Well, actually five days, but if you wait til Monday, you might be scrambling if you have to wrestle with the online site and are trying to get help at the eleventh hour (Mountain Standard Time). Totally stuck and abysmally confused by the electronic website? Contact NMPW Communications contest chair Diane Schmidt at dianeschmidt22@hotmail.com or 505-890-8363, and arrange an evening time to go through the process over the phone. Attached is a handy reference for creating .pdfs. All award places, including honorable mentions, receive certificates. All certificates are presented at the sexy new 2015 NMPW Conference, The Power of Storytelling, held at Ghost Ranch this year, featuring Valerie Plame Friday night, Saturday workshops, the Zia Awards lunch, and the Awards Banquet with keynote speaker Bruce McKenna. First place winners who are members of NMPW and the National Federation ofPress Women are eligible to compete nationally.
If you haven’t entered your best work of 2014 for this years Communications Contest, don’t delay. With 64 entry categories there’s something for every communicator – journalists, writers, photographers, social media websites and blogs, authors, poets, screenwriters, playwrights, speeches, graphics, PR and advertising campaigns, and TV and radio shows.
The state website has friendly information at https://newmexicopresswomen.org/new-mexico-communication-contest/2014-communications-contest/ to begin with. If you have a question about categories as you’re preparing your online entry, you can also look on the national web site www.nfpw.org/pdf/2014NFPWContestCategories.pdf
and see the 2014 category descriptions. They won’t change for 2015. If you’re impatient to enter directly, go to the ENTRY site: https://omnicontests4.com/?comp_id=6F36FE10-4DC7-49C0-B7FF-DCF5F024F34F and click the white REGISTER tab to begin the process. If you didn’t already jump ahead to the contest link, enter thru the NFPW site. Go to http://www.nfpw.org/communicationsContest.cfm and click on Enter the 2015 Competition and then follow directions – may be favorably compared to Alice in Wonderland chasing the white rabbit.
Entry fees remain $10 for the first entry, $5 for each additional entry for members; $15/$10 non-members. You will pay your contest entry fees to national, then be SURE to go back and HIT submit entry as your final step.
National and state membership is paid on the national website. State membership alone is $13, and is paid by check to NMPW, Loretta Hall, Treasurer, 3219 El Toboso Drive, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104.
The system will allow you to interrupt your entries and return to them later, provided you’ve SAVED. If you don’t save, you have to start all over.
The system will require you to enter the division and category and then save. After that you enter the rest of the information. If there is no co-entrant, be sure to check the NO box on that tab. If your category requires a one-page statement, you will upload that as well. When you upload, first select URL or UPLOAD so that the #1 box appears.
You can upload pretty much any kind of file. You can view all your entries. You can make changes until you hit the final submit. Once you click submit, you’re done.
The system is fairly simple and flexible. For those of you with more than one entry, it’ll help you to set up your own contest folder beforehand.
Albuquerque Press Women, Santa Fe Northern New Mexico Press Women and Las Cruces Press Women are all active local chapters with monthly professional programs. Monday, Feb. 9 the Albuquerque Press Women monthly luncheon features Dan Vukelitch, editor of ABQ Free Press at the Elegante Hotel on Menaul. View at http://www.albuquerquepresswomen.org/wordpress/
Las Cruces Press Women has a Feb. 28 event, JOURNALISM ON THE BORDER – view at https://www.facebook.com/LCPressWomen