Become an OJA screener, win a free pass to ONA10

Do you want to have a say in choosing the best in online journalism? The Online News Association needs your help to screen entries for the 2010 Online Journalism Awards, the only contest dedicated exclusively to recognizing excellence in digital journalism. Your participation and valuable input could earn you a free registration to ONA10, the ONA Conference and Awards Banquet, Oct. 28-30, in Washington, D.C., worth $399 for members and $699 for non-members.

If you haven’t been a screener before, we encourage you to discover the best in online journalism as you provide an invaluable initial assessment for the final judges by grading entries from around the world on quality of journalism, interactivity and community tools, creative use of medium, and design and navigation.

Screeners need not be ONA members, but do need to have experience in the online journalism industry. If you’re a former screener, please consider signing up again and recruiting a colleague to join this effort.

If you are interested in screening sites in the non-English language awards categories, you will be asked to indicate so on the screener application. Each entry includes a summary of the site in English, so language isn’t a barrier to your work as a screener.

Screening begins the week of July 19 July 26 and must be completed by Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 9 a.m. ET Friday, Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. ET. Screeners often take a few hours over several days to complete their work. You’ll be guided through the process with the help of an easy-to-use web-based tool that allows you to log on anywhere you have an Internet connection.

As a thank-you to screeners who complete their assignments by Monday, Aug. 2, at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 9 a.m. ET, we are offering an incentive: Your name will go into a digital hat to make you eligible for one of five free registrations to ONA10.

To sign up as a screener, visit journalistawards.org/screeners and complete the application process. (IMPORTANT NOTE: The OJA entry/screener system is not integrated with member information on Journalists.org and requires users to create an account.)

If you have any questions about OJA screening, please contact Sherry Skalko at awards@journalists.org.