Agricultural journalists seek judges for writing contest

The North American Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ) is looking for help in judging several categories of its annual writing contest in February.

The organization needs judges in place by Monday, Feb. 1, to review entries for news, spot news, features, series and student competitions. This is an opportunity to help promote the high journalistic standards and to discover how far-reaching agricultural reporting and writing can be.

The NAAJ membership includes reporters and editors in the United States and Canada who cover agriculture and food.

Don’t know much about agriculture? That’s okay as long as you’re steeped in the fundamentals of good journalism and know the elements of a strong, well-reported story. NAAJ wants to expand its pool of judges to bring in different perspectives and to reduce the possibility of colleagues judging each other.

The deadline for entries is Feb. 8 and winners in 12 categories are announced in March. Entries will be judged using an online system. Judges will be asked to submit comments about the winners in the categories they review. Awards will be presented virtually during the annual NAAJ meeting scheduled April 26-30.

If you’re interested, please contact NAAJ President Todd Neely at [email protected] or NAAJ Interim Executive Secretary-Treasurer Jacqui Fatka at [email protected] for more information.