2025 Eyes of History®: Digital Storytelling Contest Information and Rules

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 the designated “Team field” which person did which parts of the project and roughly what percentage of the work they did.
• All entries must have been created by Active or Life Members in good standing. If you are not currently an active member, you may join and submit your membership dues for both 2024 and 2025. Then, you may enter work completed by January 21, 2025.
• 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 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, 2024 through January 21, 2025.
• 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.
• Entrants must submit a combination of uploaded files and URLs.
• Uploaded videos, with the exception of the “Best Multimedia Package” category, must have all credits and company branding removed from the file and uploaded to our system. See the “Contest Notes” section for more information, including specific file requirements.
• URLs will be used to link to the winning videos. It is okay for these to be on news organizations websites and include branding.
• Three images that represent your story entry must be uploaded with each entry. These images must be in the JPEG format. Still images must match the dimensions of your video files.
• Your contest submission can be edited on Picter until the deadline.
• Entrants may include video journalists, cinematographers and/or video editors. Each entry must include original content but that could come in the form of original footage and/or artful editing.

• DS01 Best Digital Storytelling Package – News – A single multimedia story covering spot, daily, politics or general news that uses a combination of audio, video, still photography, graphics, and/or animation. Specific elements will be judged as well as how well the elements work together in telling the story.
• DS02 Best Digital Storytelling Package – Feature – A multimedia story about the human experience, entertainment or sports that uses a combination of audio, video, still photography, graphics, and/or animation. Specific elements will be judged as well as how well the elements work together in telling the story.
• DS03 Best Digital Storytelling Package – In-depth – A single in-depth, larger 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.
• DS04 Social/Mobile, News – Covering spot, daily, politics or general news. This category recognizes the art of storytelling for social and/or mobile platforms like Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook or a news organization’s mobile app. Both series and single entries will be accepted. If you are entering a series of shorts, please use a dip to black to introduce the next episode in the series and include a title.
• DS05 Social/Mobile, Feature – Explainers, the human experience, entertainment or sports. This category recognizes the art of storytelling for social and/or mobile platforms like Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook or a news organization’s mobile app. Both series and single entries will be accepted. If you are entering a series of shorts, please use a dip to black to introduce the next episode in the series and include a title.

Submitting payment via Picter serves as a digital signature to the contest, I agree to the following terms and conditions:

• I am the sole owner of copyright in the Content submitted, (hereinafter the “Content”) and I have, or if I am not the sole owner of copyright in the Content that I shall obtain (prior to any WHNPA award and upon notification of a pending award by WHNPA) the authority and legal capacity to enter into this agreement and to grant the rights herein stated in and to the Content.
• The Content originates with me and is not copied from another person or work.
• The Content when used by WHNPA in accordance with this agreement will not violate the rights, (including but not limited rights of copyright, moral right, publicity, privacy, trademark, or any other rights) of any person or party.
• I am an active or life WHNPA member in good standing, or I have submitted an application for active membership and have never been a WHNPA member in the past.
• The Content was created or initially published within the rules of the contests and that I was a WHNPA member at the time the Content was created or initially published.
• The Content was not previously entered in this contest.
• I shall retain copyright in the Content, or my employer shall retain copyright in the Content if it is work made for hire.
• I hereby grant to WHNPA and those acting under WHNPA’s permission only the non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty free, fully paid up, irrevocable, sub-licensable, assignable, permission, in all existing and future media (including, without limitation, WHNPA authorized Internet and or social media), to use the Content for and in connection with the WHNPA Awards or other WHNPA Book, WHNPA Exhibitions, WHNPA Educational and Editorial Activities, WHNPA Advertising and WHNPA Promotions, WHNPA Sponsored or Authored Publications and Activities, and for all purposes that are ancillary to, related to, or that directly arise out of the foregoing.
• As a condition precedent to my being offered, and to my receipt of, any WHNPA award I warrant and represent that I shall disclose to WHNPA any rights granted by me herein which may be owned by my employer or another party and that I will provide to WHNPA, in writing, and within seven (7) days of WHNPA’s request, TIME BEING OF THE ESSENCE, and at my own expense, such further assurances and documentation as may be legally required, and any that may be requested of WHNPA, to give full force and effect to the permissions granted by me herein, including without limitation any affirmation, confirmation, and verification of such grant as WHNPA may require or request of my employer or any other rights owner.
• In default of my identification of the rights owner and or my provision of such affirmation, confirmation, and verification in a form acceptable to WHNPA, such acceptability to be determined solely by WHNPA in its sole and absolute discretion, WHNPA may without waiver of any other or additional remedy, decline to make an award, cancel an award, or retract an award without any obligation to or liability to the proposed award recipient.
• I agree to indemnify, protect, defend and hold harmless WHNPA and its officers, directors, members, employees, and agents) for and from any and all actions, claims, demands, and proceedings and for any and all costs (including legal fees, investigatory fees, and court costs) that arise out of or in connection with any actual breach by me, default by me, or non-frivolous claim that there is a breach or default by me, of the warranties and representations and agreements I have made herein.

New Entry Process

This year, all entries will be submitted via Picter. There will not be an entry form on the WHNPA website.

Contact Information

Video – Doug Wilkes
[email protected]

Video Editing – Stuart Cohen
[email protected]

Digital Storytelling – Pierre Kattar
[email protected]

Jessica Koscielniak
President, WHNPA
[email protected]