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Entries are now open for the Mirror Awards, which honour journalists, editors and teams of editors who hold a mirror up to their own industry for the benefit of the public.

The Mirror Awards are the media industry's premier awards for excellence in reporting.

The competition is open to anyone reporting, commenting or critiquing the media industries in a format aimed at a mass audience. Eligible work includes print, broadcast and online editorial content focused on the development or distribution of news and entertainment.

Now in their 17th year, the Mirror Awards recognise the best reporting, analysis and commentary covering the media industry and its role in their economy, culture and democracy. Created by Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2006, the awards honour journalists, producers, editors and writing teams who hold up a mirror to their own industry for the benefit of the public.

Eligibility criteria

• The Mirror Awards are open to anyone who provides professional reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industry - television, newspapers, magazines, radio, advertising, public relations, the internet and other content-rich forms of digital communications.
• Eligible works are print, broadcast and online editorial content, including material published in consumer and trade magazines; local and national newspapers; local, national or syndicated radio and television broadcasts; local, national or syndicated online radio and television broadcasts; and online publications, blogs and websites. The works must have been published or broadcast between 1 January and 31 December 2022.
• Entries must focus on the business, people, processes and regulations involved in the development or distribution of information and entertainment content. Television reviews, film reviews, fiction and books are not eligible.

Entry rules

• Writers of any age or professional status can take part or be nominated.
• Individuals may submit up to three entries in total. If more than three entries are received, only the first three submitted will be accepted.
• Written pieces must be submitted with a URL (if applicable) and in PDF format. Podcasts and audio or video stories must be entered with an accompanying URL.
• Individuals may submit more than one entry per category. However, the same piece may not be submitted to more than one category.
• Each entry must be submitted separately.
• Entries may be used in whole or in part at the awards ceremony or to publicise the event. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• No prize will be awarded in any category if no entry is deemed worthy of citation by the judges.
• The Newhouse School will award a prize for each winning entry. Additional copies of the prize can be purchased.
• No person may win in any category more than three times in any five-year period. Entries from anyone who has won three times in the last five years will be excluded.
• The judges reserve the right to move entries if they are incorrectly placed or deemed more appropriate in another category.

Judging

• All entries will undergo a two-stage judging process. The preliminary judging panel is made up of media professionals and professors from the Newhouse School. The top three to five entries will be forwarded to a distinguished panel of journalists and academic leaders for final judging. Care will be taken to avoid conflicts of interest.

Assessment criteria

• Applications will be assessed on the basis of three criteria:
  • Excellence in craftsmanship: What is the overall quality of the writing and news gathering that goes into each piece? This includes careful attention to sourcing.
  • Framing the question: Does the author use the story to offer a broader perspective on the media and their role in society?
  • Relevance to the target audience: Does the author use language and examples that will make sense to the audience? For example, articles published for a professional audience are expected to be a little more technical than those in consumer magazines.

For more information, please visitMirror Awards.