Pittsburgh Black Media Federation

A Call For Entries!

Dear communicator:

The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation announces this year’s call for entries in the Robert L. Vann Awards. Our program is more than 25 years old and honors excellence in journalism coverage of the African-American community of Western Pennsylvania.
The contest is open to all communicators for newspapers, magazines, wire services, websites, and radio and television stations in Western Pennsylvania.

To download the entry application, please visit http://pbmf.org/?page_id=14.

Contest guidelines are as follows:

 1. All entries must have been published in a newspaper/magazine/website or aired on radio or television between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2011.

2. If using the U.S. Postal Service, two copies of each entry must be received by the contest coordinators by April 30, 2012. Entries received after the deadline will be disqualified. Electronic submissions sent via email require only one copy and must feature the category and subcategory information in the email’s subject line.

3. Contest fees are $40 per entry. An individual or organization may submit multiple entries in each category; one check may cover the entries.  Any entry received without an accompanying fee will not be accepted.

4. All entries become the property of the PBMF. Do not send irreplaceable materials. When possible, please include broadcast/audiotape or DVD or scripts.

5. Each entry should be separately packaged, with the category and sub-category printed on the outside. Entry fee checks should be made payable to the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation ans should be a seperate envelope with the completed entry form inside the mailed package. Electronic entries can be sent to robertlvannawards@gmail.com

6. Send all print entries and fees to:
     Deborah Todd
     Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
     34 Boulevard of the Allies
     Pittsburgh,  PA 15222
     For more information, please call Ervin Dyer at 412-624-4796 or Deborah Todd at 412-263-1652.

CATEGORIES

Print and Illustration/Graphics 
(newspapers, wire services, websites or magazines)   

Each entry must be neatly posted on 8.5-inch by 11-inch white paper and enclosed in a protective folder. If possible, send in tear sheets or other evidence of publication. Place entry in a folder with the completed entry form. Stories and photos may be reproduced or printed from websites. Send electronic links to robertlvannawards@gmail.com with category/subcategory information.

(television or radio)

Each entry should be made either in the name of the station or the individuals most responsible for the entry, e.g., writer or producer. ALL ENTRIES MUST HAVE BEEN BROADCAST, or produced and posted on a website. In the case of an entry involving the work of more than one person, please indicate to whom or to what office or department an award should be presented. Send electronic links to robertlvannawards@gmail.com with category/subcategory information. Please submit with each film, audiotape and videotape and electronic entry:
* A summary of the program and its local significance
* A complete script as broadcast, if possible
* All videos must be on VHS videotape or DVD, or be sent via electronic links and should include the names of writers. Radio entries can also be submitted on CD.

Each entry should be made either in the name of the station or the individuals most responsible for the entry, e.g., writer or producer. ALL ENTRIES MUST HAVE BEEN BROADCAST, or produced and posted on a website. In the case of an entry involving the work of more than one person, please indicate to whom or to what office or department an award should be presented. Send electronic links to robertlvannawards@gmail.com with category/subcategory information.

Please submit with each film, audiotape and videotape and electronic entry:
* A summary of the program and its local significance
* A complete script as broadcast, if possible
* All videos must be on VHS videotape or DVD, or be sent via electronic links and should include the names of writers. Radio entries can also be submitted on CD.

Each entry for print and illustration/graphics or broadcast must be in one of the following subcategories:
* Editorial/Documentary
* Column
* Feature Story
* Series
* Investigative/Enterprise
* Business News
* News Feature
* Public Affairs
* Spot News Story
* Sports/Sports Feature
* Art/Illustration
* Business Feature

Photography/Illustration

Each photo entry must be an 8-inch by 11-inch glossy print that has been published. Each illustration entry must be mounted on an 8-inch by 11-inch board. Both must include cut lines, if applicable, and dates of publication, and the names and affiliations of the photographers or illustrators must be attached to the back of the work. Electronic submissions must be high-resolution JPEGs that are approximately 10 MB when open — 170 dpi at 9 inches by 13 inches for the image dimensions. Use RGB mode only with no layers in Photoshop. Include subcategory information with electronic submissions.

Each entry for photography must be in one of the following subcategories:
* Feature Photo
* Picture Story
* Sports Photo
* News Photo

Entries that do not meet the specifications outlined in this call-for-entry form will be disqualified. PBMF reserves the right to re-categorize entries. Entrants will be notified if a category correction has been made.

Materials submitted will be judged by a panel of recognized journalism professionals selected by PBMF. The panel is made up of out-of-state journalists. One award will be made in each subcategory in which judges find merit. Decisions are final. The judges may elect not to give an award in a category.

All prize-winning entries become the property of PBMF, which does not assume responsibility for receipt of entries or damage for loss in transit for judging.

The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation is a 30-year-old nonprofit that trains young journalists and advocates for inclusion and fairness when covering communities of color.

Deborah Todd and Ervin Dyer

30 journalists win Vann awards; media group recognizes 5 with special honors

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation (PBMF) is proud to announce the winners of the 28th Annual Robert L. Vann awards. There are more than 30 winners and the awards celebrate outstanding achievements in journalism related to the coverage of the African-American and African Diaspora community of Western Pennsylvania. Winning entries were published or broadcast between Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2010. Entries were judged by professional journalists in Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y. Award recipients will be recognized during PBMF’s annual awards reception on Thursday, May 19, 2011, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., in the William Pitt Union, located at the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Fifth Avenue, on the University of Pittsburgh Campus, in Oakland. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m.; program begins promptly at 6 p.m. Read the rest of 2011 PBMF Winners »

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation is proud to announce the winners of the 26th Annual Robert L. Vann awards. There are more than 38 winners and the awards celebrate outstanding achievements in journalism related to the coverage of the African-American community of Western Pennsylvania. Winning entries were published or broadcast between Jan. 1, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2008.

Entries were judged by professional journalists in Philadelphia and in Rochester, New York.

Award recipients will be recognized during PBMF’s annual awards reception on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 6-10p.m., in the William Pitt Student Union Building located at the corner of Bigelow Boulevard & Fifth Avenue, on the University of Pittsburgh Campus, in Oakland.

At the reception, Police Chief Nate Harper and arts organizer Janera Solomon will be honored as communicators of the year for their public roles to champion positive change in Western Pennsylvania. Cathy Milton, one of the first black women to work on-air for WTAE, will be honored with the Legend in Journalism award.

Admission to the reception is $10 per person. Proceeds help fund scholarships for graduates of the PBMF’s Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop for high school students. For more information, contact: Deborah Todd, 412-263-1652; or Ervin Dyer, 412-624-4796;