Molly Prize 2015: The Molly National Journalism Prize 2015 Submissions #seanocarolan.com #writing #Contest

The 2015 annual MOLLY Prize will be awarded for an article or series of up to four short, related articles or columns telling the stories that need telling, challenge conventional wisdom, focus on civil liberties and/or social justice, and embody the intelligence, deep thinking and/or passionate wit that marked Molly’s work.

The MOLLY Prize and two Honorable Mentions will be presented at an awards dinner on Thursday, May 28, 2015, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, keynoted by a special guest in the tradition of past keynoters (Dan Rather, Ellen Goodman, Seymour Hersh, Gail Collins, Paul Krugman, Connie Schultz, and John Quinones).

Complete guidelines for submitting an entry appear below. For information on the award, becoming a sponsor, attending the dinner or contributing to the MOLLY Prize fund, please contact mollyawards@texasobserver.org, or call 512-477-0746.

RULES
The MOLLY is an annual national print or online journalism award of $5,000 with two honorable mentions of $1,000, each to be presented by the Texas Democracy Foundation and The Texas Observer in memory of Molly Ivins.
All entries will be judged on the basis of either a single piece or a series of up to four related articles or columns. Judges will value work that reflects Molly’s ability to look critically at the issues of the day with compassion and/or humor, tell the stories that need telling, challenge conventional wisdom, and focus upon civil liberties or social justice.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Submissions must consist of material originally published in a U.S.-based publication in print or as part of an online magazine (NOTE: This does not include unedited blogs) between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014. One entry per individual will be accepted. Individual writers may enter on their own or be entered by the publication in which the work appeared. Multiple by-lines for a single entry are acceptable. NOTE: Work that has appeared in The Texas Observer is ineligible in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.
Both electronic and hard copies of stories are required (unless the method of publication makes one or the other version impossible, in which case that should be clearly stated in the submission). A cover sheet for each entry must give the following information: 1) author’s name; 2) mailing address; 3) telephone number(s); 4) e-mail address; 5) a brief biography; 6) publication name; 7) editorial contact person; 8) publication mailing address; 9) publication contact telephone number(s); 10) publication contact e-mail address; and 11) publication date.
If submitting photocopies of published work, 8 1/2 ” x 11″ pages are preferred. If that requires great reduction of the print (as for a broadsheet), please provide a readable version of the story on 8 1/2 ” x 11″ pages with an additional photocopy of the story laid out in the publication. Award finalists may be required to submit tear sheets of the original work.
One hard copy of each entry should be mailed to: The Texas Observer, attn: The MOLLY Prize, 307 W. 7th St, Austin, TX 78701.
One electronic copy of each entry should be e-mailed to: mollyawards@texasobserver.org
All entries must be postmarked or emailed no later than Monday, March 9, 2015.
Entry fee is $50 and should be paid by check or money order when submitting the hard copy of the entry. Please make checks payable to The Texas Observer.



This information can also be found online at http://www.texasobserver.org/mollyawardsubmissions/.

JUDGES

Initial screening for the entries will be conducted by journalists from the Board of Advisors, which governs the award. Finalists and winners will be determined by an annually selected Executive Committee of the Board of Advisors.

SPONSORS

Funding of the prizes, expenses of the awards dinner, and travel and lodging for winning journalists and guest speakers will be underwritten through a fund established by friends of Molly Ivins. Contributions are welcome. If you want to become an event sponsor by purchasing a table for the awards dinner, please contact the publisher: Emily Williams at512.477.0746 or by email at williams@texasobserver.org.