changes This Year — Call for Entries FAQ

What’s New for the 2024 Call for Entries:

Categories: 

  • There’s a new Specialty Content category group for Military.  

  • There’s also a new Sports Open/Tease category, which is for material like cold opens to  sports programs and game coverage, along with videos played in stadiums and arenas  during events.  

  • In the Politics/Government and Health/Medical groups, the Short and Long Form options  have been consolidated into single categories.  

Time Limits: The original content length for News Stories and Short Form Content is now 15  minutes instead of ten. 

Double Dipping: The rules now allow someone to enter the same content doing the same job  in both a content category and a craft category. But, while both entries are allowed and both  can be nominated, no one may be awarded two Emmys® for the same content doing the same  job. See p14 for the full doubling dipping rules.  

Branded Content: Sponsorship does not, in and of itself, qualify something as Branded. The  sponsor must play a substantial role in the content itself.  

Job Roles: Emmy® Express will require entrants to select job roles from dropdown lists of  allowable types such as Producer, Writer, Photo, and Director. Entrants may not simply use  their job titles. Requests to use a role not on the list must be submitted to the awards  committee. 

Emmy® Express Entry: Here’s what goes in the Medium field on the ENTRY screen of  Emmy® Express, which is for the debut distribution of the entry: 

  • If the content was first broadcast, list the station. KTVB or KATU, for example.

  • If it debuted digitally, enter the website url or platform/app 

  • If it first aired in a stadium or arena, say which one 

  • If it is a composite from different sources, say Broadcast Composite or Digital Composite

  • Anything else, explain how/where it was first distributed

Judging continues to be an issue. When you submit an entry, we send to 3-4 chapters in the country for judging and scoring. There MUST BE at last seven(7) panelists scoring each of your entries to be complete, or we have to extend deadline. In 2022, we were extremely fortunate to have judging partners who performed amazingly, allowing sufficient time for the accounting firm to handle the “cut” properly. The Awards Committee receives the review from the CPA working to determine the “cut” of nominations and of recipients.

The Northwest Chapter now offers $50 per entry discount to those of you judge at least 2 categories when we receive reciprocal judging. Although you may not gain benefit this year, be sure to help when we send a request for judging. Only two categories will gain you the discount on every entry you are named. The discount only applies to the entrant who performs judging.

Email at Northwest@emmyonline.tv or by calling the office at 206-653-7501

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What’s the entry deadline?  

Entries must be submitted online to Emmy® Express no later than Tuesday, January 16,  2024. 

2. Do I have to be a member to enter?  

You do not have to be a member to enter, but entry fees are discounted for current  members. You can join at the time of entry and still receive the member discount. Active  membership in another chapter honored. Contact the Northwest Chapter for details. 

3. Am I a current (2024) NATAS member?  

Only if you paid dues on or after August 1, 2023. You can join online or mail payments to  NATAS Northwest; 1402 Lake Tapps Pkwy SE, Ste. F104-133; Auburn, WA 98092. Remember until fees are received and enter, nonmember fees apply.  

4. What if I coordinate many entries for my organization?  

If you are the submitter, you can accept the financial responsibility. If others in your  organization are the submitter, they can identify you as the payee.  

5. What if my entry first aired on the web?  

It does not matter if a story is broadcast, cablecast, or aired on a digital platform. An entry  aired via broadband must have been produced and intended for the Northwest Regional  audience and MUST HAVE had its first transmission in that awards area during the eligibility  period. It is advised that broadband content intended for a wider audience (a national  audience) be submitted for consideration in the NATAS’ national competition. REMEMBER  you cannot submit an entry in more than one chapter. 

6. Who can be listed on an entry?  

All entrants must be “most directly responsible” for its production. We encourage entrants to  notify all individuals who could be identified as “most responsible” offering them opportunity  to participate and pay any necessary fees to include their name on the submitted entry.  Note the rule prohibiting entries by news directors, EPs, or other news managers unless  they performed hands-on work in the production of the content.  

7. May I add entrants after I submit an entry?  

Entrants may be added before nominations are announced. The cost is the original entry  fee plus a $50-100 reprocessing fee. After nominations are announced, there is a 10- calendar day grace period in which names, under extreme, special circumstances, may be  added to a nominated entry. These requests should be authorized in writing to the Chapter  Awards Committee from the person who submitted the entry or one of the entry nominees  requesting this addition and detailing why this request should be granted. At a minimum, the  appeal must include why the person was not originally listed on the entry AND what  significant contributions that person made. The Awards Committee will make the final  decision and ruling. The cost is $400 PER ADDITIONAL entrant. Absolutely no additional  entrants can be added after Emmy® Awards have been announced.

8. May I submit the same work in two places?  

Any single piece of work may be submitted in only one non-craft category, unless otherwise  noted. However, the same piece of work may be submitted in one or more Craft categories. See p14 for the Doubling Dipping section of the Emmy® Contest Rules for details. 

9. What about elements from programs that have been entered elsewhere? 

A program may be entered only once in a non-craft category. If a program (other than a  newscast) is entered, a story/segment from that program may not be entered as well. Any  entry that airs as both a multi-part series and as a full-length program may be entered only  once in the competition in either form, regardless of the amount of new material added. 

10. What is a complete entry?  

A complete entry consists of a completed online Emmy® Express entry form, a single video  uploaded online, and payment in full. If you are unable to upload your video to the web site,  please contact the office for help. A written description about the entry may be typed in the  space provided on the entry form. 

After completing the online Emmy® Express entry form, you will receive an email with  instructions and link to the video upload page. 

If all or part of payment is by check, print and mail a copy of the entry form with the checks  to the office. 

mproperly submitted or incomplete entries will be assessed a $50 reprocessing fee. 

11. How do I pay?  

Emmy® Express now has very flexible payment options. It allows multiple individuals to pay  for a single entry or multiple entries. Payment can be by check, Visa, MasterCard and/or  American Express. 

Bottom line: When there are multiple people paying for multiple entries, be sure you assign  the payment requirement to the appropriate payee. If that person does not pay, we will  send email to the individual named as well as you as the submitter. But should the payment  not be received timely, the individual will be removed from the entry, needing to adhere to  original rules to add a name. ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE MADE NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 9, 2024, unless prior  arrangements are made. Any entrants not paid by this date will be removed from the  entry(ies). Resubmission of an entrant is subject to all additional fees as noted. 

12. Who owns the Emmy® statuettes?  

 See Emmy® Awards Contest Rules - Award Ownership for details. 

13. Are commemorative Emmy® Award statuettes available?  

Yes. For additional information, send your request to northwest@emmyonline.tv. In  addition, special recognition plaques are available to recognize and/or honor other  individuals who played an important role in an entry that has been honored with an Emmy®  Award. 

Mailing Address 

If you are paying by check, make checks payable to and mail to: 

NATAS Northwest Chapter 

1402 Lake Tapps Pkwy SE, Ste. F104-133 

Auburn, WA 98092