BEST OF THE BEST WANTED! WINNER TAKES HOME $500!
Seeking the absolute best story from print, broadcast, radio and online journalists. Enter your best stories and win $500 from the prestigious Chicago Journalists Association’s Sarah Brown Boyden competition.
CONTEST RULES
All newspapers, magazines, other periodicals, radio and television stations, podcasts, online journalists and photojournalists in the Chicago area and Northern Indiana are eligible to enter the contest, which covers the period from July 2022 to July 2023.
Nominations should include a cover letter summarizing the content of the entry, difficulty encountered in getting the story, and results, if any. Please indicate the category you are submitting, along with contact information.
No more than three stories/photos will be permitted per entry for each category. Please send all submissions to awards@chicagojournalists.net. The contest is open to CJA members and non-members.
The early-bird fee is $50 per entry in each category. After the early-bird deadline, the fee is $75 per entry in each category. The student fee is $25 per entry in each category. Payments must be made via PayPal, at chicagojournalists.net.
Early-bird deadline for entries is September 29, 2023. Final deadline is October 6, 2023.
Contestants may compete in the following categories:
Arts
Best Series
Breaking News
Business
Collaborations
Commentary
Education
Features
Health/Science
Innovation
Investigations
News or Sports Photography
Politics
Public Service
Daniel N. Moulton Sports Award
Student Journalism
Technology
Transportation
Sarah Brown Boyden joined the Chicago Evening American after attending Northwestern University in the 1920s and later worked at the Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun. She died in 1989 at age 86. Her family established this fund in her honor. We added the Daniel N. Moulton Award for the best sports story in his memory. Dan covered the hockey beat for Chicago Today and the Chicago Evening American before joining the Chicago Tribune as sports copy editor and once served as treasurer of our organization. He passed away in 2005 at age 75.
Winners will be announced at CJA’s 84th Anniversary Awards Ceremony, to be held Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
To make your payment, visit chicagojournalists.net and select the “Sarah Brown Boyden Award Fee” option on the left side of the homepage. You will then be directed to PayPal to complete your order.
Print and/or download a PDF version of the contest rules below.