KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The VFW Publications Department announced today that it is accepting submissions for the VFW’s 2015 National Publications Contest.This year, the VFW National Publications Contest will be judged in different categories than in the past. Additionally, the categories will not be judged within sub-categories based on circulation, but rather on publication frequency(one to three times per year and four or more times per year).
This year, the categories will include:
Department:
•Overall Design and Content of Newspaper
(defined as being printed on newsprint)
•Best Feature Story
(all frequencies judged together in this category and submitted separately)
•Magazine
(defined by physical size and paper stock)
Post/District (now combined):
•Overall Design and Content
Each category will be awarded three places: a grand award (first overall), silver (second overall) and bronze (third overall). The silver and bronze awards will take the form of a certificate suitable for framing.
Our new awards system conforms to that of professional societies within the association publishing industry: National Mature Media Awards, Association Trends, Society of National Association Publications, Society of Professional Journalists and Communications Concepts. In other words, the same types of awards for which VFW magazine competes.
Please note that we are adding a whole new category to the publications contest. It is called the Best Feature Story. The story must be a published article of at least 300 words. It can be originally written by your newspaper staff or by a freelance writer or be reprinted from a newspaper within your state.
Examples of eligible subjects include operations at state VA departments, National Guard/Reserve unit deployments to Afghanistan/Iraq, troop-support activities, Department VFW programs, dedication of state memorials, state commemorative events for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam and editorials advocating positions on veteran issues within your state.
The new contest for feature stories is retroactive a decade to 2004, so you can submit articles published on home-state units supported while serving overseas in the war zones. In the future, entries will come from the current calendar year.
All national entries must place first in Department-level contests. One copy of each winning Post and District publication—as well as one issue of the Department newspaper and one copy of the Department’s selected “Best Feature Article”—must be mailed by Department adjutants, Department quartermasters or Department editors by April 3,2015, to:
Publications Contest
406 W. 34th St., Suite 523
Kansas City, MO 64111
Issues published between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2014, are eligible, with the exception of “Best Feature Article” submissions, which could have been published between 2004-2014.
Questions may be directed to Kelly Gibson at kgibson@vfw.org.
Click here to download the contest entry form.
Download the updated judging sheets using the individual category links below:
Department Newsletter
Department Magazine
Best Feature Article
Post/District