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Please contact AJPA headquarters at (480) 403-4602 with any questions regarding the competition. We do not recommend contacting BetterBNC directly.
I am a freelance/individual member of AJPA but I do not see my name listed under Contestant Managers, what do I do?
Freelance and Individual members of AJPA must create an Open Call Contestant account in order to enter the Rockower Awards. For instructions on how to create an Open Call Contestant account, please refer to pages 15-17 of the competition packet. If you have already created an Open Call Contestant account, go to http://betternewspapercontest.com/open_contestants/login to log in.
We are a newspaper, how do we submit our affiliated magazine?
Please contact Taylor Swajanen at AJPA Headquarters to have a separate account created. If an affiliated magazine is submitted incorrectly (under a newspaper account), the entry will be considered as a newspaper entry and will be disqualified. The entry fee will not be refunded.
If all entries compete in the same division, an additional account is not needed for that category.
How much does it cost to enter the Simon Rockower Awards?
The AJPA member cost of each entry is $25. Thus, if you submit a total of five entries, your entire payment would amount to $125.
When can I submit entries?
Entries can be submitted starting Friday, January 6, 2023.
All entries must be uploaded and completed by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023, 7:00 P.M. ET. Entries received after this date will not be eligible. Payment must also be received by FEBRUARY 3, 2023, 7:00 P.M. ET for your submission to be eligible.
I am a current member of AJPA but I do not see my organization, publication, or subsidiary listed under Contestant Managers, what do I do?
Contact Taylor Swajanen at AJPA Headquarters at admin@ajpa.org, or (480) 403-4602.
I am not a current member of AJPA, how do I become eligible to submit entries to the Simon Rockower Awards?
In order to be eligible to submit entries, you must become a member of AJPA. You can apply for membership through our website at https://ajpa.org/Become-a-Member or contact Taylor Swajanen at admin@ajpa.org.
How do I know if I am an AJPA member in good standing and eligible to enter the Simon Rockower Awards?
AJPA member publications, affiliate members, and individual members must be in good standing to be eligible. To check if your dues are up to date, e-mail admin@ajpa.org. Good Standing is defined as:
(1) The member's dues must be paid through May 1 in the year which the awards will be distributed (e.g., if the awards are distributed at the AJPA Annual Conference in 2023, the membership expiration date must be on or after May 1, 2023); and
(2) The member's dues must be paid for all previous years in which the member was required to pay dues, unless there has been an action taken by AJPA to forgive or otherwise not collect such dues.
If a member has not paid the dues described in (1) and (2) prior to February 3 of the year in which the awards will be distributed, then any entry submission from that member will be disqualified and ineligible to be considered for a Rockower Award in that year. In such instance, there will be no refund of all or any portion of the payment for the submission.
Are non-journalist AJPA members allowed to submit entries?
Affiliate members in good standing are eligible to submit entries. Please contact Taylor Swajanen at admin@ajpa.org if you are a prospective or current AJPA Affiliate member and wish to enter the competition.
I am logged in to my account and I am trying to submit an entry, but none of the categories are appearing in the drop-down menu, how do I select a category?
Once you have clicked on ‘Submit Entry’, there is a ‘Division’ drop-down menu; please make sure ‘General’ is selected before you proceed to select a category to enter.
I am having trouble uploading my entries; can I just mail my entries in to AJPA Headquarters?
AJPA Headquarters will only accept hard-copy entries for categories #12, #33, #36 and #37. For any other uploading issues, please contact Taylor Swajanen at admin@ajpa.org. All hard-copy entries must be received by the deadline February 3, 2023, 7:00 P.M. ET.
Once you have logged in to your Contestant Manager Account, click the first link on the left side, ‘My Account’, to edit all account, password and contact information.
Can I submit Q&A pieces?We ask that members select the division best suited to
their regular distribution. If your publication has changed your model in the
last two years due to COVID-19, please use the division that best reflects your
regular operation.
- Weekly Newspapers: Papers published weekly or more frequently
- Biweekly Newspapers: Paper published twice a month or every other week.
- Monthly Newspapers: Papers published monthly or less frequently
- Magazines: All magazines regardless of frequency
- Website: Organizations who publish their content online only
- Digital Publication: Organizations who produce a regular publication that only appears digitally
- Wire Services: News syndicate agencies
After completing the survey, you will be placed into the correct circulation group. Please confirm your circulation group is accurate in BNC before you submit entries.
In BNC my circulation group is listed as NOT ASSIGNED?