Annual Awards Terms & Conditions

By submitting an entry to the PMJA Annual Awards Competition, you agree to the terms and conditions below and the competition guidelines on behalf of yourself, your organization, and any collaboration partners named on the entry. Please read them before entering.

1. Eligibility

• Entries are open to organizations holding an FCC non-commercial broadcast license, individuals who work or worked at those organizations during the eligible calendar year, and freelancers, as described in the competition guidelines. Interview Program, Narrative/Produced Program, and student categories are open to others as described in the guidelines.
• Entrants must select the correct staff-size division (A–E) or the Independent division, as applicable. Entrants may change their category or division at any time before the entry system closes. Once the entry system closes, entries cannot be moved, reclassified, or otherwise modified. Entries in the wrong category or division at close will be disqualified.
• Work must have first aired or been published during the eligible calendar year.
• Entry fees are non-refundable once submitted, including in the case of disqualification for improper categorization.
• Payment is due as described in the competition guidelines. Entries with payment not received by the payment deadline will be disqualified.

2. Judging

• All judging decisions are final.
• If a link doesn't work, PMJA will contact the person who submitted the entry, who will have until the end of the next business day to provide a working link. After that, the entry is judged only on the material judges can access.
• PMJA reserves the right to disqualify any entry that violates these terms or the competition guidelines.
• PMJA is not obligated to present an award in every category.
• Judge feedback and scoring comments may be shared with entrants at PMJA's discretion but are not guaranteed for every entry.
• PMJA may use judge feedback and comments in marketing materials related to winning entries.

3. Rights to Submitted Material

By submitting an entry, the entrant grants PMJA a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use the submitted material, and the entrant's or station's name and logo, for the following purposes:

• Judging and internal evaluation of the competition.
• Publication of winner announcements and results on PMJA.org and in PMJA communications.
• Promotion of the competition and PMJA's programs, including on PMJA's website, social media, email communications, and at PMJA events.
• Archival and educational use, including as examples of award-winning public media journalism.

This license includes the right to use excerpts of submitted audio, video, text, photographs, and other entry materials. PMJA will make reasonable efforts to credit the originating station or entrant but is not required to do so as a condition of this license. This license survives the conclusion of the competition.

4. Entrant Warranties

• The entrant confirms they hold, or have secured, all necessary rights, licenses, and releases for the material submitted, including material contributed by collaboration partners and any third-party music, footage, photographs, or interview subject releases.
• The entrant agrees to indemnify and hold PMJA harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from PMJA's use of the submitted material as described in these terms.

5. Winner Notification and Use of Award

• Awards are made to news organizations, not individuals, except for work entered by freelancers and individual entrants. Awards for collaborations are made to the collaboration as named on the entry. Individuals may reference the award in personal bios and on social media, but PMJA does not attribute specific contributions within a winning entry to individual staff.
• PMJA does not require winners to accept their award at a public event.
• Winners will be notified in advance of public announcement. Results are embargoed until the date PMJA announces, after which the official winner list will be published at PMJA.org and a press release will be issued.
• Physical awards ship to the address on the entrant's PMJA profile. Duplicate awards may be ordered using information provided with the original shipment.
• Digital badges are available for first- and second-place winners in every category, available for download at pmja.short.gy/PMJABadges.

6. Promoting Your Win

Winners are encouraged, though not required, to share their recognition. A few guidelines:

• PMJA logos, award graphics, and social media share frames are available for download. Winners may use photos of their award hardware, PMJA logos, and PMJA Award logos in their own promotion.
• Refer to us as PMJA or Public Media Journalists Association. If referenced on air, spell it out: P-M-J-A. Do not use PRNDI.
• When referencing an award, use “PMJA Award,” “PMJA Annual Award,” or “PMJA Awards Competition.”
• Winners are encouraged to loop in their station's marketing and development colleagues so they can use the recognition as well.

7. Communications and Data Use

• Entering the competition adds the entrant's email address to PMJA's email marketing list. Entrants may unsubscribe at any time.
• Entry and contact information is used to administer the competition, including judging logistics, winner notification, and hardware shipment.

8. Changes to the Competition

PMJA reserves the right to modify these terms, competition categories, deadlines, or fees, or to cancel the competition, at its discretion. Material changes will be reflected in the guidelines posted at pmja.org/award-guidelines.

9. Questions

Direct any questions about these terms to awards@pmja.org.