Thirty days to go, thirty talking points about the AIPS Awards

AIPS Media

LAUSANNE, October 4, 2021 - The AIPS Sport Media Awards 2021 are receiving submissions from all over the world. With the clock marking precisely one month before the deadline, here are the most relevant details about the most prestigious prize in sports journalism. You can be part of it!

Here are the ten key points for the Awards 2021:

1) Submission deadline extended until November 4. As a gesture towards all the colleagues that are still struggling to regain access and restore the pre-pandemic working conditions, AIPS president Gianni Merlo announced a one-month extension to submit works. The final deadline is November 4, 18:00 Central European Time.
 
2) Two works across all categories accepted. Every professional can upload two submissions. They might be included in the same category or in different categories, as long as they follow the Rules. Submissions can be in any language and submitting is completely free.

3) From November to November. The AIPS Sport Media Awards accept all original works that were first published between November 10, 2020, until November 4, 2021.

4) All branches of sports journalism covered. The 8 senior categories are divided into Writing (Best Column; Best Colour Piece), Photography (Action Photo; Portfolio), Video (Short Feature, Athlete Profile, Documentary) and Audio (for all types of audio reports, podcasts, radio). In addition, there is a Young Reporters Under 30 category, optional for those born after January 1, 1992, and split into Photography, Writing and Broadcasting (Audio & Video).

5) Freelancers welcome. The AIPS Sport Media Awards are open to all media professionals, regardless of their work status. AIPS membership is not required to participate. We hope that, through our Awards and the AIPS Education programmes, you can also get to know what AIPS does in terms of culture and how important it is to stay connected.

6) The only global award for sports journalism. In the first three editions, the AIPS Sport Media Awards have shown an incredible diversity, having received works from more than 100 countries each year. In 2020, 129 countries and 35 languages were represented. The global spirit of this prize is also reflected in the judging process, with 40 top professionals from 36 different countries taking part in the five judging stages until the winners are announced.

7) An introductory card to the AIPS world. The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) is the body that represents international sports media from websites, newspapers, radio and TV across all continents. 161 national associations are part of the AIPS network and more than 9,500 AIPS members worldwide. The creation of the AIPS Sport Media Awards in 2018 was yet another step in the constant evolution of AIPS, whose first Congress was held in 1924 on the eve of Paris 1924 Olympic Games.

8) A total prize money of US$ 104,000 for all podium nominees. Winners of each of the 8 senior categories will be entitled to a money prize. The first prize for each is US$ 8,000. Second-placed will earn US$ 3,000. The third-placed will be rewarded with US$ 2,000. Each of the winners of the (optional) Young Reporter Categories for Under 30 will receive a scholarship to cover a major international sports event. Young Reporters categories do not include a second and third prize.

9) One website does it all. In order to submit, first, you need to sign up at www.aipsawards.com and, once you’ve created your own profile, you can click on ‘add submission’, select category and sub-category, upload your work (links or files), add media name, proof of publication, and then submit. Works cannot be submitted by email or social media.

10) All aboard for the 2022 gala. After a careful review, we first announce all the list of participants and their countries; then, by the end of the year we will subsequently publish the longlists by category, and after each voting stage, we will announce the remaining candidates: shortlists, Top 10 and Top 3 Podium nominees. The podium ceremony of the AIPS Sport Media Awards 2021 will take place in March 2022, date and venue to be confirmed depending on the evolution of the pandemic. The first ceremony was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2019. The second edition had its ceremony in Budapest, Hungary, in 2020. The third gala was a virtual ceremony from the medieval castle of Vigevano, Italy, in 2021.

Interested in more? Have a look at the category specifications and other important information.

11) Writing categories accept all kinds of articles. We accept all types of articles, without limitations of word count, to compete under the Best Column and Best Colour Piece categories. Book excerpts or chapters are not accepted unless reproduced in a media outlet under an article format.

12) Video categories welcome short and long features. The Athlete Profile and Documentary category are reserved for videos of 10 or more minutes. The Short Feature category encompasses all videos up to 10 minutes.

13) Photography categories, for action and production. The two categories, Action and Portfolio, offer the photographer the chance of participating both with action and production pictures.

14) Audio category, for in-depth reporting. The only audio category accepts radio reports, podcasts, pieces of commentary or other audio submissions that are not only compelling but also display some technical innovation and quality research.

15) All languages accepted. And we really mean it. Applicants can submit entries in any language. It is advisable, but not compulsory, to submit an English translation. We will translate into English all submissions that were picked in the different voting stages. For audiovisual works that reach the final stage, please notice that we can require you the script in your original language to ensure adequate translation. All articles that are not in English and do not have English translation will be screened by either a member of the AIPS panel of experts, Executive Committee member or a native speaker from the respective member association of AIPS in the first phase. If judged as valuable, the entry will be translated into English via a professional service.
16) Longlists, shortlists, nominations. We take the judging process very seriously, with five voting stages before announcing the winners. Once your work has been reviewed and admitted by AIPS staff, the first selection (longlist) is made, considering the ratings of an AIPS panel of experts, Executive Committee members and Jury members. The second stage goes exclusively to the EC, represented by 24 members from 24 different countries. They will narrow the longlist into a shortlist. Then the Jury comes into stage, with 11 relevant members of the sports media industry, plus AIPS president Gianni Merlo as president (voting also in the case of a tie). The Jury will narrow the shortlist into the Top 10 finalists (third voting stage), Top 3 podium finalists (fourth voting stage) and, a day before the final ceremony, the winners (fifth and final voting stage). Jurors names and their career expertise in sports journalism are accessible on the website HERE.

17) Modern means flexible & why we accept social media and blogs. We would like to give as many chances of participation as possible to all journalists, photographers and videographers, which is why we are also accepting video-sharing platforms (such as YouTube and Vimeo), podcasts, and personal blogs (such as Medium or Facebook) to ensure that everyone has equal possibilities and visibility regardless of their employment status, as long as entrants are sport media professionals and comply with the rest of the rules. We know the difficult conditions that many colleagues are facing and we want to show our full support.

18) A good way to celebrate quality journalism. If you want to check the previous winners, and their prestigious work, you can see all the names on our website.
Podium 2018 Edition, Lausanne ceremony: https://www.aipsawards.com/podium 
Podium 2019 Edition, Budapest ceremony: https://www.aipsawards.com/podium2020
Podium 2020 Edition, Vigevano castle ceremony: https://www.aipsawards.com/podium2021

19) Continental recognition and career-changing opportunities. A few days after the winners are announced, in March 2022, we will also publish the continental rankings, with the top-rated works per category. We consider this a celebration of the best performers on a regional level and we do understand the value of their effort, which is why we also release certificates of achievement for them. Each continental section or national association is free to pay tribute to the best ranked.

20) Understanding proof of publication and first broadcast/publication. We ask for proof of publication, as a way to check that your work was actually published and in the dates that you have stated. It can be a link or a PDF, MP4 or audio file, depending on the category. In the case of submitting links, they must not be behind paywalls. The first broadcast or publication date is the first date in which the video, audio, article or photograph was published/released. It must be between November 10, 2020 and November 4, 2021. In the photography categories, it is the date in which it was published in your agency (if applicable) or media outlet, but also taking into account the date of the event, that must be in the valid participation window. Private screenings for video products are not considered as officially released. If you have any doubts, please write to us, we will be happy to review your case.

21) Two special categories are not open to submissions. There are two special categories not open for submissions: Investigative reporting and A life in sport. These special categories are decided by the Jury and will not have finalists: winners will be directly informed in advance by the president of the Jury. These categories are not entitled to a money prize. If you want to suggest any names and work that might fit in the category, you can contact us.

22) Young Reporters under 30 category is optional. If you are born after January 1, 1992, you have the possibility of submitting one work in the Young Reporter Under 30 category (split into Photography, Writing or Broadcasting), but you are not forced to compete in this category if you do not wish to, opting instead to use your two submissions in the senior categories. The Jury has the power of recalling eliminated submissions from the senior categories and placing them in the Young Reporters category if the entrant is born after 1992.

23) You can make changes in your submissions until deadline. If you want to change, delete or amend your submission, you’re free to do it before the submission deadline of November 4. Once the submission deadline has passed, any missing material will be asked by AIPS Staff via email.

24) Team entries? Here’s important information about works with more than one journalist. In the event of a team production (ie an audiovisual content) we need one person to fill the participation form (name, surname, etc), and in the description field, you can acknowledge the rest of the people involved. If it is a co-production or an article that was written by two people, you should write the other names in the description. In Photography, team entries are not allowed.

25) Registering and submitting process, a quick guide. In order to submit, first, you need to sign up at www.aipsawards.com and, once you’ve created your own profile, you can log in, then click on ‘add submission’, select category and sub-category, upload your work (links or files), add media name, proof of publication, and then submit. Please notice that each submission requires this process. We will not accept two submissions sent in the same form. You can make amendments to your submission once it’s been uploaded, but you can’t change the category and sub-category. To do so, you will have to delete your submission and start over.

26) We believe most works can fit into the 8 current categories. If you have doubts about under which category can you submit, you can contact us via email or on social media. The Jury can decide to change a submission into another category if the jurors decide it is more appropriate there, always notifying the entrant in advance. For more information, you can check all the categories and requirements here: https://www.aipsawards.com/categories

27) How we will use your material. We will publish your name and your submission title in the participant's list. We will only republish your work (with the original links if not behind paywalls, and watermarks if they are photos) if selected among the nominees and for promotional reasons only, in the AIPS Media and AIPS Awards websites and AIPS and AIPS Awards social media accounts. We will not redistribute any of the material received to third parties, but we will be happy to pass requests from third parties to the authors directly, to give them the possibility of republishing their work in other media and countries.

28) A note about our social media platforms. On our social media platforms @aipsawards (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook), we publish announcements (deadline, voting stages, rules, reminders) and we might contact you to remind you to submit your work before the deadline or to see if you need any assistance. The @aipsmedia accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) publish daily news and information, including notifications about the Awards, and can also be a way of communicating with the staff. Following you back from either @aipsawards or @aipsmedia is under no circumstances an endorsement nor it represents any advantage.

29) A quick recap, then. The AIPS Sport Media Awards are accepting all works in any language first published in or after November 10, 2020, until November 4, 2021. The final deadline for submitting is November 4, 2021, at 18:00 Central European Time. All media professionals are invited to participate in any of the 8 senior categories, or the 3 sub-categories for Young Reporters under 30, regardless of the working status. After each of the five voting stages, AIPS will publish the names of the journalists that have subsequently advanced to the next round, from longlists to shortlists, then Top 10, Top 3 and the Final Podium, which guarantees prizes from US$ 2,000 to US$ 8,000 depending on the final position. After the ceremony, in March 2022, we will also publish the continental rankings for each category.

30) Have you submitted? Don’t miss out!