• Advisors, please fill out this membership form before submitting entries.

• Here is the 2026 entry form.

• This is a list of the categories.

Excellence in Student Media Awards Contest Rules 

1. Entries are due by Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at 9 p.m. PT.
2. Each publication or outlet may submit only one entry per award, but they may enter multiple categories within the contest. Any publication or outlet that submits more than one entry to the same award will be automatically disqualified. 
3. All entries must be submitted as links to publicly accessible online content or PDFs/documents. In the case of work published online only, submit the URL linked to the website, and submit a screenshot of the online entry for the CCMA awards presentation.
4. All materials (PDFs, photos, etc.) that need to be uploaded, such as PDFs of page designs, etc. must be in accessible Google drives or other publicly accessible Web space and shared as links. Any materials that cannot be accessed will not be judged. 
5. When submitting PDFs of the page, please highlight the item to be judged (i.e., border around story, headline, photo, etc.).
6. All entries must have been published between Dec. 17, 2024 and Dec. 15, 2025. 
7. Entry forms must be completely filled out. An incomplete entry form or improperly uploaded entry will result in disqualification.
8. One or more student names must be listed for every entry (categories such as “Best Newspaper” “Best Magazine,” etc. may list the publication or outlet’s staff).
9. Certain awards (General Innovation, Best Social Media Reporting, or Best Social Justice Reporting) require support statements that detail any impact on the school/community as a result of publication of the items contained in the entries submitted. Any written statements must be limited to 250 words.
10. All entries should reflect the work of enrolled students at the time of publication at the college or university. 
11. All content must be produced by editorially independent student media outlets (i.e., Students are responsible for final editorial decisions/free of faculty or administrative decision-making.)
12. The judges reserve the right to modify the awards program at any time. If, at the discretion of the judges, there is insufficient quantity or quality of entries in a category, prizes or prize levels may not be awarded in that category, or categories may be combined.
13. The decision of the judges is final.

Entries are due by Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at 9 p.m. This is a hard deadline — no extensions will be given.

Winners will be recognized at the Excellence in Student Media Awards reception on Saturday, March 9, 2024. The reception will be part of the annual ACP Spring National College Media Convention, to be held March 7-9, 2024 in La Jolla.

News organizations may enter work only once per category, but they may enter several categories within the contest.

Please follow the instructions below to enter the contest. The $275 fee pays for your contest and a year’s membership in the California College Media Association. The fee is payable when you check out. You may also pay by check, so long as it is received by Jan. 31, 2024 (see more info below).

Please read the rules on the contest main page. Each school may submit one entry per category. The judges will grant awards for first, second and third places.

Login instructions:
1. Go to the following link:
http://betternewspapercontest.com/ccma2024
2. Select “Enter the Contest Here” in the lower center of the page
3. Select your media organization in the “Media Organization” drop down menu
4. If you do not have a preexisting password, enter ‘Abcd123’ as the password.
NOTE: If you or someone from your media organization made entries in the 2023 CCMA contest, the password that was set at that time should have been retained for the 2024 contest.
If you are not sure what your password is, please use the “Forgot Password” button on the login page. If you do not receive the Password Recovery email, please click “Help & Support” in the top left corner of any page on BetterBNC, then submit a trouble ticket.
5. Click “Login”
The first time you log in, you will be asked to update your account information and change your password.

Once you have updated your account information, you will be taken to the “Manage Entries” page. On this page, click on the “Submit Entry” button to begin submitting entries.
On the entry form, select the division, and the category into which you would like to submit the entry.
Fill out the rest of the fields on the form and click “Submit Entry” at the bottom of the page. See contest rules on the main page for more information.

Payment instructions:
Once you have submitted all of your entries and are ready to pay the entry fee, click “Calculate Entry Fees” on the Manage Entries page of your account.
If you are using a credit card or debit card, click “Pay by Card,” then enter your card number and expiration date, and then click “Pay Now.”
To use a PayPal account, click “Pay by Card,” then click “Check out with PayPal,” fill out the form, then click “Pay Now.” Follow the prompts to generate a receipt that you can print out and submit to your college or news organization.

If you are paying by a mailed-in check, click “Pay by Check”, enter the check number and click “Submit.”  Please make checks payable to California College Media Association and mail them to:
California College Media Association
c/o Jennifer Burger, Treasurer
P.O. Box 13162
Bakersfield, CA 93389

Questions on rules and eligibility? Contact Richard Craig at [email protected] or Gary Metzker at [email protected].
For questions on the site itself, click Contact Better BNC on the contest page. Better BNC has always been very responsive.

Congratulations to all the winners of the CCMA 2020 college journalism contest! Sixty-five colleges and universities from throughout California entered a total of 940 entries, resulting in 318 winners across 39 categories.

We celebrated with an enthusiastic banquet in San Francisco on Feb. 29 at the Hyatt Regency, culminating the three-day ACP Midwinter National College Journalism Convention.

A special thank you to the 34 judges who took the time over the winter holidays to read, watch and listen to the many entries.

For a complete list of winners, including judges’ remarks, visit this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mVtC0Y5MrcYry7J1fqRcZY7uanQK_2Pg_FDVZYdKBFo/edit#gid=1586798156

For the Keynote presentation shown at the banquet highlighting the award-winning work, visit this link: http://digitaljournalism.org/resources/CCMA/2020/assets/player/KeynoteDHTMLPlayer.html#4

If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or helpful tips to make next year’s contest experience and banquet better than ever, please contact the CCMA board at [email protected].

As is our annual tradition now, our celebration will take place during the Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter Convention. We are holding the awards ceremony a little earlier in the evening than usual because the CMBAM banquet is the same night and some schools are attending both.

Tickets are $60 by the early bird deadline of Feb. 27, 2020. After that date, a very limited number of tickets will be available online for $80. All tickets must be purchased online by 4 p.m. the day of the event.

To purchase tickets, click the red button below or go to https://ccma.yapsody.com/event/index/535186/ccma-awards-banquet-2020.

**Note: There is also a $.98 surcharge per ticket, so each ticket will total $60.98.

Also, please note: If you would like to pay with a credit card, choose PayPal first, then click the button that says “Pay with Debit or Credit Card.” This allows you to use the PayPal Guest Checkout without logging into a PayPal account.

Magazine

Digital

Design

Photography

Writing

Overall Excellence

As is our annual tradition now, our celebration will take place during the Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter Convention. We are holding the awards ceremony a little earlier in the evening than usual because the CMBAM banquet is the same night and some schools are attending both.

Tickets are $60 by the early bird deadline of Feb. 27, 2019. After that date, tickets are $80. To purchase tickets, visit the link below.

**Note: The price for tickets will say $80, but once you choose the number of tickets you are purchasing, the $20 discount will be applied. There is also a $.98 surcharge per ticket, so each ticket will total $60.98.

https://ccma.yapsody.com/event/index/364916/ccma-awards-banquett-2019

2019 CCMA Excellence in Student Media

Divisions & Categories

• Division A: Publications at four-year colleges or universities with enrollments of 10,000 students or more
• Division B: Publications at four-year colleges or universities with enrollments under 10,000 students
• Division C: Publications at community colleges

NEWSPAPERS

Regardless of frequency; print or online

Instructions:

• Submit three different days’ complete editions for categories No. 1 and No. 16.
• For print publications, submit PDFs of the printed page and highlight the item to be judged (i.e., border around story, headline, photo, etc.), or in the case of work published online only, submit the URL linked to the website, and submit a screenshot of the online entry for the CCMA awards presentation.
• For online publications, submit URL with the link to the specific item to be judged, as well as a screenshot of the entry for the CCMA awards presentation.

1. Best Newspaper (submit 3 different publication days’ complete editions)
2. Best Newspaper Website (submit website URL and one representative screenshot)
3. Best News Series (submit up to 5 articles in a series)
4. Best Breaking News Story
5. Best Non-Breaking News Story (investigative, human interest, etc.)
6. Best Feature Story (any subject; e.g., news, sports, arts & entertainment, etc.)
7. Best Editorial (unsigned OK, but entry must have a student’s name attached)
8. Best Newspaper Column (i.e., sports, arts & entertainment, etc.)
9. Best Arts & Entertainment Story
10. Best Sports Story
11. Best News Photograph
12. Best Sports Photograph
13. Best Features Photograph
14. Best Photo Illustration
15. Best Photo Series (minimum 3 photos on same subject)
16. Best Overall Newspaper Design (submit 3 different publication days’ complete editions)
17. Best Newspaper Front Page Design
18. Best Newspaper Inside Page/Spread Design
19. Best Headline Portfolio (3 headlines by one person; include story with headline)
20. Best Infographic
21. Best Illustration/Cartoon
22. Best Special Issue/Section (could include back-to-school or orientation issues; not eligible for Best Newspaper category)
23. Best Multimedia Presentation (submit URL of specific presentation; must be stand-alone story or series that makes use of multiple media: i.e., audio slideshows, video, Flash presentations, photo galleries, etc.).
24. Best Social Media Platform
25. Best Use of Social Media for Single Story (submit summary paragraph — 250 words maximum — explaining subject, process and result of how social media was used; provide links (i.e., examples) that demonstrate how social media was effectively used. Contestants may create a Storify of examples or the whole story package and submit the link.)
26. Best Social Media for Single Event
27. Best Interactive Graphic
28. Best Podcast
29. Best Mobile Site/App
30. Best News Video (Submit URL of video and screenshot of opening scene; can be stand-alone story or part of a package)
31. Best Non-News Video (e.g., arts & entertainment, sports, features, etc.; submit URL of video and screenshot of opening scene; can be stand-alone story or part of a package)

MAGAZINE

Either affiliated or not affiliated with a campus newspaper; print or online. One division in this category that includes schools with more than 10,000 students, under 10,000 students and community colleges.

Instructions:

• A school may submit more than one entry in the Best Magazine category (see No. 1).
• Submit PDFs of the work or, in the case of work published online-only, submit URLs linked to the website and screenshots. Highlight the item to be judged with a border (i.e., story, photo, etc.).

1. Best Magazine (submit one entire magazine)
2. Best Magazine Story
3. Best Magazine Column (i.e., sports, arts & entertainment, etc.)
4. Best Magazine Cover Design
5. Best Magazine Inside Page/Spread Design i.e., news, sports, arts & entertainment, features, etc.)
6. Best Magazine Photo
7. Best Magazine Photo Series (minimum 3 photos on same subject)
8. Best Magazine Website

ADVERTISING

All newspapers and magazines; print or online

Instructions:

• Submit PDFs of the printed page and highlight the item to be judged (i.e., border around story, headline, photo, etc.), or, in the case of work published online only, submit the URL linked to the website, and submit a screenshot of the online entry for the CCMA awards presentation.

1. Best B&W Ad
2. Best Color Ad
3. Best Ad Design
4. Best House Ad Design
5. 5. Best Ad Campaign (series of ads making up one campaign for a single client)
6. Best House Ad Campaign (series of ads making up one campaign)
7. Best Online Ad (submit URL where the ad can be viewed or color screenshot of how the ad looked on the website when it ran)
8. Best Online House Ad (submit URL where the ad can be viewed or color screenshot of how the ad looked on the website when it ran)
9. Best Online Ad Campaign (submit URL of campaign or color screenshot of what the campaign looked like on the page; give a summary paragraph if necessary)
10. Best Advertising Special Section/Supplement
11. Best Sales Promotion Materials (i.e., media kits, rate cards, promotions)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• All entries must have been published between Dec. 8, 2017 and Dec. 7, 2018. All entries must be uploaded by Dec. 7, 2018, at 9 p.m. PDT.
• For all other categories, limit the number of entries to NO MORE THAN ONE per news organization for each category.
• The same entries may not be submitted in more than one category.
• Entry forms must be completely filled out and uploaded properly. An incomplete entry form or improperly uploaded entry will result in disqualification.
• Remember: A student’s name must be listed for every entry except the Best Newspaper and Best Magazine (Nos. 1) categories or Best Special Issue/Section (No. 22) category.
• Multiple entries by the same individual in the same category will be disqualified unless one of the entries is a double byline. However, an individual may submit entries in multiple categories.
• If the same item (i.e., story, photo, advertisement) is entered in more than one newspaper, magazine and/or online category, it will be disqualified from all categories.
• Entries may be accompanied by support statements, including any impact on the school/community as a result of publication of the items contained in the entries submitted. Any written statements must be limited to 250 words.
• All entries should reflect the work of enrolled students at the time of publication at the college or university, unless otherwise credited.
• There must not be mandatory review of content by an adviser before publication (i.e., work done as a class assignment may not be entered in the contest).
• The judges reserve the right to modify the awards program at any time. If, at the discretion of the judges, there are insufficient quantity or quality of entries in a category, prizes or prize levels may not be awarded in that category, or categories may be combined.
• The decision of the judges is final.

PAYMENT: Membership dues for CCMA are $200 for 2018-19, which includes entry in the 2019 CCMA Excellence in Student Media contest. You can enter the contest before payment is received; however, your payment must be received by Jan. 25, 2019, for your school’s entries to be eligible for the awards.

Address QUESTIONS to:
Michael Chute, vice president
CCMA Excellent in Student Media contest
[email protected]
951-552-8721

BETTERBNC – ONLINE ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

CONTESTANTS

Entries to the 2019 CCMA Excellence in Student Media contest will be submitted using BetterBNC Media Awards Platform.

Below are directions for preparing and submitting entries. If you have questions, please contact Michael Chute at (951) 552-8721, or [email protected].

IMPORTANT: BetterBNC is optimized for the Google Chrome browser; and Firefox for PC and Macintosh/Apple. Please have a recent version downloaded and installed for the best contest experience.

The deadline for all entries is Dec. 7, 2018.

1. Login.
2. Go to http://www.betterbnc.com.
3. Click contestant login
4. Select the appropriate contestant type:
5. If you are the single point of contact for your organization, select Contestant Manager, then skip to “d. Contestant Manager Login”.
6. If you have received an email authorizing you to submit entries on behalf of your media organization, select “Authorized Entrant” on the log in page, then skip to “e. Authorized Entrant Login” below
7. If you are an individual submitting your own entries (including non-members and freelancers), please see the “Open Call Contestant Only” instructions below
8. Contestant Manager Login:
9. Select the contest you would like to enter
10. Select your Media Organization
11. Enter your password**
12. Click “Login”

**Note: If it is your first time logging into your account, use the temporary password: bnc (lower case). After you log in using that temporary password, the system will require you to update your password. Going forward (including future years) you will log in with the password you set.

If the designated Contestant Manager should leave your media organization, please contact your Contest Administrator to have the contact info in your account updated.

Authorized Entrant Login:

1. Select the contest you would like to enter
2. Select your Media Organization
3. Enter your email address
4. Enter your password
5. Click “Login”

Open Call Login:

1. Click “Open Call Login” in the blue bar at the top of the page
2. If you already have an Open Call Contestant account, enter your email address and password, then click “Login” and skip to section “g. Request to make entries in a contest” below
3. If you do not already have an Open Call Contestant account, click
4. “Create your Open Call account”
5. Fill out the form
6. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the page

Once you fill out the form to create your Open Call Contestant account, the system will send you a validation email with a link that must be clicked before you can log into your account.

1. Request to make entries in a contest (Open Call Only):
2. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text in the blue bar at the top of the page
3. Select “My Contests” in the menu that appears
4. In the “Available Contests” section, check the box next to the contest you would like to enter
5. Hover over the red “Open Call Contestant” text again
6. Select “Manage Entries”

Submit Entries

1. Click “Submit Entry” from the Manage Entries page
2. Select a Division (group of Categories)
3. Select a Category
4. Select the Media Organization where the entry was published or performed (Open Call Only)
5. Enter the entry headline or title
6. Add entry content (may vary by category)

• To upload digital file attachments (other than audio/video), click “Browse”, navigate to the desired file, and then click “Open”. Allowed file types are PDF, DOC/DOCX, TXT, JPG, GIF, and PNG. To upload additional attachments to a single entry, click the “Browse and Attach More Files” button. BetterBNC will allow up to about a 20MB file, however, we suggest keeping your files around 5MB in case the judges have a slow connection. For files larger than 20MB, you can click the “RealView” icon on the Submit Entry page to create a free account, upload your files, and then copy and paste the URL into the URL field on the Submit Entry page. You may also use a similar 3rd-party website that provides hosting services (scribd.com, issuu.com, etc.)
• To add web/audio/video content, copy and paste the content’s URL address into the provided Website URL field. To host your content online, either upload it to a free streaming content website (e.g.YouTube) or talk to your IT person about adding it to your stations/publications website. Make sure the content will be accessible online throughout the duration of the contest and awards process. Here are some examples of free streaming content websites where you can upload audio and video content: Audio: www.kiwi6.com, www.tindeck.com; Video: www.youtube.com, www.vimeo.com
• IMPORTANT: Please be sure that items are not behind a paywall or a password-protected area. If they are, you must provide username/password info in the Comments section of your entry. Judges may disqualify your entry if work samples are inaccessible.

1. Add Comments
2. Enter Credits
3. Click “Submit Entry”

For hardcopy/mail-in entry categories, print and attach the entry label (which automatically appears after each entry is submitted) to each hardcopy item and follow contest shipping instructions (contact the contest administrator for more info).

Pay for Entries

1. When all entries are submitted log into your account
2. Navigate to the Manage Entries page
3. Click “Calculate Entry Fees”
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to pay for your entries

Magazine

Digital

Visual

Writing

Overall Excellence

The dinner is the final scheduled event of the Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter National College Convention March 1-3 at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. Advance  ticket sales close Feb. 27.

Entries are now being accepted for CCMA’s 2018 Excellence in Student Media contest. The deadline is 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8.

This year’s contest includes 45 categories of work on newspapers/websites, magazines and advertising. Schools may enter one of three divisions:
• Publications at four-year colleges or universities with enrollments of 10,000 students or more
• Publications at four-year colleges or universities with enrollments under 10,000 students
• Publications at community colleges.

Entries must have been published between Dec. 8, 2016, and Dec. 8, 2017.

Complete rules and entry instructions are available at  http://bit.ly/2Bme1zR.