Barbara Jordan Awards Call for Entries

Entry deadline is December 31, 2007

Letter from Committee Member
Guidelines
Calendar for Awards Process
Entry Rules
Category Descriptions
Submission Requirements
Submission Address
What You Need
Proceed to Online Entry Form
For questions, contact: Pat Pound

Letter from Committee Member

Dear Media Colleague:

The Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities invites you to submit entries for the Barbara Jordan Media Awards. The awards acknowledge print and broadcast media professionals who accurately and positively report on individuals with disabilities. Each year the decision for the judges becomes more difficult as more quality entries are received from across the state.

Elements in past winning entries include:

Using people with disabilities as sources, rather than as examples.
Placing coverage in appropriate subject area-sports covered in sports section.
Portraying people with disabilities as independent and productive through use of words and images.
Focusing on stories about people first and disability second.

We are excited about receiving this year's nominees! Submit a Barbara Jordan Media Award entry now.

Sincerely,
Shane Whitehurst
Journalist. UT Athletics. Person with a Disability. Volunteer.
Member, Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities

Scoop on Reporting about People with Disabilities [PDF]

Guidelines

Use positive language and imagery.
Portraying people with disabilities accurately and positively.
Material should appeal to the general public and not merely to a professional or specialized audience.

Calendar for Awards Process

December 31, 2007...............................Postmark deadline for all entries
January 31, 2008................................Completion of the judging process
April 2007......................................Ceremony for 2006 award winners
April 2008......................................Ceremony for 2007 award winners

Entry Rules

All entries must meet at least two (2) of the following four (4) criteria:
- Produced in Texas.
- Produced by an organization with corporate headquarters in Texas.
- Used Texans with disabilities in the creation or production of the materials.
- Broadcast, published or distributed in Texas.
All materials must have been released (out for public consumption) between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007.
Entries are limited to two per individual.
Materials entered will become the property of the Governor’s Committee and will be used only for purposes related to the Governor’s Committee. No materials will be used for commercial purposes.
The Committee may elect to give other forms of special recognition or to eliminate from consideration categories with entries not meriting the Barbara Jordan Award.
GCPD members, staff, and families are not eligible to receive, and may not submit nominations for, competitively-judged GCPD awards during their tenure on the Committee.

Category Descriptions

Television

Awards will be given for contributions made through the medium of television. NOTE: Please consider requesting the captioned version of the piece to use as your entry.

Public Service Announcement (PSA) —not to exceed sixty (60) seconds
Documentary —education and public affairs programs and/or series of programs or segments on a related topic
Entertainment —movies, situation comedies, musicals and other general entertainment programs
News/Feature Story —a story that appears as part of a regular newscast
Advertising —a commercial promoting a product, service or program

Radio

Awards will be given for contributions made through the medium of radio.

Public Affairs Programming—public service announcement (PSA), talk show, documentary, or series of programs or segments on related topic
News/Feature Story —a story that appears as part of a regular broadcast
Advertising —a commercial promoting a product, service or program

Photojournalism

Awards in this category will be given for a picture or series of pictures used to tell a story.

Print

Awards given in this category will include all types of print products such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, newsletters and periodicals.

Commentary —remark, comment, observation, opinion
Editorial —an expression of opinion related to an editor or publisher
Article —a story that appears in a newspaper, magazine, newsletter or other periodical
Advertising —an ad promoting a product, service, or program

Employment

Awards in this category will be given to a media professional with a disability or a media employer who employs people with disabilities.

Media Professional with a Disability — any person with a disability employed in the media in any aspect of production and/or performance. Criteria include:
1. Professional accomplishments and activities
2. Encouraging other talented persons with disabilities to seek employment in the media and/or encourage media employers to consider job applicants with disabilities
Media Employer Award —any organization that employs persons with disabilities for the production of media materials. Criteria include:
1. Effectiveness of nominees’ activities in employing persons with disabilities
2. Promoting the employment of persons with disabilities in the media

Special Contributions

Awards in this category will be given for use of the media to publicize activities, events, or products of an individual, organization, or student who has made outstanding contributions to a better understanding of persons with disabilities.

Individual (person)
Organization (group)
Student (high school journalism/communications)

Submission Instructions

Follow the instructions shown below that apply to the particular entry.

TV: Submit a DVD. VHS may be submitted if a DVD is not available.

Photojournalism: Submit a DVD or CD.

Radio Entries: Submit a CD.

Print Entries: Submit a PDF or Word document and also mail a tear sheet.

Employment and Special Contributions Categories: Supporting materials are strongly encouraged. Materials may be electronic, print, or both as appropriate to best document and portray the entry.

Submission Address

Supporting materials should be clearly labeled and mailed to:

Pat Pound

Community Outreach & Public Information Coordinator
Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
1100 San Jacinto
Room 1.200
Austin, Texas 78701

Please make sure the entry and nominator are clearly marked on the materials.

What You Need

Please make sure that you have contact information for the nominee and the nominator (The Committee encourages self-nominations). There will be a series of questions you will need to answer concerning the nominee. You may wish to review the entire form prior to filling in data.
Proceed to the entry form

The Relay Texas service is available to you by dialing 711 or by calling 1-800-RELAY VV (voice) or 1-800-RELAY TX (TDD/TT). To receive information in alternate formats, please contact the Governor's Committee. The Governor’s Committee is an equal opportunity employer. The Governor’s Committee does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. Governor’s Committee members, staff, and their families are not eligible to receive or submit nominations for competitively-judged awards during their tenure on the Committee.