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The IAFF Media Awards Contest  

Winners of the 2021 IAFF Media Awards Contest will be announced in the fall. Please keep up to date with all of our communications for more information.

The IAFF Media Awards Contest recognizes affiliates for their best work in communicating with their members and the public, and honors reporting and photography that best portray professional fire fighters and paramedics as dedicated all-hazards responders. The IAFF Media Awards Contest also helps create a greater awareness of the important and dangerous work IAFF members in the United States and Canada do to keep the public safe.

Winners can use the badge below on social media to share or promote their winning entry.

Contest Categories

Affiliate Categories (11)

  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, e-books, etc.
  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 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. 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.
  11. Best IAFF Podcast
    This category recognizes the best reporting on fire fighters and labor-union management issues.

 

Media Categories (4)

  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.