Better Newspaper Contest

NEW RULES in 2025:

1) DIVISIONS: Semi-/Tri-Weekly publications will compete with daily and online-only publications. The three divisions represent Multi-Day and Online-Only members.

2) DIVISIONS: There are 4 divisions for Weekly members.

3) NEWS CONTENT, LAYOUT & DESIGN, ADVERTISING CATEGORIES: Require issues from two specific months plus one issue from anytime during the contest period. Review the category descriptions for the specific months.

4) Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting: Eligible staff work at Weekly and Semi-Weekly Legal Newspapers.

5) A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism: Sponsored by the A-Mark Foundation, this new contest awards cash prizes to the top three reporters and their news organizations. More info will be posted very soon!

NEW RULES in 2024:

1) TWO NEW CATEGORIES have been added: (a) Video Journalism or Marketing and (b) Online Project.

2) Sales Promotion Category: Entries may include print or online promotional projects. There is now the option to mail the entry (all materials) to OPA offices for judging or submit the entry completely online.

3) Digital Media Category: If you have a corporate-designed or third-party website, upload a written document describing how you make it unique and interesting for your readers and advertisers.

4) Magazine Contest: Entries in this contest are required to MAIL two magazine issues to the OPA office for judging. PDF uploads will no longer be accepted.

Most entries will be judged online as full-page digital tearsheets in PDF format. To submit contest entries, go to https://betternewspapercontest.com/OPA. Twenty-five categories offer opportunities for news organizations and staff members to be honored. Contest rules, categories and tips for uploading entries are available to download in PDF format. If you have questions, e-mail Lisa Sutliff or  Alexis Martin or call (405) 499-0020 or 1-888-815-2672 (toll-free in Oklahoma).

DIVISIONS: There are 8 divisions – 7 for OPA Legal Newspaper and General News Media members and 1 for college news media. Division placement for OPA members is determined by publication frequency and city/town population as reported in the 2023 Estimated Census provided by the U.S. Census Bureau (in May 2024).

Divisions are as follows:

• 3 divisions for Multi-Day and Online-Only members: Publications producing print editions and/or e-editions (digital replicas) two or more times per week. Division placement will be determined when all entries have been received. Participating publications will be sorted in order of city population and entries will be divided as equally as possible into three population divisions.
  

• 4 divisions for Weekly members: Publications produced one time
  per week or semi-monthly. Division placement will be determined when all entries have been received. Participating weekly newspapers will be sorted in order of city population and entries will be divided as equally as possible into five population divisions.
  
  
• College News Media Organizations

AWARDS: Judges may award first through third place winners. Awards will be presented during the OPA Annual Convention.

CATEGORIES: Categories 1 through 9 are limited to one entry per news organization and awards are presented to the organization. Categories 10 through 25 allow for more than one entry per publication. For a complete list of contest categories, click here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IMPORTANT: Please review the Rules document and category requirements. Also, instructions and screen captures of the entry process are available in our step-by-step Instruction Guide. Please review it first if you have questions. 

What is the password to log in? 
The password is the same as your publication chose last year. If your publication did not enter last year's contest, “bnc” is the password the first time you log in. If “bnc” does not work, it means someone in your organization has already accessed the site and changed the password. If you cannot retrieve your password, contact Alexis at amarshall@okpress.com or call 405-499-0035 during business hours (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Do I log in as a Contestant Manager or an Authorized Entrant?  
Contestant Manager.
The contestant manager has the option of creating one or more Authorized Entrant accounts for other staff members to upload their own entries to the organization's main account.

In which population division is my newspaper competing?  
The 2024 Contest has 3 divisions for daily, semi-/tri-weekly and Online-only member divisions, 4 divisions for weekly publications, and 1 division for college news media organizations. Division placement will be determined when all entries have been received. Participating organizations will be sorted in order of city population and entries will be divided as equally as possible into the population divisions. Approximately one week after the entry deadline, the population divisions will be posted here at okpress.com.

If you want to compete in a higher population division or different frequency, email lsutliff@okpress.com so it can be changed before you submit entries. 

I didn’t receive the system’s verification email. 
The first time you log in, note the email address in your account or change it to the email you want to use. After submitting your first two entries, the system will stop and make you verify your email address. A verification email will be sent to the email address in the publication's account. If it doesn’t arrive in a short period of time, check your junk/spam folder. If you don’t receive the verification within a few hours, email lsutliff@okpress.com to request that it be resent to you - perhaps to a different email account.

Editorial Writing and Column Writing categories each require THREE different opinion pieces as ONE entry. The categories recognize the writer(s), NOT the individual piece. If only one opinion piece is submitted in either category, it will be disqualified.

Managing large files:  Four categories – Sports Coverage, Sales Promotion, Community Leadership and In-Depth Reporting – may exceed the 5MB file limit. For large files in those categories, we recommend using third-party cloud storage websites, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and providing the URL link in the approporate entry field.

I’ve uploaded four PDFs. The system won’t let me upload any more. 
Combine multiple pages into one or more files. Judges will have to download and open every file. It takes less time to scroll between pages in a single file, so please combine pages and upload as few PDFs as possible.  

What file formats may be used to enter the contest? 
The best file format to use is a medium- or low-resolution PDF of the page. Please combine multiple PDFs and compress to the recommended size of 5 MB or lower. Acceptable file types are PDF, JPG, GIF, and PNG — NO Word files, except as a letter to judges in the Sales Promotion, Community Leadership or Digital Media categories. URLs may be used for the designated categories that require website links (Digital Media) or possibly large files stored on a third-party server, such as Google Drive or Dropbox (see "Managing Large Files" above). Photo categories may include the image file, but a PDF of the full page where the photo appeared must also be uploaded.

Where do I get an entry form for the categories to be mailed in – News Content, Layout & Design and Advertising?
Create a new entry in the online system and complete the couple of required fields then click Submit. The “Official Entry Form” will appear on your screen and you’ll see it includes the information you previously typed in. Click the Printer icon to PRINT the form, then mail it with the issues for that entry.  It's as easy as that!

Where do I mail issues to be judged in the News Content, Layout & Design and Advertising categories and Magazine Contest, which require multiple issues of the publication?
Mail on or before February 10 to:

Better Newspaper Contest
Oklahoma Press Association
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

Include the appropriate printed entry form with each set of issues. Also include a payment check for all of your entries OR pay online at Paypal.

What is the deadline to mail entries for those three categories to OPA?
February 10 is the deadline to postmark or ship your mail-in entries. DO NOT designate your package as "media mail" to the USPS since it delays delivery.

How do I pay for my entries?
Pay with a credit or debit card. Type in the total amount due in the field for "price per item." Payment should be submitted by the Feb. 10 deadline unless you've made other arrangements with Lisa Sutliff at OPA.

Who do I contact with other questions?
Lisa Sutliff, lsutliff@okpress.com, 405-499-0040 - for online system or rules questions
Alexis Martin, amartin@okpress.com, 405-499-0035 - for online and password questions
Jennifer Gilliland, jgilliland@okpress.com, 405-499-0028 - for rules questions
Toll-free: 1-888-815-2672

MANAGING LARGE FILES

Four categories – Sports Coverage, Sales Promotion, Community Leadership and In-Depth Reporting – could exceed the 5 MB file limit. So for large files in those categories, we recommend using Google Drive  or Dropbox. 

How can I make my PDF files smaller?

1. Open the file in the full version of Acrobat.
2. Click on FILE MENU, then SAVE AS OTHER and finally select Reduced Size PDF.
3. Select the Acrobat version that is compatible with your PDF version (typically Acrobat 4.0 or later).
4. Rename the file with the name you’d like to give the final PDF entry and click SAVE.
   

When using Google Drive or Dropbox for large files:
Links must be accessible until June 15, 2025. Copy the sharing link(s) and place it in the contest entry URL field provided when creating your entry.