Audio

Audio Guidelines

  • Each university may submit two entrants’ work per competition.
  • Audio entrants must be undergraduate journalism majors or minors attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program or must be recent graduates of said program.
  • Spring, summer or fall 2025 graduates may enter the 2025-2026 competitions but would not be eligible to participate in the 2026 Championship.
  • The entries must have been published before the students were graduated.
  • The reports must have been “aired” in the sense of having been made available to an anonymous audience of substantial size on a station or online or both.
  • The entries should be submitted as aired, and not edited substantially for the entry time limit. If a report is longer than the entry time limit, the entrant may enter an edited excerpt.
  • Entrants must demonstrate their editing skills on at least one report.
  • If the entry is included in a professional website or a professional station’s newscast, the producer or
    news director must certify in writing that it is primarily the entrant’s work.
  • Entrants who qualify for the Championship may not enter another competition.
  • An entrant who has won first place in the Audio Championship is not eligible to compete in future audio competitions.
  • An entry submitted once may not be resubmitted in any other competition or in any other competition year.

How to Enter

  • Competition entries are submitted through the online application by a school administrator.
  • Details are sent to all participating journalism schools. Login codes are provided by the program office.
  • To receive information about the program, please contact Program Director Jan Watten:
    jwatten@hearstfdn.org.

Audio Competitions

Audio News and/or Features

Entries must be coverage of breaking or developing news stories, and/or non-deadline news, non-deadline
reporting of personalities, events, or issues. Entries may be based on but not limited to public affairs, business,
investigations, science, sports or weather.

Each entry must consist of at least two reports in News and/or Features originating with and produced by the entrant. The time limit is seven minutes total.

If the reports are part of a longer newscast, an excerpt may be entered.
Each university may submit two entries by students in this competition. The entries must be by different students.

Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from September 1, 2024 through January 20, 2026.

DEADLINE: Entries must be received by January 20, 2026..

Podcast News and/or Features

Podcast entries should be fact-based, audio-driven stories that embody the core principles of journalism and take advantage of the unique strengths of podcasting.

Competitive entries will cover timely, relevant issues with a clear public interest that are well-researched and fairly presented. Submissions may demonstrate originality through tone of voice, pacing, music and/or
natural sound to create an atmosphere, emotional connection or tension that makes the podcast more engaging for the audience.

Team reporting is not eligible. Episodes must be from a single host who had primary responsibility over the content and production. A second entry from a different host in that series may be entered.

Submit only one podcast episode per entry.

Include a full list of episodes, along with a 2-3 sentence description of the podcast.

The podcast must be publicly accessible on a podcast platform. Please provide a link or directions to access the podcast on the platform.

Entries may be audio-only, or audio with a video component. Only the audio will be judged.

The time limit is ten minutes total. If the episode submitted is longer than ten minutes, the judges will review a ten-minute segment. Please indicate the segment you want judged. If there is no indication the first 10 minutes
of the podcast will be judged. The judges may, at their discretion, listen to additional content in the podcast.

There is no Championship component for this category.

Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from September 1, 2024 through April 14, 2026.

DEADLINE: Entries must be received by April 14, 2026.

National Audio Championship

This event is open to the top five winners (unless graduated the previous year) of the Audio News and/or Features Competition.
Dates: May 31 – June 5, 2026.

Judging

Audio entries are judged based on the following criteria:

  • Writing
  • Reporting
  • Editing
  • Clarity
  • Depth
  • Knowledge of subject
  • Production values
  • Originality
  • Human interest