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***Please choose "Open Call Contestant login" at bottom left of pop-up screen that appears when you enter contest. ***

Once you have a profile, navigate to "My Contests" under "Open Call Contestant" on the top navigation menu. Choose the “2026 Washington, D.C., SPJ Dateline Awards” under the pick-list that appears. You can make your submissions immediately, even while awaiting approval to the contest.

More than one entry may be submitted in each category, but each separate entry must be accompanied by its own entry fee. Please do not submit the same entry in more than one category.

The fee is $32 per entry.
A complete list of Divisions and Categories is available here.

Entry is open to journalists in D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland.

Work that is entered must be of local interest (specific to the contest region) or about the workings of Washington, D.C., for a wider audience.

Work published, posted or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2026, is eligible. For a series, the majority of the work must have appeared in 2026.

All entries shall be in their original form as published or broadcast and entered no later than Monday, March 9, 2026. Subsequent corrections or clarifications to the work must be included in the entry or it will be disqualified.