The National Newspaper Awards will include a new category for photographers in 2023: Photo Story.
The award was approved by the Board of Governors at a meeting on Sept. 28.
The new award will recognize a multiple-picture story or visual essay showcasing exceptional photography on a single subject or theme. Photographers may enter up to 10 photos published on a single day or throughout the calendar year.
It is one of four photo categories in the 2023 competition. The Feature Photo and Sports Photo categories remain unchanged from 2022, while the Breaking News Photo and General News Photo categories have been combined into a single News Photo category.
The Board of Governors also updated eligibility rules to open the contest to more journalists. Modifications include:
- Photo-journalists who work regularly in Canada and who provide work to an ineligible news agency on a freelance or contract basis are now eligible to enter the contest, provided their work was distributed to and published by an eligible news organization.
- Smaller Canadian non-daily newspapers that typically publish at least five days a week online — but may not always meet that threshold — are now eligible for the competition.
The Special Topic Award, also created in 2022, will be offered again this year. The topic will be announced Dec. 1.
In keeping with longstanding practice, any changes approved by NNA Governors are in effect for the 2023 competition, which covers work published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023.
The cost to enter this year’s competition, which opens on Dec. 1, will stay at $30 per submission. Award winners will be named at an in-person gala on April 26 in Toronto.
