Entry Fee: $75
Eligibility & RulesCategoriesContest NotesEnter Now
Eligibility
- At least one member of a story/project must meet eligibility requirements for WHNPA membership to enter the Digital Storytelling Contest. This member must be a primary producer of the story or multimedia package entered. Entrants must specify in their entry notes which person did which parts of the project and roughly what percentage of the work they did.
- Note: An individual who has never before been a WHNPA member may join and enter the contest at the same time so long as they pay dues for the calendar year when the entries were made as well as the next year’s dues. Those who have previously been members but their membership has lapsed may re-apply for membership, but they may only enter work produced or published after the date of their new membership application submission.
- Only videos originally produced for web-based viewing will be accepted in the WHNPA Digital Storytelling Contest. Videos originally produced and aired on TV for broadcast outlets will NOT be accepted in this contest – broadcast entries can be entered in the WHNPA Broadcast Video Contest.
- A video story cannot be entered in both the Broadcast contest and the Digital Storytelling contest.
- Note: It is the entrant’s responsibility to coordinate with other team members to ensure that entries are submitted to the correct contest.
- All entries must have been published on or after January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.
Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on January 25, 2024.The deadline has been EXTENDED to Monday, January 29, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.- Entries may not be re-edited in any way after the deadline or for the purposes of submission in this contest.
- A single piece may only be entered in one category – with the exception of Multimedia Journalist of the Year.
- Entrants must submit a combination of uploaded files and URLs, which will be used to link back to the winning videos.
Fees
- There is a flat entry fee of $75.00 for the first seven OR fewer entries, plus processing fees. Each additional entry is $15 per entry, plus processing fees.
- The fees must be paid via PayPal. In rare cases, payment may be allowed by check. Please contact [email protected] prior to submitting entries to request this option.
- Only one entry fee per entrant is required.
- Please list the categories you have entered in your submission and the total amount paid.
Enter up to six (6) stories per category.
- News Story
A single visual story covering spot, daily or general news that was filmed, edited and published within 48 hours. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Continuing News and Issue Reporting
A single visual story that expands on a breaking news story in a timely manner and/or explores social or cultural issues. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Politics Story
A single visual story about political issues. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Feature Story
A single visual story or video about the human experience, entertainment or sports. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Explainer
A single visual story that focuses on explaining a serious or light topic in a simple, engaging and compelling way. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Animation
This category recognizes the use of animation in a single story. Time Limit: 12 minutes. - Social/Mobile
This category recognizes the art of storytelling for social and/or mobile platforms like Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook or a news organization’s mobile. Both series and single entries will be accepted. If you are entering a series of shorts, please use a fade to introduce the next episode in the series and include a title. Time Limit: 7 minutes. - Documentary or Series
An in-depth video story about news events, social issues, human experience and/or cultural trends. This category celebrates the art of showing rather than telling a story, the employment of cinematic techniques and the careful crafting of a narrative arc. No time limit but series must be on a single timeline with a black slide between episodes. Note: Documentaries or series do not have to be premiered on the web for entry into this category. - Best Digital Storytelling Package
A single in-depth multimedia package that uses a combination of audio, video, still photography, graphics, and/or animation in telling a story. Specific elements will be judged as well as how well the elements work together in telling the story. No time limit. - Multimedia Journalist of the Year
This is a portfolio based category that recognizes individual excellence in producing visual stories online. Enter a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) pieces. Judges will pick the candidate with the best portfolio. Entries can range from single visual stories to multimedia packages. Entries must include the bylines and roles of everyone who contributed to each of the stories, as well as a detailed explanation of what percentage of the piece was shot, produced and edited by the entrant. At least 3 of the pieces entered in this category must have been entered in other categories in the Digital Storytelling Contest. Reminder, the winner is expected to produce a video about their winning work to be shown at the 2024 Eyes of History® gala. No time limit.
The Digital Storytelling Committee reserves the right to move entries into more appropriate categories – if the entrant agrees – or disqualify entries they feel don’t abide by the rules or meet the standards set forth in the bylaws of the WHNPA. Disqualified entries are not eligible for a refund. Judges may also choose not to award a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place if there are not enough qualified entries per category. Ultimately, we want to create a fair contest that recognizes the best work in our field.
All questions about the Digital Storytelling contest can be directed to [email protected].
File Specifications
- Entries must be exported as H.264 MP4 files at 1920×1080 for horizontal videos and 1080 x1920 for vertical videos (Social/Mobile category).
- Name your files beginning with the category (no spaces!), followed by a one word slug of your choice, and finally the primary entrant’s initials. Failure to do so will result in your entry being disqualified.
- For example, if John Public enters his story “Inauguration” in the News Story category, the file should be named “News_Inauguration_JP.mp4”.
- Each entry must be accompanied by an upload of three still frames from the video that best represent the piece. Still frames need to be .jpgs at 1920 x 1080 or 1080 X 1920 for social videos.
- Name the still frames the same way as the video files. For example, “News_Inauguration_JP_01.jpg”
- You must submit URLs and standalone videos during the entry process for all categories except Multimedia Journalist of the Year and Digital Storytelling Package.
- URLs should be the original link to your published piece. This will be used to check entries before judging, and winning entries will be hyperlinked on the WHNPA website.
WHNPA Multimedia Committee
Ben de la Cruz – NPR
Pierre Kattar (Chair) – NPR
Whitney Leaming – The Washington Post
Zoeann Murphy – The Washington Post
Jayne Orenstein – The Washington Post
Whitney Shefte – The Washington Post