We invite you to submit entries for international coverage in Newspapers, News Services, Digital, Magazines, Radio, Podcasts, Television, Video, Cartoons, Books and Photography.
Applications are open: Submit entries here.
GENERAL DEADLINE: January 31, 2022
CORNELIUS RYAN BOOK AWARD DEADLINE: January 10, 2022
AWARDS DINNER: April 21, 2022 at Cipriani 25 Broadway
ELIGIBILITY: Work must be published or broadcast in the U.S. or by a U.S.-based company or be accessible to an American audience for the first time during 2021 with reporting primarily outside the U.S.
GENERAL RULES
Entries can be submitted only through the OPC’s online submission process which will include the application, the work and a brief statement explaining why the entry deserves consideration. Material may be the work of an individual, group or staff but must be on one subject or theme.
Each entry is $200, and payment options are outlined on the application page.
Organizations submitting 5 or more entries must pay by check or ACH payment, fill out our PDF Master List form with a list of all entries, and email it to the OPC office.
Freelancers who find it difficult to pay the full fee should contact patricia@opcofamerica.org for information about financial aid.
The same piece of work may be entered in more than one category, but each entry must comply with the rules for the individual category.
Books can be submitted only for the Olivier Rebbot Award and the Cornelius Ryan Award.
All award winners receive a certificate and a $1,000 prize.
Only one saved “draft” is allowed at one time per category in Submittable. Once an entry is submitted, the submitter must contact the OPC to edit the content of the submission.
JUDGING
Head judges have the discretion to move an entry to another award if they feel that the entry is submitted in an inappropriate category.
CONTEST INFORMATION
All questions concerning the awards should be directed to Patricia Kranz, Executive Director of the Overseas Press Club of America, email info@opcofamerica.org or call 917 971-0746.
ENTRIES CANNOT BE RETURNED. SUBMITTING WILL ASSUME PERMISSION FOR THE ENTRY TO APPEAR IN THE OPC MAGAZINE DATELINE, ON THE OPC WEBSITE AND IN OPC PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE AWARDS DINNER AND/OR COMPETITION.
If you are submitting more than four entries for a media organization, please e-mail a master list of all entries to the OPC office.
A complete list of the 22 awards follows.
2021 OPC Annual Awards
01. The Hal Boyle Award
Best newspaper, news service or digital reporting from abroad.
02. The Bob Considine Award
Best newspaper, news service or digital interpretation of international affairs.
03. The Robert Capa Gold Medal Award
Best photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise published in any medium.
04. The Olivier Rebbot Award
Best photographic news reporting from abroad published in any medium.
05. The Feature Photography Award
Best feature photography on an international theme published in any medium.
06. The Lowell Thomas Award
Best radio, audio, or podcast coverage of international affairs.
07. The David Kaplan Award
Best TV or video spot news reporting from abroad.
08. The Edward R. Murrow Award
Best TV, video or documentary interpretation of international affairs with a run time up to 30 minutes.
09. The Peter Jennings Award
Best TV, video or documentary about international affairs with a run time over 30 minutes.
10. The Ed Cunningham Award
Best magazine-style, long-form narrative feature in print or digital on an international story.
11. The Best Cartoon Award
Best print or digital graphic journalism, including cartoons, on international affairs.
12. The Morton Frank Award
Best international business news reporting in TV, video, radio, audio or podcast.
13. The Malcolm Forbes Award
Best international business news reporting in newspapers, news services, magazines or digital.
14. The Cornelius Ryan Award
Best non-fiction book on international affairs.
15. The Madeline Dane Ross Award
Best international reporting in the print medium or digital showing a concern for the human condition.
16. The David A. Andelman and Pamela Title Award
Best international TV, video, radio, audio or podcast reporting showing a concern for the human condition.
17. The Joe and Laurie Dine Award
Best international reporting in any medium dealing with human rights.
18. The Whitman Bassow Award
Best reporting in any medium on international environmental issues.
19. The Robert Spiers Benjamin Award
Best reporting in any medium on Latin America.
20. The Kim Wall Award
Best story or series of stories on international affairs using creative and dynamic storytelling techniques.
21. The Roy Rowan Award
Best investigative reporting in any medium on an international story.
22. The Flora Lewis Award
Best commentary in any medium on international news.
Please follow the rules and guidelines below for each of the award category types.
PRINT
Provide permanent links to all work that will be entered for judging at the bottom of the “Brief statement” field on the entry form. DO NOT SEND additional materials to the OPC office.
GUIDELINES: It is best not to submit “a body of work” such as “reporting from Asia” — these categories are too generalized and too long. We do not set a limit for total number of articles, but it is best to be selective and submit only the strongest material.
BOOKS
Book entries will send two hard copies to the OPC office, 40 West 45th Street, New York, NY, 10036.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Pictures must provide an accurate and fair representation of the scene witnessed. The content of a picture cannot be altered by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people or objects from within the frame. The judges may request to see raw files for review.
Upload high resolution photos to the contest website. DO NOT SEND DVDs or CDs to the OPC office. Title the uploads by award last name, nominee’s first initial and last name and number the jpgs, for example: rebbot_jdoe_a1.jpg
Send no more than 12 images (images 10 inches at longest dimension, 300 dpi, JPEG) with captions for each image in a separate Word Document and also embedded in the image IPTC information or description field. In addition to photos, you must submit proof of publication. Scan and create a PDF from a newspaper tearsheet, magazine article, book or website link. Upload everything into one .zip folder: images, Word document, proof of publication in PDF and IPTC information.
CARTOON
Upload high-resolution images. DO NOT SEND printed cartoons or portfolios to the OPC. Title uploads by award name, nominee’s first initial and last name and entry title (e.g.: thomas_jdoe_title1.jpg). In addition to the cartoons, submit proof of publication — for example, PDF from newspaper or magazine, or website link. Submit no more than 12 images (images 10 inches at longest dimension, 300dpi, JPEG). Upload all images and proof of publication in one zip folder.
For cartoons about international events not published originally in English, all entries in the cartoon category should have an English translation provided along with the entry submission. Submissions without a translation will not be considered.
TELEVISION
For the David Kaplan Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Peter Jennings Award and the David A. Andelman and Pamela Title Award, fill out the online OPC application and include a link to your work making sure to include any passwords required to view. The video may reside on any server, personal or corporate, or on a free service like youtube.com where the video privacy settings are checked as “unlisted” so they are not available in a search query but are viewable to those with a link. Read more about where to update video privacy settings in youtube.com.
Required Specifications: .MP4 format, 1080p: 1920 × 1080 or 720p: 1280 × 720, HD, H.264 video codec, AAC audio codec, 384 kbps audio stereo stream.
RADIO
Upload broadcast-quality MP3(s).DO NOT SEND CDs or DVDs to the OPC office. Title uploads by award name, nominee’s first initial and last name and entry number (e.g.: thomas_jdoe_1.mp3).
DIGITAL
Entries must include: URLs/links to the work(s) nominated and must be available online and include any passwords required to view.