The deadline for entries for the 2017 John Hervey Awards, which honour the best of harness racing journalism, is Dec. 8. Entries will be accepted for news/commentary writing, feature writing, broadcast, and the George Smallsreed Awards for race and feature photography.

Judges in each category will select a winner and, where appropriate, up to two honourable mentions. Winners will be announced in January and will be recognized at the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s annual Dan Patch Awards festivities Feb. 25 in Orlando.

Entries published or broadcast between Dec. 1, 2016 and Nov. 30, 2017, are eligible. There are no entry fees or cash prizes.

Email entries should be sent to [email protected]. Mailed entries should be sent to Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications, 49 E. Main St. #5, Freehold, NJ, 07728. If using an overnight service, please indicate that no signature is required.

Rules for the 2017 John Hervey Awards

The best of harness racing journalism in 2017 will be honoured with the 56th edition of the John Hervey Awards for writing, the 34rd edition of the Broadcasters Awards and the 18th edition of the George Smallsreed Awards for photography.

Please read these rules carefully. Failure to follow instructions may result in disqualification of the entry.

Entries will be judged in the following categories -- all must be in English:

1. News & Commentary Writing: Hard news, opinion pieces and essays.

2. Feature Writing: Articles not written on overnight deadline; involving background research or expanded profiles. No Q&As.

3. Broadcast: A feature or live racing segment no longer than 10 minutes. The segment must have appeared on a network television or cable station, recognized news and/or industry website, or have been included in a racetrack’s simulcasting presentation.

4. Racing Photography.

5. Feature Photography.

Winners will receive a plaque/trophy as well as two dinner tickets to the Dan Patch Awards dinner on Feb. 25. There are no cash prizes.

The decisions of the Hervey Committee and the judges are final.

Photo and written submissions -- news and feature categories -- must have appeared in a paid-circulation publication or on the website that is the same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication, recognized broadcast news organization or established industry/news website.

Content that appeared on personal websites, message boards or lists and similar entities is not valid for inclusion in the competition. The final decision on eligibility is in the hands of the Hervey Committee.

Broadcast entries must have appeared on a network television or cable station, recognized news and/or industry website, or have been included in a racetrack’s simulcasting presentation. Documentaries or other long-form productions are not eligible although one segment of that documentary, edited only to fit the length limitations of no more than 10 minutes, may be submitted for consideration.

The final decision on eligibility is in the hands of the Hervey Committee.

General Rules

The decision for eligibility of Internet posted materials is at the discretion of the Hervey Committee and all decisions are final.

These awards are not open to entries that are fiction or were prepared for commercial purposes (for advertisements/promo/publicity purposes).

There is a limit of one submission per person in any one category. You may enter more than one category, but not with the same submission. An entry may only be submitted in one category and the category must be indicated clearly.

The Hervey Committee, at its discretion, may disqualify an entry at any time in the process, and reserves the right not to bestow an award in a particular category based on the quality and quantity of entries.

What You Must Submit

All entries must originate with the author/photographer/producer and must include a signed cover letter expressing the wish to enter materials in the contest and granting permission for the materials to be used for promoting the awards in press releases.

The letter must also include the following contact information for the writer/producer/photographer: name, full address, telephone numbers (home, office, cell) and email address. The letter must also include the date that the media organization published/aired the submission and specify the category for which the entry is being submitted. All the rules for submission must be followed.

Editors may submit on behalf of authors provided that the cover letter is provided with information on the writer/producer/photographer as well as the person submitting the entry. All other third-party entries will be rejected.

Rules for Submission

All written entries -- news or feature -- must specify the category (news or feature) for consideration. All print entries must include both a tearsheet of the entry (a PDF is acceptable via electronic submission) as it appeared in print and an electronic or e-mailed version that is plain text, without identifying information (no bylines, publication names, graphs, photos or other graphic elements).

The emailed (or electronic) file must be named for the author so that it is easily identifiable as being by the author. The plain text version must be as it was published. The tearsheet from the publication must show the author’s name, title and date of publication. Tearsheets for Internet-based submissions will consist of a “screen print” of the document.

At the discretion of the Hervey Committee, an editor or similar senior official of the publication or website may be required to provide a letter attesting that the document is the work of the author who submitted it and it appeared on the website or in the publication on the date in question.

If an author wishes to submit a multi-part series, it must be where the parts were published at the same time (sidebars with a primary story) or where it covers a single theme over the course of two or three publication dates. Multi-part submissions are not to exceed three parts.

All broadcast entries must not exceed 10 minutes and must not contain commercials. Each submission (one per person or group) should have its own cover letter. Each submission should be in the form of a DVD. Please provide three DVDs of each submission.

The submission may be a segment from a live show or a pre-taped feature but must be submitted “as broadcasted” and not edited other than to meet the length restriction and to remove commercials. Commercials or promotional videos are not eligible. A single segment of a documentary may be submitted but not a full-length documentary.

Photography entries must be in the form of three non-returnable 8-by-10 prints of each photograph as it appeared in print, with no identifying information on the front or back along with the cover letter that provides all the identifying information.

The three prints should be accompanied by a single tearsheet of the published photo, showing the date, name of publication and photographer’s name and info. Tearsheets for Internet-based submissions will consist of a “screen print” with an accompanying letter from the editor or similar senior official of the website, attesting to who submitted it and that it appeared on the date indicated in connection with a news-related story.

Each photographer may submit one entry in each the race and feature categories.

Additionally, the winners (and any honourable mentions) must be able to provide a JPG version of the photograph upon request from the Hervey Committee.

Photographs should not be digitally enhanced beyond the basics needed to achieve realistic color balance and sharpness. Failure to follow these rules will result in disqualification.

Deadline

All entries must be in the hands of Hervey Chairman Ken Weingartner by 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 8. This is not a postmark deadline but actually when the entry must be received. You are urged to submit early to avoid missing the deadline.

Where to send the entries

Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications, 49 E. Main St. #5, Freehold, NJ 07728. If using an overnight service, please indicate that no signature is required.

Entries and questions pertaining to entries can be emailed to [email protected].

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This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.