2023-24 Lowell Thomas Competition

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS

Those Submitting Work for Multiple Authors/Creators
(applicable to both first time and past entrants)

Getting Started

Submitting Entries

Submission Guidelines for Specified Categories

Mailing Instructions

Payment Instructions

GETTING STARTED:

Media Organizations/Those Submitting Work for Multiple Authors/Creators 
(applicable to both first time and past entrants)

A. Contestant Login/Contestant Manager 

  1. At BetterBNC (betterbnc.com), click on Contestant Login at top of page. If you are the main contact making entries for your organization, choose Contestant Manager tab. In the Select a Contest box, highlight the 2023-24 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. Then under Select Media Organization, choose your company from among the drop-down list. 
  1. If your organization does not show up, contact Victoria Larson at victoria@satwfoundation.org, and provide the following information: company name, primary contact, contact’s email address and phone number. We will add you to the list and send sign-in instructions via email.
  1. If you did the entries last year, use the same password (click Forgot Password for help). If you are a new/different contact for your company this year, contact Victoria Larson at victoria@satwfoundation.org to update the file. If your organization is listed but no one entered last year, enter satwf as the password and click Login. Fill in the information as needed on the media page. Change the primary email contact as needed and set a new password.
  1. Past entrants, once you’re signed in, in the drop-down menu under the Contestant tab, click on My Account. Update your information as needed. This allows us to let you know if you’re a winner and to help promote your award. 
  1. Newcomer media entrants: Once you submit two entry forms, you see a pop-up window about validating your account. An auto validation link goes to the email you have listed for the account. Follow those instructions to continue. Check your spam or junk mail folders if you don’t see a validation email soon. If you have any issues validating your account, click on the Help & Support button in the top left corner of any BetterBNC page. 

B. Contestant Login/Authorized Entrant 

The Authorized Entrant tab is for someone the Contestant Manager approves to help make entries. For instance, an editor may approve another staffer to make entries. The Contestant Login page has information to help set up Authorized Entrants, or contact Victoria Larson at victoria@satwfoundation.org. 

SUBMITTING ENTRIES (all entrants)

A.  Go to BetterBNC (betterbnc.com) and log in to your account.

    • Open Call Login is for freelance journalists/individual media (if you see Authorized Entrant tab, that is not for you)
    • Contestant Login is for companies/media entrants
    • Once you’ve followed your respective set-up instructions, you should land on your applicable Welcome/Manage Entries page for our contest. 

B.  IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING: Once you’re signed in, at the top of the BetterBNC page, see Contest Info and click on each item in the drop-down menu for overview/details about the competition. It is important to read Contest Rules for guidelines and eligibility information. You also may read this information on this website. See our contest home page and click the Rules & Eligibility tab. 

C.  Managing and uploading your entries

  1. On the Manage Entries page, click Submit Entry and go to an entry form. Open Call entrants may need to scroll down the Manage Entries page to see the form. 
  1. On Division, highlight General. (You must do this before you can see categories.)
  1. Under Category, choose from the drop-down menu. Read the Category Notes explaining requirements, in the pop-up window below the Category selection box. (You can see a list of all categories with guidelines by clicking link on our contest home page.) 
  1. Fill out the remaining fields for the entry and upload applicable file(s) and/or provide web URL address/link. Allowed file types are PDF, DOC/DOCX, TXT, JPG, GIF, PNG. To upload files, click Browse, navigate to the desired file and click Open. If file sizes are really large, you may need to contact BetterBNC for help or use one of the sources noted by the URL fields on the entry form. 
  1. Credits: This should be the creator of the work, such as the author of text, photographer for photos, etc. If entering work by someone other than yourself, please put the email address in Comments box for the person(s) listed in credits. 
  1. Note on the run date: For entries that may be month-specific (rather than a day), such as magazines, books etc., enter 1 for the date, such as May 1, 2023. For March-April 2023 magazine issues, put April 1, 2023, and for March-April 2024, put March 1, 2024.  
  1. You must hit Submit at bottom of form to save the entry. You do not need to complete all entries at one time. Hitting the Submit button to save an entry starts building a list. You can return to the page later and add more entries. 
  1. Entries must be filed electronically, with a few exceptions. For more information, see Submission Guidelines for Specified Categories.
  1. To complete your submissions and enter the contest, you must go to the Calculate Entry Fee button, approve your list and pay the total fee shown. See Payment Instructions below.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIED CATEGORIES

A. Category 101: Grand Award

  1. Enter a portfolio of work. See Category information for specifics. 
  2. On the entry form in Where Published/Performed, leave first box Other… and in second box put Various as applicable for freelancers. Publication name applies for a staffer’s entry.
  3. In Headline/Title of Entry, put name of author’s work entered. 
  4. In the run date field, put in the publish date of any work in eligible period. 
  5. Attach copies of work and/or give URL links. If including books, they must be mailed.
  6. On a Word document, list your Grand Award entries with the name of the publisher/website/broadcaster, the headline and the date published/posted/aired. Attach this document with the entry attachments. 

B. Category 102: Travel Magazines and Category 103: Travel Coverage in Other Magazines  

  1. Headline can be name of magazine. 
  2. Put date of one issue in run date, using first of month for day, i.e. June 1, 2023. (If issues bridge eligible dates, do the following: For March-April 2023 issues, use April 1, 2023 as date; for March-April 2024, use March 1, 2024.)
  3. List dates of the required 3 issues in the Comments box. (If you were a winner last year and included the March-April 2023 issue among the 3 entries, do not use it again.)
  4. Put in URLs for websites and supplementary material as applicable.
  5. Print magazines must mail their issues; only one copy of each magazine is required. Digital-only magazines must provide a link to PDFs of their issues. When mailing, be sure to use the 2023 address in Mailing Instructions below. 

C. Category 105: Newspaper Travel Coverage

  1. In the Headline/Title of Entry field, put publication name, such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer Travel. 
  2. In the publication/run date field, put date of one of the portfolio of entries. 
  3. On a Word document, list the entries (headlines and dates) and attach this with the entry attachments. 
  4. You do not need to list credits (bylines) for each entry in the portfolio. 
  5. Put in URLs for websites and supplementary material as applicable.

D. Category 120: Special Packages/Series 

  1. Submissions may be a combination of electronic and mail-in elements. If an entry is or includes a full magazine issue or full newspaper travel section, hard copy should be mailed, as that’s easier for judging.
  2. On a Word document, list all the elements being submitted for the entry with information such as publisher’s/website/broadcaster’s name, the date published/posted/aired and headlines/titles. Attach this document with other entry attachments. 
  3. When entering a series, do not enter a single component of it in another category. If you choose not to enter the entire series in this category, then you may enter a single component in an applicable category. 

E. Category 122: Travel Book and Category 123: Guidebook

  1. Books published since Jan. 1, 2022, are eligible. 
  2. Books must be mailed. Send one copy only for this category, but a second copy if also entering as part of the Grand Award portfolio. Fill out the entry form, print it and include with the book. See following section with Mailing Instructions (be sure to use the 2024 address rather than one you/distributor may have saved from past).  

F. Category 124a/124b: Travel Audio-Radio / Travel Audio-Podcasts and Audio Guides
Category 125a/125b: Travel Video Story

Provide a link to the entry at a hosting website. Online work should be accessible through the fall and preferably not password-protected; if so, provide access code/password in the Comments box. 

Note: The video category is split; 125a is for video longer than two minutes and 125b is for video of two minutes or less.

G. Category 126: Travel Blog

  1. This category is for writers who own their own blog and is for the entire blog, not a single post.
  2. Put the name of the blog as the entry and give the URL.

H. Category 127 Instagram Storytelling 

  1. On the entry form in Where Published/Performed, leave first box Other… and in second box put your Instagram name in the media line. 
  2. In the Headline/Title of Entry field, put subject of the posts/images.
  3. Paste the link(s) in the URL/Link fields. An entry is up to 5 posts/images.

MAILING INSTRUCTIONS

(Be sure to use the 2024 address below, updating it with shippers that may have stored one from past years.)  

  1. Entries must be filed electronically, except as follows: 
  • Category 101 Grand Award can include mail-in items, such as books. 
  • Category 102 Travel Magazine and Category 103 Travel Coverage in Other Magazines mail hard copies if they are print magazines. 
  • Category 120 Special Packages/Series can be a combination of electronic and mail-in elements.
  • Category 122 Travel Book and Category 123 Guidebook must be mailed. 
  1. For mail-in entries, complete content fields, print and attach the entry form/label to the entry. 
  1. Use the following address:

Victoria Larson
SATW Foundation
501 Fifth Ave.
Suite 2108
New York, NY 10017–6168

PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS

A. Determining Fees

  1. When you’ve completed all of your submissions, log in to your Manage Entries page, where entries are listed. Click Calculate Entry Fee button (in box above your list of entries) and review your list of entries for accuracy, checking those you want to enter. If you wish to delete any, do so at this point. See instructions at top of the Calculate Fees page. Deadline: March 31.
  2. Scroll to bottom of the list to see your subtotal. 
  3. Click the payment link and follow instructions. 
  4. Print a copy of that page if you need a record of entries/payment. 

B. Options for payment 

  1. You may pay through PayPal with a credit card. Print the receipt if needed. See instructions at top of your Calculate Fees page. 
  2. Alternately, you may write a check to SATW Foundation. NOTE TO MEDIA: Be sure to give the 2024 address to your accounting department so the check doesn’t go astray.

Mail check to: 

Victoria Larson
SATW Foundation
501 Fifth Ave.
Suite 2108
New York, NY 10017–6168

We are a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) foundation whose mission is to support, celebrate and sustain excellence in travel journalism that serves the public. The Foundation funds the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition through entry fees and donations, which are tax-deductible.

Links

Lowell Thomas Competition

Archive of Past Winners

Donate

About the SATW Foundation

Contact

Contact

Victoria Larson
SATWF Administrator
501 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2108
New York, NY 10017
victoria@satwfoundation.org

© SATW Foundation, all rights reserved.

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