Eligibility

• 2-year schools: All categories are open in the competition to any student staff member, student freelancer or student contributor to a student publication (print or online) published at a two-year, community college (whether named “college” or “community college”) in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska states, regardless of enrollment size. This does not include such publications as literary magazines or club newsletters nor does it include work published in a professional news outlet by a student while working as an intern or employee at that outlet. Also, work published in the student news outlet by an intern who received substantial guidance or editing by a professional should not be entered in this contest.

• 4-year schools: Student publications published at a four-year university in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska states, regardless of enrollment size, may enter in General Excellence Online category.

• No entries will be accepted if the work was done by anyone who has worked as a media professional for six months or more at any time. Also, no entries should be submitted in the General Excellence or Best Website categories if anyone who has worked as a media professional for six months or more at any time contributed to the design or layout or substantially (more than one item) contributed to the content of that issue.

  • For General Excellence, on the notes portion of the entry form, please list any material that was contributed by someone other than an enrolled student (syndicated, college faculty or staff, etc.) so judges may, if they choose, take that into consideration.

• All work entered in the contest must have been published between April 18, 2020 and May 1, 2021.

Competition rules & procedure

• There is no limitation to the number of entries per category per school. However, each individual contributor may submit up to and no more than TWO (2) entries per category. Each entry must have its own submission form. If more than two entries from one individual (“staff” is considered an individual) in any given category are received, the entire submission for that category will be disqualified.

• You may not submit the same work in more than one category. For example, you may not submit the same profile on a student athlete in sports/feature reporting and personality profile. However, if you have a story or photo that is a part of a general excellence website or headline entry, you MAY submit that same item in another category.

• Honors system: We expect that the PDF/hyperlink to be submitted as it appeared when first published and not a later/corrected version.

• Submit the full page (PDF) that the entry appears on; that page must include the name of the publication and date.

• When submitting your PDFs, follow this naming format: yourname_school_categoryname. Submit one example per entry. You must include jumped pages; stories without the jumps will be disqualified.

Cost & entry

First 10 entries are free, after that entry fee is $5 per entry for all categories. Entry form is here.

WE WILL INVOICE YOU AFTER MAY 2!!!!

• Paying by check or money order: We cannot process purchase orders. Please make out check or money order to:

Tuxedo Enterprises Inc.

• (and write “PNAJE Contest 2021” in the memo line). Please send check or money order to:

PNAJE contest, c/o Tuxedo Enterprises, 701 S. 23rd St, Tacoma, WA 98405

• Paying by credit card: Submit payment via this PayPal's link: paypal.me/lizwishaw or venmo @lizwishaw

Notification of award winners

• Judges may name up to three winners in each category (first, second and third), although they reserve the right not to issue an award if they believe no entry met the category's standards. Judges will be encouraged to provide feedback for entries. It is the judges’ discretion as to whether to offer an honorary mention.

• Award winners will be notified by email to their respective advisers. All award winners will receive certificates that will be emailed to their advisers, unless arrangements are made otherwise. PNAJE reserves the right to reproduce winning entries for promotional and/or academic purposes.