Spring Competitions
2024-25 General Excellence Critique and Competition — Now open & Due by Feb. 1, 2025
IMPORTANT: ALL REQUIRED FORMS WILL NOW BE SUBMITTED VIA ONLINE FORMS.
On Dec. 1, 2024, GSPA will begin accepting entries for newspaper, newsmagazine, news websites, and broadcasting published between Feb. 1, 2024 and Feb. 1, 2025. All entries must be be submitted by Feb. 1, 2025.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE ENTRY FORM
Please note GSPA membership is required to enter all GSPA competitions.
ENTRY GUIDELINES:
1. Fill out an entry form and payment for each publication type.
2. Submit:
Newspaper and Newsmagazine- Mail TWO COPIES EACH of your best two issues to GSPA, 120 Hooper St. Journalism 211A, Athens, GA 30602. Please do not mail checks to the College. See #4 below.
News Websites and Broadcasts - Provide links to publications on the entry form.
3. It is optional, but recommended, that the adviser or EIC submit a letter (no more than one-page in length) outlining for the judges any challenges the staff faced or elements that the staff wishes to highlight as their publication is reviewed. This can be mailed along with newspapers or newsmagazines, or emailed to gspa@uga.edu for broadcasts and news websites.
4. The contest fee is $40 per entry. IMPORTANT: If planning to pay by check, please first email gspa@uga.edu to request an invoice. Please do not mail checks directly to the College, as our payment processing system has changed. Or, payments can be made online.
No refunds of GSPA contest entry fees will be given for any reason after the entries have been received by the GSPA office. See full refund policy.
Individual Awards—Now open & Due by Feb. 1, 2025
GSPA offers individual categories to recognize outstanding student work in journalism. Work published in newspapers, newsmagazines, news websites and video broadcasts may be entered in the spring competition, while yearbook and literary magazine entries are accepted in the summer.
Fill out separate entry forms for each individual entry in a newspaper, newsmagazine, news website or video broadcast.
INDIVIDUAL ENTRY FORM
Entries must be published between Feb. 1, 2024 and Feb. 1, 2025 (one calendar year). ALL REQUIRED FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE.
Be sure to carefully read and follow all instructions on the entry form in order for your submissions to be valid entries.
Achievement Awards - Due by Feb. 1, 2025
The GSPA Achievement Awards recognize "behind-the-scenes" work of staffs or individuals. Please submit an entry form for each entry. Entry forms are available now. There is no fee to enter Achievement Award categories. The deadline for entries is Feb. 1, 2025.
NOMINATE FOR AN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Achievement Award Descriptions:
Administrator of the Year recognizes an administrator who has demonstrated strong support for the journalism program.
Adviser of the Year recognizes a journalism adviser who goes beyond the “call of duty” in supporting his or her staff.
Community Service recognizes a staff that through its forum has initiated significant change within the community.
First-Year Adviser recognizes a new adviser who has demonstrated success and desire in strengthening the program.
Freedom of the Press recognizes a producer(s) of work that demonstrated solid reporting and/or insight, but was censored from student publication. Examples may include persevering through prior review and/or prior restraint.
Perseverance recognizes a staff or member that has overcome significant adversity to put out a quality product or who has overcome many obstacles to report on an important issue. Use of open records or “sunshine” laws is deemed particularly meritorious.
Start-Up recognizes a first-year publication/program that has demonstrated significant quality.
Turnaround recognizes the staff that has significantly changed the quality of its product from the previous year.
Enterprising recognizes a student who achieves success in publishing significant, quality journalistic work outside of school in local, regional or national outlets.