THE MERRIMAN SMITH MEMORIAL AWARD
2008 CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Merriman Smith Memorial fund is pleased to announce competition for awards in presidential news coverage. The prizes for 2008 of $2,500 each will be awarded in two categories.
PRINT Newspaper, wire service, magazine
BROADCAST Radio and television
The awards will be presented at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner, to be held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC, on Saturday, April 26, 2008.
The fund was organized in 1970 in memory of the late Merriman Smith of United Press International, a White House correspondent for more than 30 years. The award was conceived to perpetuate Mr. Smith's memory and to promote the excellence he brought to his profession.
The 2008 awards will be based on the following criteria:
• A single story written, dictated or broadcast under deadline pressure.
• The story must have emanated from coverage of the presidency, either in the United States or abroad, by a correspondent at the scene. Any subject of news interest (political, diplomatic, scientific, economic, social, security, appointments, any foreign or domestic matter which developed in the course of presidential news coverage) will be considered.
• A nominee must have been based in the Washington area and must have been on permanent or temporary assignment covering the presidency.
• Four factors will be assessed in the judging of a story: accuracy, speed, objectivity, and initiative.
• Correspondents employed by any recognized news organization are eligible to enter.
GUIDELINES FOR THE 2008 AWARD
Material for consideration must have been published or broadcast in the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2007.
Three (3) copies of the story to be considered must be submitted with the following information: dateline, date of publication or broadcast, time and date of filing and time and date of deadline, as well as certification by the nominee's supervisor that the nominee wrote, dictated or broadcast the story. A completed entry form must accompany each of the three copies of the story
Print entries may be submitted in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, or photocopies. Entries will not be returned.
Broadcast entries must be in the form of a script and audio/video tape (CD/DVD only). In the case of a live broadcast, an aircheck is required. CD/DVD must also be in triplicate.
Online entries, which may be submitted in either the broadcast or print category, must be in the form of Web page printouts and other original material.
• Only ONE entry should be filed by a nominee or in a nominee's behalf.
• Each copy of an entry must be accompanied by a completed entry form
• The decision of the judges on all matters pertaining the award is final.
• All entries must be received at the WHCA office on or before 5 pm, March 4, 2008.
• Entries are to be submitted to:
The Merriman Smith Memorial Award
White House Correspondents' Association
600 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
• Please place the name of the award on the entry envelope.
Trustees of the Merriman Smith Memorial Fund have selected judges from the journalism profession. The trustees are chosen according to the by-laws of the fund which state that the current president of the White House Correspondents' Association is chairman of the board of trustees. Trustees of the fund and judges are not eligible for the 2008 award.
DOWNLOAD AN ENTRY FORM
Print an official entry form and guidelines, or follow the links at right to learn more about the awards and past award-winners. |
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