The Society of American Business Editors and Writers‘ 20th annual Best in Business competition will open for entries on Monday, Dec.1.
The year the organization will have three new categories — health care, government and energy. These new categories will celebrate the best reporting from each of these beats.
In addition, other changes have been made to the contest. They include:
- Innovation entries can be packages that combine multimedia elements in unique, interesting ways. Data visualization projects are encouraged for entry in this category.
- A new category called social media allows for 10-15 social-media entries that demonstrate a creative timely skillful use of the medium.
- One story or project may be entered into a maximum of two categories. The contest previously allowed unlimited categories for one piece of journalism.
- Blog categories have been merged with opinion/column to form commentary.
- For the most part, SABEW has eliminated mandatory dates. Enter the work you think is best, as long as it was published in 2014. Exceptions: With some general excellence categories, SABEW is asking for “weekday” and “weekend” choices.
- Entries in personal finance, real estate, small business, technology, health care, energy and government categories no longer need to share common bylines. An entry may include five pieces from one reporter or a selection of pieces from various reporters as long as they fall within the category subject.
Visit the SABEW site for the complete list of new features and the official 2014 BIB contest rules. The deadline to submit entries is Jan. 28.
Only SABEW members in good standing can enter. This year’s winners will be recognized at the spring conference in Chicago on April 23-25, 2015.
Chris RoushChris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.
