PCLI Media Awards

Descriptions of Divisions

• Written works published in newspapers and magazines or appearing online should be entered in the Narrative division.

• Video broadcasts including network and cable television and streaming services as well as other online formats should be entered in the Video division.

• Radio broadcasts and podcasts should be entered in the Radio division.

• Images including photographs, illustrations, layouts and cartoons should be entered in the Visual division.

• Entries that are specific to digital or social media should be entered in the Digital division.

• Student-produced work should be entered in the Student Journalism division under the appropriate category. Students may compete in professional categories if they wish. 

Submit entries at BetterBNC.com under "Open Call Login" — do NOT use "Contestant Login." Select the 2026 Press Club of Long Island Media Awards Competition. 

Panels of judges from other regions will choose the winners, except the Special Awards and Scholarships, which will be judged by the PCLI board.

The Special Awards and Scholarships include Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame nominations, the Robert W. Greene Public Service Award, the Phil Spahn Memorial Award, the James Murphy Cub Reporter of the Year and the college and high school scholarship awards. This is the only division that is not entered through BetterBNC. Entries, nominations and applications should be emailed to [email protected].

The deadline for entries is April 1, 2026.

Questions? Email [email protected].

Entry Rules

1) Entries must have been published, posted or broadcast between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

2) All entries must be published/broadcast by a Long Island media outlet and/or written, shot or recorded by a Long Island-based journalist. All entries must be about a Long Island subject — except in the Non-local News/Feature and Non-Local Photo categories.

3) Entries must be submitted by individual journalists or by news organizations.

4) Articles, photos, videos and podcasts that appeared in either in-house company publications or association publications are NOT eligible.

5) Online stories, videos and photos that first appeared in other online sources are NOT eligible.

6) A story or broadcast may be entered in up to two categories. In addition, that story or broadcast may also be entered for a Robert W. Greene Public Service Award.

7) PCLI reserves the right to withhold awards in a category where judges have determined none of the entries are worthy of an award.

8) The deadline for entries is April 1, 2026.

10) The entry fee for professional entries is $30 each. The entry fee for student entries is $15 each.

11) There is no fee to submit nominations in the Special Awards and Scholarships division.

12) Fees must be paid at the time entries are submitted and are non-refundable.

Use the menu at the bottom of the page to fill your "cart" with the appropriate number of entry fees for professional and student entrants. Press Club of Long Island members are entitled to one free entry and may deduct one entry fee from their total.

Alternatively, entry fees may be paid by check made payable to Press Club of LI and mailed to Press Club of Long Island, P.O. Box 975, Melville, NY 11747. Everyone paying by check MUST include a note with the title of the entries and which division and category they were entered in. PLEASE NOTE: An entry will not be accepted until we can match that entry with a paid entry fee. Do not mail cash.

13) Only one first-place award or second- and third-place certificate per category will be given. Additional first-place awards can be ordered from PCLI for $50 each after the winners are announced. Additional second- and third-place certificates can be ordered for $10 per certificate. All orders for duplicate awards must be placed by July 15, 2026.

14) Special Awards and Scholarships entries must include a nomination letter and samples of work.

15) Please check your entry for accuracy and completeness. Entries not meeting specified rules will be disqualified; fees paid for disqualified entries not be refunded. The Press Club is not responsible for errors submitted on entry forms.

16) All entries must be submitted online at BetterBNC.com under "Open Call Login" — and NOT under "Contestant Login." Create an Open Call account or log in to an existing account and select the 2026 Press Club of Long Island Media Awards Competition.

Nominations in the Special Awards and Scholarships division must be emailed to [email protected].

Entry Instructions

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW THE COMPETITION RULES BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRIES.

To Enter: Register as an Open Call contestant and request to add entries to the 2026 PCLI Media Awards Competition.

• Visit BetterBNC.com and select "Open Call Login" — NOT "Contestant Login." 

• Log in to your existing Open Call account, or, for first-time users, look below the email and password fields and click on Create Your Open Call account and fill out and submit the registration form. You will receive an automated validation notification when creating a new account. Follow those directions to complete your Open Call registration.

• When complete, select the Open Call contest 2026 PCLI Media Awards Competition, and within 24 hours, you will receive an email approving your contestant status, with a link allowing you to submit entries. (If you have entered the PCLI Media Awards in the past and are using the same Open Call account, you should be able to submit entries right away.)

• Log in, choose your media outlet or fill it in under Other if it’s not listed.

• Choose a Division: Narrative, Video, Radio, Visual, Social Media, Student Journalism; then select a Category, create your entry and submit.

• SUBMIT

• SPJ/PCLI MEMBERS MAY ADD THEIR CURRENT SPJ MEMBER NUMBER IN THE COMMENTS BOX TO QUALIFY FOR A FREE ENTRY.

• Add credits for those responsible for the entry content.

• Click "Submit."

• Submit another entry if applicable or click on the "Manage Entries" link.

• The Manage Entries page will list the number of entries you have made. Below it, click on the Calculate Entry Fee link.

• The total due will be listed. Individual PCLI members who are entitled to their first entry free should deduct $30 from the total (or $15 for students).

• Pay for entry fees at the top or bottom of this page: https://pcli.org/PCLI_Media_Awards

• Please note that any entries that have not been paid for will not be considered.

Categories

• Many categories have been revised for the 2026 contest. Some categories have been removed, and new ones have been added. Please read the 2026 category descriptions carefully to ensure your entry is appropriate for the category.
• The categories, including descriptions, can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Wo64Zk94Dn89kl1CUSGyxLXNyfMhxwE/view?usp=sharing 

Special Awards and Scholarships

• SPECIAL AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE JUDGED BY THE PCLI BOARD.

• ALL ENTRIES MUST INCLUDE A NOMINATION LETTER AND SAMPLES OF WORK.

• THERE ARE NO ENTRY FEES TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS FOR THE SPECIAL AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS.

• DEADLINE FOR SPECIAL AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATIONS:  April 1, 2026

• Nominations in the Special Awards and Scholarships division must be emailed to [email protected].

LONG ISLAND JOURNALISM HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

• The Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame recognizes trailblazing journalists, past and present. The criteria for those being inducted requires that they be someone who has made a significant contribution to Long Island journalism, or be a Long Islander who has made contributions to journalism beyond Long Island

• The criteria for the PCLI Wing of the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame are as follows:

  • Have served 10 or more years as a board member and/or committee chair

  • Demonstrated leadership that transformed the organization and elevated its stature and visibility within the journalism community and its standing within SPJ

  • Transformation can be defined as bolstering core areas of the organization such as awards, programming, finance, events, scholarships, historic research, student outreach, support of ethics and freedom of information, etc.

PHIL SPAHN MEMORIAL AWARD

• Presented to a PCLI member who has demonstrated leadership, ability and outstanding service to journalism, to PCLI or to the journalism community.

THE ROBERT W. GREENE PCLI PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

• Awarded for a story, series, column or editorial that had an impact on Long Island.

• Entry must include a nomination letter detailing the impact of the story.

• Two awards will be given: one for deserving work from a large market newspaper or commercial broadcast company and a second for small market media.

JAMES MURPHY CUB REPORTER OF THE YEAR

• Open to reporters who have less than 18 months of full-time experience as of the end of 2025.

• Candidates must demonstrate ability and a commitment to a career in journalism.

• Nominations must be submitted by an editor, publisher, news director or station manager and include a letter detailing why the candidate deserves the award, and three work samples.

PCLI COLLEGE JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Recognizing outstanding college journalists who either attend a Long Island college or live on Long Island but attend college elsewhere.

• Nomination letters must be submitted by the student’s adviser, editor, station manager or professor that detail the candidate’s qualifications.

• Nominations must include three samples of the candidate’s work and a brief essay by the nominee on his or her goals in journalism.

• The scholarship is for $1,000. 

HANK LOGEMAN HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM AWARD & SCHOLARSHIP

• In memory of UPI reporter and Mineola pressroom veteran Hank Logeman, who was an influence on many journalists throughout the years, the award is designed to support and promote high school journalism on Long Island.

• The scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding high school journalist.

• Entries must include at least one nomination letter from an advisor or teacher, but more than one is welcome.

• Entries must also include samples of journalism from the student.

• The scholarship is for $2,000.

Entry Fees

For professionals, the fee per entry is $30. For students, the fee per entry is $15. Press Club of Long Island members receive their first entry free.

To redeem their free entry, Press Club of Long Island members must be members in good standing of the Society of Professional Journalists. Visit spj.org to join SPJ or ensure your membership is current. If prompted to designate your local chapter, select Press Club of Long Island.

Questions about how to enter the contest may be emailed to [email protected].