Contest changes photography category to sports, news, feature photos

Postmark deadline April 1

The TPA membership will have 72 more chances to win awards in the 2004 Better Newspaper Contest.

The Contest Committee met Jan. 22 and expanded the photography category into three separate categories — news photo, sports photo and feature photo.

“After looking at other national and regional competitions, we realized that Texas photographers are not adequately recognized in our state competition,” said contest chairman Richard Stone.

The move adds two more contest categories and 18 first place plaques and 54 certificates to the contest, which gives member newspapers even more opportunity to compete for awards.

In each photography category, newspapers will enter two photos, one of which must come from a required contest month and the other from any 2003 month of their choice.

Photography has gone through many changes during the last 10 years in the Better Newspaper Contest. For four years newspapers competed in best photo and best use of photos and in 1995 newspapers submitted entries in news photography and sports photography.

In 1998 the contest committee created one photography category including three entries comprised of news, sports or feature photos and the contest had been under that one category until the change for the 2004 contest.

The committee approved the recent change to ensure that all aspects of newspaper photography are being represented and rewarded, from breaking news to sports action, said Stone. The change also levels the competition for each category so that news photos are competing with news and sports photos with sports etc.

The required contest months for the 2004 contest are January or August. For categories that have a month requirement at least one of the entries must come from January or August. The contest period is work published during calendar year 2003.

The committee also discussed participation eligibility and voted to allow all TPA member newspapers published in Texas to enter the contest, including participating members. Member newspapers that are published less than weekly will compete as a weekly based on their circulation.

The 2004 Better Newspaper Contest postmark deadline is April 1. Newspapers are urged not to crowd the official deadline.