judging from which five are chosen to participate in the Championship. In multimedia, the three first-place winners and two highest-scoring winners in multiple competitions qualify for the Championship.

Can I enter again if I won first place at the Championship?
You may not enter again once you have won first place at the Championship. However, you may enter in a different category.