RTDNA honors outstanding achievements in the coverage of diversity with the Kaleidoscope Awards. The award was developed as part of RTDNA's commitment to achieve diversity in the newsroom through developing news content and editorial staffs that reflect the changing face of communities. The purpose of the award is to encourage and showcase journalistic excellence in covering issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity. It is presented annually to news organizations that show an ongoing commitment to covering the diversity of the communities they serve.
Enter your radio, television or online news organization and showcase your ongoing commitment to covering diversity issues. This prestigious award will bring recognition to your news team and increased respect from your audience.
What Do I Need To Know to Enter?
The news organization must submit an entry that demonstrates journalistic excellence in covering issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity in the community it serves. That coverage may include but is not limited to, an examination of racism, race relations, problems confronting indigenous groups, issues of language, and/or explorations of social conditions common to groups in the community served. The entry may be a single story or a compilation of work. A written presentation is required and should include a list of material on the entry.
Timeline
January 8, 2018 - Submissions Open
February 7, 2018 - Early Bird Submission Deadline
February 14, 2018 - Submission Deadline
March 14, 2018 - Extended Submission Deadline
June 2018 - Winners announced
September 2018- Winners honored at Excellence in Journalism
How to Enter
Enter your Kaleidoscope Awards submission online through our awards portal. Select your category from the drop-down menu and complete the entry form.
Timeline
January 8, 2018 - Submissions Open
February 7, 2018 - Early Bird Submission Deadline
February 14, 2018 - Submission Deadline
March 14, 2018 - Extended Submission Deadline
June 2018 - Winners announced
September 2018- Winners honored at Excellence in Journalism
How to Enter
Enter your Kaleidoscope Awards submission online through our awards portal. Select your category from the drop-down menu and complete the entry form.
- Entries may be edited and must not exceed 60 minutes (all commercial breaks must be removed).
- Voice-overs or narratives are permitted only if they were part of the original piece.
- A written presentation is required and should include an explanation of the news organization’s philosophy related to the coverage of diversity issues.
- All material (link, written work) must be submitted at the time of entry.
- All entries must have appeared between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017.
Eligibility
Entries may be submitted by stations, networks, syndication services, program services and online news organizations. Entries without appropriate station, network or company authorization will not be accepted. You do not have to be a member of RTDNA to enter the competition or win an award. International entries are accepted.
Entries must be submitted in the proper category to be considered for judging. Entrants that do not enter correctly will be disqualified.
Please see category breakdown before entering.
Judging
The decisions of the judges are final. At the discretion of the judges, awards may not be granted in some categories. Please note: RTDNA may utilize elements of any awards submission for promotional purposes.
Early Bird
Entries submitted by February 7 automatically receive a $10 off early-bird discount. Entries submitted between February 8 & 14 are charged the regular rates listed above.
Member Discount
To qualify for member rates on entry fees, a member of your full-time news staff must be an RTDNA member. Unsure of your member status? Contact Karen Hansen: karenh@rtdna.org.
Payment
Payment for entry fees can be made online by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) at the time of entry. If your total fees are less than $1,500 we require all organizations to pay via credit card. If payment is made by check, please include the confirmation number(s) of all of the entries included in your total. You should also include a copy of the confirmation with your check.
Checks should be made payable to RTDNA. All checks can be sent to:
Entries must be submitted in the proper category to be considered for judging. Entrants that do not enter correctly will be disqualified.
Please see category breakdown before entering.
- Small/Large Market Radio
- Network Radio
- Small/Large Market TV
- Network TV
- Digital News Organization (Digital News Organizations must NOT be affiliated with a broadcast news organization)
Judging
The decisions of the judges are final. At the discretion of the judges, awards may not be granted in some categories. Please note: RTDNA may utilize elements of any awards submission for promotional purposes.
| Fees per Entry | ||
| Member | Non-Member | |
| Radio - Small/Large Market | $90 | $140 |
| Radio - Network | $160 | $245 |
| TV - Small/Large Market | $135 | $220 |
| TV - Network | $180 | $270 |
| Digital News Organization | $130 | $170 |
Early Bird
Entries submitted by February 7 automatically receive a $10 off early-bird discount. Entries submitted between February 8 & 14 are charged the regular rates listed above.
Member Discount
To qualify for member rates on entry fees, a member of your full-time news staff must be an RTDNA member. Unsure of your member status? Contact Karen Hansen: karenh@rtdna.org.
Payment
Payment for entry fees can be made online by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) at the time of entry. If your total fees are less than $1,500 we require all organizations to pay via credit card. If payment is made by check, please include the confirmation number(s) of all of the entries included in your total. You should also include a copy of the confirmation with your check.
Checks should be made payable to RTDNA. All checks can be sent to:
RTDNA
The National Press Building
529 14th Street, Suite 1240
Washington, D.C. 20045
529 14th Street, Suite 1240
Washington, D.C. 20045
Disqualification
An entry that does not follow competition rules as outlined in here will be disqualified. Entries that are longer than 60 minutes will be disqualified. Entrants will not be notified of disqualification, nor will entry fees be refunded.
Notification
Award recipients will be announced in June.
Awards and Recognition
Recipients of an award will receive a custom-designed award at the 2018 Excellence in Journalism Conference, Sept. 27-29 in Baltimore.
If you have questions, please contact us at: awards@rtdna.org.
Past Winners
If you have questions, please contact us at: awards@rtdna.org.
Past Winners
