The portal to submit entries opened on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, and the deadline to submit entries was Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 at 11:30 p.m. (GMT -5).
The 43rd creative competition is open to all media publications. You do not need to be a member of SND to participate in the contest.
All entries must have been originally published between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2021. If a story continues to have significant updates after Dec. 31, 2021, please include a note explaining the changes to help provide context for judges.
Looking for tips on how to enter?
1. Story Page Design (single URL)
Entries will be judged for excellence in design and presentation (typography, styling, pacing, organization, photo editing, user experience, information architecture, usability, use of color etc.) as well as development (responsiveness, performance, browser compatibility, interactivity, accessibility etc.) and innovation (new tools or experimentation). An entry does not need to check off all items to receive an award. For multiple URL entries, use line of coverage or portfolio. Do not enter the same story in more than two subcategories.
- Features: Arts, Entertainment, Food, Travel & Lifestyle
- Business: Including Finance, Technology & Transportation
- Environment & Science: Including climate change
- Health: Including Coronavirus
- Social Issues: Including Gender/Identity
- Sports : Including Olympics
- International: Stories from abroad, about a country or a global subject, wars/conflicts and issues that cross borders
- Politics: Elections, government and policy coverage
- Regional/local: Community events and issues, politics, weather, crime and justice, education, traffic
- Investigative: Deep “watchdog” or “accountability” reporting on a single topic, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing
- Breaking (unplanned): This category is for work done on a breaking news cycle. Examples include mass casualties, natural disaster, severe weather, mass conflicts and catastrophes, scientific breakthroughs, obituaries. Planned coverage around news such as elections and sports events should be submitted in topic categories.
- Other: Human interest or entries that do not fit one of the existing categories
2. Information Graphics (single URL)
Entries will be judged for excellence in reporting and content creation (data visualization, information graphics, photography, video, audio, animation, illustration and art direction, etc.) as well as design and presentation, development (programming, coding, applications, database analysis, responsiveness, performance, browser compatibility, interactivity, accessibility etc.) and innovation (new tools or experimentation). An entry does not need to check off all items to receive an award. For multiple URL entries, use line of coverage or portfolio. Do not enter the same story in more than two subcategories.
- Features: Arts, Entertainment, Food, Travel & Lifestyle
- Business: Including Finance, Technology & Transportation
- Environment & Science: Including climate change
- Health: Including Coronavirus
- Social Issues: Including Gender/Identity
- Sports : Including Olympics
- International: Stories from abroad, about a country or a global subject, wars/conflicts and issues that cross borders
- Politics: Elections, government and policy coverage
- Regional/local: Community events and issues, politics, weather, crime and justice, education, traffic
- Investigative: Deep “watchdog” or “accountability” reporting on a single topic, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing
- Breaking (unplanned): This category is for work done on a breaking news cycle. Examples include mass casualties, natural disaster, severe weather, mass conflicts and catastrophes, scientific breakthroughs, obituaries. Planned coverage around news such as elections and sports events should be submitted in topic categories.
- Other: Human interest or entries that do not fit one of the existing categories
3. Page elements / format (single URL)
This category is for highlighting a specific element within a page. Entries will be judged for excellence in reporting and content creation (data visualization, information graphics, photography, video, audio, animation, illustration and art direction, etc.) and innovation and experimentation. An entry does not need to check off all items to receive an award. For multiple URLs entries, use line of coverage or portfolio. Do not enter the same story in more than two subcategories.
Important: Judges will consider entries within the context of advancing digital storytelling, infographics or social media. Please note which element(s) on the page should be judged, along with any applicable details on sourcing or art direction.
- Use of Animation: For videos, GIFs or code created.
- Use of Audio
- Use of Data
- Use of Maps
- Use of Commissioned Illustration (single)
- Use of In-House Illustration (single)
- Use of Commissioned Illustration (multiple)
- Use of In-House Illustration (multiple)
- Use of Photography
- Use of Video
- Augmented or Virtual Reality
- Social Media Design: For a story or thread formatted specifically for off-site platforms. Submit a URL or upload a file.
- Association, trade or business-to-business publication
- Promotional and corporate news
- Digital magazine
4. Line of coverage (3-5 URLs)
For special topics, ongoing events or series, please submit three to five URLs from page design, infographics or social media. Entries will be judged for excellence in design and presentation (typography, styling, pacing, organization, photo editing, user experience, information architecture, usability, use of color etc.) or reporting and content creation (data visualization, information graphics, photography, video, audio, animation, illustration and art direction, etc.) as well as development (responsiveness, performance, browser compatibility, interactivity, etc.) and innovation (new tools or experimentation). An entry does not need to check off all items to receive an award.
Important: For general categories such as features, business, sports etc., entries must be on related topics. For unrelated stories, please use the portfolio category.
- Climate change
- Coronavirus
- Summer Olympics in Tokyo
- Anniversary of terrorist attack from Sept. 11, 2001
- Long-form series: For text-driven narratives of more than 2,500 words each.
- Investigative or public service: Deep “watchdog” or “accountability” reporting on a single topic, such as serious crimes, political corruption or corporate wrongdoing
- Social media: For stories told and formatted specifically as part of Twitter threads, Instagram, Snapchat or similar off-site platforms. Submit the URLs or upload a file and please note which element(s) should be judged (as many as five examples).
- Features and Social Issues: Arts, Entertainment, Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Gender/Identity
- Business: Including Finance, Technology & Transportation
- Environment, Health & Science: Excluding climate change and Coronavirus
- Sports : Excluding Olympics
- International: Stories from abroad, about a country or a global subject, wars/conflicts and issues that cross borders
- Politics: Elections, government and policy coverage
- Regional/local: Community events and issues, politics, weather, crime and justice, education, traffic
- Breaking (unplanned): This category is for work done on a breaking news cycle. Examples include mass casualties, natural disaster, severe weather, mass conflicts and catastrophes, scientific breakthroughs, obituaries. Planned coverage around news such as elections and sports events should be submitted in topic categories.
- Other: Human interest or entries that do not fit one of the existing categories
5. Product design (single or multiple URLs)
Submit work that demonstrates the use of thoughtful or innovative design experiences concentrating on user experience or user interface design. Entries will be judged on design (typography, styling, organization, information architecture, usability, use of color etc.), development (responsiveness, performance, browser compatibility, interactivity, etc.). Entries can be submitted as screenshots, a URL or a URL to a download page. Please supply us with the materials you think are needed to explain this entry in the best way possible.
- Home page
- Landing page(s)
- Mobile app
- New site, page, app or other product
- Redesigned site, page or app
- Newsletter design
- Multimedia or interactive modules: For elements within a page that allow for custom code, user interface, video, audio or other visuals
- Internal storytelling tools for journalists
6. Experimental design
Submit work that does not fit other categories. Do you have a product that doesn’t necessarily fit with these categories? Did you create something for virtual reality or a wearable product this year? Please submit anything you can to show us your work. This could include a URL to a download page or a video showing it in use. Please include as much pertinent information as possible to give judges the best opportunity to see your work how a reader/viewer would see it.
7. Portfolio (3-5 URLs)
Submit a portfolio of work for three to five URLs. An “Individual” portfolio should be designed completely or primarily by a single submitter; for stories with multiple bylines, please note the specific role and contributions for the individual credited on the portfolio. An “Organizational” portfolio should be designed by different people as a staff effort; organizations may enter more than one portfolio per subcategory but individual URLs should NOT be repeated among entries with the same subcategory. For entries around a related topic, see line of coverage above.
- Story Page Design (individual)
- Story Page Design (organization, staff or team)
- Information Graphics (individual)
- Information Graphics (organization, staff or team)
- Art direction (individual)
- Art direction (organization, staff or team)
- Social media (Individual or organization)
- Breaking news (individual or organization): Demonstrating unplanned work done on a breaking news cycle; links do not have to be on a related topic
- Combination (individual): Including any of the above or product
- Combination, including any of the above or product (Staff or team)
- Student (individual or organization)
World’s Best-Designed™ Digital News Experience, World’s Best-Designed™ Digital Designer and Best of Show
SND also will recognize a site or publication as World’s Best-Designed™ Digital News Experience, awarded annually since 2010 and selected from among top medal winners. To be eligible, submit entries in any of the line of coverage, product or organizational portfolio categories. The World’s Best-Designed™ Digital Designer will be selected from top medal winners in the individual portfolio categories.
The judging panel also will select three individual medal winners from small, medium and large newsrooms for Best in Show honors. Please be sure to note the size that best describes your organization when entering.