Journalism Awards
Check back with us in 2012!

Emphasizing key projects, innovative ideas, and the best of craft, the Construction Writers Association Journalism Awards provide the perfect opportunity to be recognized by your peers in the industry. This is an excellent opportunity to shine!

CWA presents five CWA Journalism Awards at its annual conference. Four awards are presented with the Robert F. Boger Award and one award is presented as the Kneeland “Ned” Godfrey Award. The awards are presented to the author or editor of the winning article(s).

Robert F. Boger Award

The Robert F. Boger Award has four categories:

• Feature articles
• Special reports, and
• Editorials
• Videos NEW

These articles must be published in construction industry magazines and journals. An award is presented in each category and additional awards may be presented at the judge’s discretion. Entries submitted should be written by editors or the publication staff or by freelance professionals who were commissioned by a publication to provide an article, special report or an editorial.

The awards honor the late Robert F. Boger, publisher of Mc-Graw-Hill’s Engineering News-Record magazine and Construction Methods & Equipment magazine, as well as the primary force behind the founding of CWA. The association established the Robert F. Boger Awards in 1975 for editorial excellence and achievement in construction journalism.

These awards recognize:

1. Feature articles on current subjects of general significance to the construction industry and, in particular, to the publication’s readers.
2. Special reports that demonstrate the writer or editor’s analytical and interpretive skills on a subject of particular interest to the publication’s readers.
3. Editorials written by a member of the publication’s staff. The pieces will reflect the editorial policy of the publication and its role in the construction industry.

Recent Winners

The Construction Writers Association congratulates the winners of its Journalism Awards, which were presented during the recent CWA Annual Conference.

2010

The Boger Feature Writing Award singles out an article of special significance to the industry. The Boger Feature Writing Award was awarded to Tony Illia, ENR special correspondent, for “Inside a Safety Turnaround.”

The Boger Editorial Award honors the member of the publication and reflects the editorial policy of the publication and its role in the construction industry. The Boger Editorial Award was awarded to Robert Carpenter, editor of Underground Construction, “The Price of Free Money.”

The Boger Special Reports Award recognizes outstanding analytic and interpretive skills on a subject of particular interest to the publication’s readers. The Boger Special Reports Award was awarded to Tom Sawyer, ENR senior editor, and Angelle Bergeron, ENR correspondent, for their Special Report, “Saving the Deltas.” Larry Stewart, executive editor, Construction Equipment, received an honorable mention for “Running Green.”

Past Winners

Kneeland “Ned” Godfrey Award

The Kneeland “Ned” Godfrey Award is presented for a body of work published in construction industry magazines and journals. A single author is recognized for superior journalistic and writing skills over the course of a year.

Kneeland “Ned” Godfrey, a former editor of Civil Engineering magazine, was an active member of CWA. The association established the Godfrey Award in 1999 to honor his work with CWA and his skills as a journalist.

Recent Winners

2010

The Godfrey Award was presented to Nadine Post, editor-at-large, ENR, which honors journalistic talent in a large body of work. Articles included “Model Contract for Integrated Project Delivery Is on Hot Seat,” “Dallas Curtain-Raiser: Staging Machinations,” and “Not Just Another Pretty Place: Landscape Architecture Rising.”

An honorable mention was awarded to the writing team led by Michael Chusid, consultant, Chusid & Associates, for articles in The Construction Specifier, Post Tensioning Institute Journal, and Concrete Technology Today.

Past Winners

Awards Ceremony

Winners will be announced by the end of June 2011 or earlier. CWA is hosting one magnificent Annual Conference and Grand Awards Dinner in 2011! The winners will be presented awards at the CWA Annual Awards Dinner which will be held in the fall in San Antonio. An exact date and location will be announced soon.

Judging Criteria

The CWA Journalism Awards Committee selects an impartial panel of industry professionals to evaluate the entries and verify that entries comply with the rules of the competition. The committee serves as the screening group to receive entries and verify their compliance with the entry rules. No individual is eligible to serve as a juror if they submit an entry in the same year or is currently affiliated with a publication or publisher of an entry. Committee members are ineligible to compete or serve as jurors.

Judges will evaluate entries as follows:

• Writing style/writing skill: 30%
• Value to the publication’s audients: 30%
• Uniqueness of the angle/approach to the subject: 20%; and
• Impact on the industry: 20%.

Judges are instructed to evaluate each entry primarily on journalistic merit, placing emphasis on writing skills, editorial content, and article concept. The jury will look more toward the merits of the entrant's writing and editing efforts than at the entry's presentation and promotional qualities.

Award Specifications

The CWA Journalism Awards are presented annually to the author or editor of the winning article. Only one award of each kind is presented each year, although the judges, at their discretion, may present duplicate plaques to individual writers or editors when a jointly authored entry is selected as the winner.

The judges may also elect to commend outstanding runner-up entries. Only CWA members in good standing at the time of entry are eligible to submit entries. If multiple authors are involved, all authors must be members of CWA at the time of the submittal.

Department sections, product columns, and "advertorial" sections are not eligible as entries for awards. Magazines and the magazine's publishing house are not eligible for this award. This award is for the authors and or editors only.

Article ideas initiated by external sources such as agencies or companies, and then written by them are excluded. Articles that are not eligible may be submitted to CWA’s Marketing Communications Awards that are presented at the fall conference.

Entry Requirements

• Only one entry may be submitted for each of the three categories; no more than three Boger entries, one in each category, and one Godfrey entry will be accepted from an individual applicant.
• Print and complete an entry form. Send the completed form to the designated committee chairperson. See info below for contact name and mailing information.
• Send payment to the CWA headquarters. See info below for contact name and mailing information.
• Each author should submit a separate application for each entry.
• Entrant(s) must be CWA members in good standing at the time of entry. If multiple authors are involved, then all authors must be members of CWA at the time of the submittal.
• Editors, publication staff or freelance professionals are eligible if commissioned by the publication to provide an article or special report.
• Department sections, product columns, and “advertorial” sections are not eligible as entries for the awards.
• Article ideas initiated by external sources such as agencies or companies, and then written by them are excluded for this award. These articles, that are not eligible, may be submitted to CWA’s Marketing Communications Awards for the fall conference.
• All entries should be bylined. Where no byline appears, the entry should include a statement from the publication's editor corroborating the responsibility of the individual editor or writer or group of authors for originating and writing the submitted material.
• All entries must have been published in a specialized business periodical, a technical association magazine, or a professional journal serving the construction industry, encompassing such disciplines and activities as architecture, engineering, planning, design, specifying, contracting (building/heavy/specialty), and construction materials, systems, equipment, or management.
• All entries must have been published in print between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Series entries including cover dates earlier or later than specified may be submitted in their entirety, but only if 75% or more of the series was published within the specified dates.
• All entries become the property of CWA. Entries will not be returned.
• The winning entries may be retained for archival purposes. CWA may ask permission to reprint the winning articles in its newsletter or place them on its website.

Presentation Format

The presentation format is important. Each entry must include:

• A completed copy of the Journalism Entry Form.
• Original published tear-sheets of the newsletter, article or series of articles.
• An opening statement, no more than one page, containing:
  1. A brief description of the specific discipline or segment of the construction industry the publication serves, and its target audience.
  2. An explanation of the significance and intent of the material submitted and how it was conceived and prepared;
  3. Any other pertinent background that might assist jurors in evaluating the entry.
• Entries should be no larger than 8½ by 11 inches unless published in larger dimensions.
• Entries should be presented in a neat and systematically organized manner and should be enclosed in a plastic carrier, folder, or binder—boards will not be accepted.
• A PDF of your entry must be provided on a CD and enclosed with your submittal.

Entry Fee

The entry fee is $125.00 per entry. Payment is accepted by check or credit card. Checks should be made payable to: CWA or the Construction Writers Association. If using a credit card, then you can fax the form to CWA.

Deadlines

Check back with us in 2012!
The deadline for entries is Thursday, May 5, 2011
All submittals must be postmarked no later than May 5, 2011

The entry and the payment should be sent separately to the designated addresses by the deadline. Your entry must be sent to the committee chairperson. Your payment must be sent to CWA. See below.

Send entries to:

Amber M. Santor
CWA Awards Chair
Caterpillar, Inc
100 NE Adams Street
Peoria, IL 61629-6335
United States
Santor_Amber_M@cat.com

Please note the title “Journalism Awards Entry” on the addressed envelope.

Send payment with a copy of the entry form to CWA.

By mail:

Deborah J. Hodges
Executive Director
Construction Writers Association
P.O. Box 14784
Chicago, IL 60614
United States

By fax: 773-687-8627

Checks should be made payable to CWA or the Construction Writers Association.

Please note the title “Journalism Awards Entry “on the addressed envelope or fax cover sheet.

Permission and disclaimer: CWA will issue press releases announcing all winners. Award recipients may send their own releases after the official CWA press releases. The CWA logo is available upon request in writing by contacting Deborah J. Hodges, CWA Executive Director. A copy of the draft release should accompany the request for logo use.

For additional information: If you have any questions, please contact the committee chairperson or the executive director.

Amber M. Santor
CWA Awards Chair
Santor_Amber_M@cat.com

Deborah J. Hodges
Executive Director
Construction Writers Association
773-687-8726
info@constructionwriters.org

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