Categories for the 2010 Online Journalism Awards will be updated and the contest open for entries by mid-May. Below are the categories and descriptions for the 2009 contest.

1. Knight Award for Public Service
This award recognizes digital journalism that performs a public service for a geographic community through compelling coverage of a vital community issue or event. Web sites will be judged on their use of journalistic resources, varied digital techniques and public information to engage the community by reporting on and responding to the issue or event in question. Journalism that makes a difference and moves citizens to improve the place in which they live will be emphasized. The impact of the coverage on the community will be a major factor in the judging. Entries may be a single package or continuing project and may consist of one main URL and up to five supporting URLs. Evidence of results should be provided either as one of the supporting URLs or in the entry description.


2. General Excellence in Online Journalism
This category honors a Web site that successfully fulfills its editorial mission, effectively serves its audience, maximizes the use of the Web's characteristics and represents the highest journalistic standards. The sites will be judged on excellence of content, interactivity, rich media, design, navigation and community tools. Entries may consist of one main URL and up to three additional sub-URLs in the same domain (to highlight specific features).


3. General Excellence in Online Journalism, Non-English
This category honors a non-English language Web site from anywhere in the world that successfully fulfills its editorial mission, effectively serves its audience, maximizes the use of the Web's characteristics and represents the highest journalistic standards. The sites will be judged on excellence of content, interactivity, rich media, design, navigation and community tools. Entries may consist of one main URL.

1. URLs to three examples of original online reporting in the last 12 months that showcase the quality of their online journalism. (A brief summary of the news articles or a URL to a translation would help.)
2. Three examples of design and navigation innovation and an explanation of how that has helped users.
3. Three examples of creative use of online technology in the last 12 months, ranging from new types of digital journalism, to multimedia, to user interactivity.
4. A brief explanation of how they incorporate user-generated content and methods of reaching out to and including the audience in their site.
5. URLs to any documentary evidence from professional organizations or peers that support the entry, for instance, awards, special funding, or praise from journalism professionals and online innovators.
   

4. Breaking News
This category honors digital coverage throughout a 72-hour period of a breaking-news event or development. Judges will weigh evidence-including screen shots in the first hours after the event-of exceptional reporting under deadline pressure, clear presentation and creative use of the medium, including updating of and additions to main news elements, within the 72-hour period following the original event. An entry will consist of a single piece, series or package on the same event or development.


5. Specialty Site Journalism
This category honors niche Web sites that provide ongoing news coverage of a single topic. (Past winners include sites focused on sports, higher education, woodworking, nature, arts coverage and elections.) Entries will be judged both on their journalism and on their use of the medium. An entry must be a standalone site. It cannot be a section or sub-channel of a larger site or a news project page. It will consist of one URL.


6. Investigative Journalism
This category honors stories that uncover major news based on the reporters' own exclusive investigations or that offer compelling and original analysis and interpretation. Clear presentation, creative use of the medium and a measure of the impact of the publication will be considered. An entry will consist of a single piece, series or package on the same subject.


7. Multimedia Feature Presentation
This category honors excellence in telling a story to an online audience using multimedia techniques, including interactive graphics, Flash, photography, audio and video. In addition to the quality of the journalism, emphasis will be placed on visual design and the artful blending of multiple media into a single presentation.


8. Online Topical Reporting/Blogging
This category honors ongoing topical ("beat") reporting by an individual or team. (Past winners include space program coverage and defense reporting.) The work should display regular success at breaking news online, ongoing watchdog coverage and clear evidence that a participatory, online community has coalesced around the topic. Creative use of the medium-especially in the areas of beat blogging, podcasting, vodcasting and aggregation-will be considered. A reporter or team's entry should consist of up to three sample columns, blog posts, articles, video podcasts etc.


9. Online Commentary/Blogging
This category honors a unique and powerful voice of commentary original to the Web. The commentary should display freshness of insight and explanation. Creative use of the medium - especially blogging and community journalism and/or use of multimedia tools to attract user response or action - will be considered. An entry may consist of up to three examples. (Print syndication after initial Web posting does not disqualify an entry.)


10. Outstanding Use of Digital Technologies
This category honors achievement by a site in the use of emerging digital techniques to tell a story and serve a community. Emphasis will be placed on creative use of technology, such as data visualization, widgets, interactive databases, mashups, digital tools and alternative platforms, such as microblogs and mobile.
Two awards:
Small: 0-999,999 monthly uniques
Large: Over 1 million monthly uniques

11. Online Video Journalism
This category honors excellence in online-originated video journalism crafted specifically for a Web audience. Emphasis will be placed on compelling narrative, originality and creative use of the medium. Entries may consist of a single story or up to three examples from a series related to a single topic and may be integrated with other multimedia tools. Slideshows in a video format are not eligible.


12. Community Collaboration
This award honors a news project or Web site that produces outstanding journalism through strong interaction with the community being served. Examples include pro-am reporting efforts, citizen journalism and crowdsourcing. Judges will place special emphasis the quality and quantity of contributions to the news product from the community. Advocacy sites are not eligible.


13. Student Journalism
This category honors excellence in digital journalism by a student or team reporting on a single story or issue. The work must have been created only by full-time students. Unpublished entries and those produced with professional assistance do not qualify. (Note: Students may also enter in any other OJA category.)


14. Gannett Foundation Award for Technical Innovation in the Service of Digital Journalism
This award honors a person or company, journalistic in focus or not, that has built a digital tool significantly enhancing the practice of online journalism. Entrants will be judged on the extent to which the tool transforms aspects of online news gathering, production, presentation or distribution as well as the breadth of the tool's adoption in the journalistic community. In addition to providing a URL that explains the tool, entrants may submit up to three URLs where the tool is in use.



Visit the entry site at JournalistAwards.org.