Media Awards

Affiliate Categories

1. Best Affiliate Newsletter or Magazine (circulation less than 1,000)
   Recognizes excellence in newsletter communications, design and layout in communicating news important to the fire service and union members. Affiliates with a membership of fewer than 1,000 are strongly encouraged to submit their work in this category.
2. Best Affiliate Newsletter or Magazine (circulation more than 1,000)
   Recognizes excellence in newsletter communications, design and layout in communicating news important to the fire service and union members. Affiliates with a membership of more than 1,000 are strongly encouraged to submit their work in this category.
3. Best Digital Communications
   Recognizes excellence in digital communications for union or community members. Acceptable formats include e-newsletters, video messages and podcasts.
4. Best Affiliate Public Relations or Political Campaign or Project
   Recognizes excellence in external public relations and community outreach for promoting municipal elections, ballot initiatives and referendums, and public safety. Entries should demonstrate an ongoing effort to improve public safety, as well as the safety of fire fighters. Acceptable formats include: brochures, flyers, videos, websites, reports and social media presentations.
5. Best Affiliate Community Outreach/Community Education Campaign
   Recognizes excellence in community outreach and education to promote charitable activities, public safety or other initiatives important to keeping communities safe.
6. Best Affiliate Special/One-Time/Annual Publication or Internal Member Campaign or Project (such as annual reports, calendars, commemorative programs, educational materials)
   Recognizes excellence in internal members communications/engagement efforts or projects produced to raise public safety awareness. Entries may include posters, calendars, commemorative books, annual reports and public service announcements.
7. Best MDA Outreach Project
   Recognizes the IAFF’s decades-long partnership with MDA and the efforts of IAFF affiliates to raise money to find a cure for neuromuscular disease. If your local has developed an innovative project that captures the spirit of this unique relationship, we strongly encourage you to enter this category. Entries can include Fill the Boot campaigns, other fundraising efforts, testimonials or other communications that highlight the importance of the IAFF’s support for MDA.
8. Best Social Media Video
   Recognizes excellence in communicating with members or promoting public safety using short, social media videos distributed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Entries should be no longer than three to five minutes. Please provide working URLs.
9. Best Photo or Infographic Published on Social Media
   Recognizes excellence in producing images that best portray the challenging and courageous work of fire fighters or issues of importance to the fire service. Images and infographics must have been published on a social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please provide working URLs to the specific image to be judged for this category.
10. Best Fire Service Photo (not previously published) Taken by an IAFF Member
    Recognizes excellence in photography that best portrays the challenging and courageous work of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel and the firefighting profession. Photos cannot have been shared via social media or any other sites. Entries are judged on the following criteria: technical merit, subject matter and impact.

Media Categories

1. Best News Story, Series or Feature Published in a Newspaper, Magazine, Web-Based News Site or Trade Publication
   Honors a professional journalist’s excellence in reporting news that best portrays the challenging and courageous work of professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel, such as features, in-depth reporting, news blogs and other fire service issues.
2. Best Multimedia Storytelling (graphics, podcasts, interactives, illustrations, complementary text or audio narrative)
   Honors a professional journalist’s excellence in digital reporting on news stories that best portray the challenging and courageous work of professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel.
3. Best Photo Published in a Newspaper, Magazine, Website or Trade Publication
   Honors a professional photojournalist’s excellence in producing images that best portray the challenging and courageous work of professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel and the firefighting profession. Entries are judged on the following criteria: technical merit, subject matter and impact. If providing a photo entry online, please submit the working URL.
4. Best Television News Story, Feature, Video or Documentary
   Honors a professional television journalist’s excellence in producing stories that best portray the challenging and courageous work of professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. Entries should be no more than 15 minutes and can include features, series and other news on the firefighting profession.