Do awards matter?

[writingump]

I've won numerous awards in my career and it didn't matter three years ago when I was dumped at my shop because of a vendetta. It also hasn't mattered other places due to the recent "right-sizing" craze chains like MG, Paxton and McClatchy -- among many -- have embraced. Salary matters more than ability at most places, unfortunately.

 

[flexmaster33]

It's all based on someone's opinion, usually in another part of the country. While it's nice to take something home once in awhile, it's really of little credence. I've wondered recently if it's worth the entry fee $$ my newspaper invests in it. To me that would be an early place to cut costs.

 

[Editude]

At a previous stop many years ago, one of the reasons I lost out to an outside candidate to become SE is because he had won an APSE section award in our circulation category. As it turned out, he did a fine job with the department.

 

[BillyT]

They mean nothing. And everything.

That's perfect.

I think the ego boost is very important, especially in these times.

I also think that if your resume is going through a Human Resources department first, that might help it get into the second-read pile.

 

[BillyT]

Awards mean absolutely nothing. I know this because I recently sat in on the judging of an awards contest and got to see, first hand, how the people judging it know no more than I do.

That being said, it's one of those things that, if you're worth your salt, you obsess over and think about ... until you get that first one and realize how trivial it actually is.

I won four awards this year, three of which were for writing (first place in state, third place in New England, second place in the SNA contest) and one of which was a third-place finish in page design and while they look pretty on my wall and remind me that my work is recognized by someone, they don't really mean much to anyone but me.

Of course, when I send out resumes and introduce myself to prospective clients in my wedding photography side business, I make sure to introduce myself as an "award-winning journalist" but, deep down, I'm no different now than before I won any awards and I think that's pretty much the case for everyone.

I would counter that just because you feel the people judging have no clue doesn't mean they don't matter elsewhere, as you noted.

 

[Gator]

It's all based on someone's opinion, usually in another part of the country. While it's nice to take something home once in awhile, it's really of little credence. I've wondered recently if it's worth the entry fee $$ my newspaper invests in it. To me that would be an early place to cut costs.

I agree with this. I wrote a story that finished second in the state competition, then put it up again in the regional and finished first. While I was happy I won and said I wrote the best story in the region, deep down, I knew it wasn't that big of a deal. Still, a very proud Mrs. Gator hung the plaque on the wall.

 

[TheHacker]

Awards mean absolutely nothing. I know this because I recently sat in on the judging of an awards contest and got to see, first hand, how the people judging it know no more than I do.

That being said, it's one of those things that, if you're worth your salt, you obsess over and think about ... until you get that first one and realize how trivial it actually is.

I won four awards this year, three of which were for writing (first place in state, third place in New England, second place in the SNA contest) and one of which was a third-place finish in page design and while they look pretty on my wall and remind me that my work is recognized by someone, they don't really mean much to anyone but me.

Of course, when I send out resumes and introduce myself to prospective clients in my wedding photography side business, I make sure to introduce myself as an "award-winning journalist" but, deep down, I'm no different now than before I won any awards and I think that's pretty much the case for everyone.

This.

Obviously, winning awards can't do anything but help you. I don't know what the APSE judging is like, but at the state level the winners may very well be determined by one stupid schmuck's opinion. And I know this because I've been the stupid schmuck a couple of times.

I've done judging twice when my state press association was doing it for other states. My association had reciprocal arrangements with other states to do judging. I enjoyed doing it, and would volunteer again. But clearly it's extremely subjective. The two times I served as a judge, I was the only sports guy involved, so I did all the sports stories and sections for those two states. Me. And nobody else. So the winners were whatever caught my eye.

I'm sure that makes everyone feel pretty good.

 

[murphyc]

I'll echo what several others have said. When I first got going in the business, I wanted awards to prove validation or something. I won some state-level awards in Washington. But when you go to awards banquets and see what wins vs. what doesn't win, you quickly realize how subjective the whole thing is. One group of judges could give your piece a first-place prize; another group of judges could give that same piece no attention at all.
As was mentioned by Shoeless Joe, what means more to me is people on the street telling you good job or thanking you for your work.
Like flex, I wonder if it's worth spending the money on contests. I haven't submitted anything at my current shop, in large part because if we have the money to submit for contests, I'd more rather save that money for freelancers or equipment in the office. You know, stuff that could help me on a regular basis as opposed to a chance to get a piece of paper just in case that group of people likes my writing.
At my last shop, management really pushed for entering contests. We had a lazy reporter who was also supposed to do a column once a week. He did a column every couple of months, basically one story a week and several rearranged press releases and a couple of photos within a couple of blocks of the office. Yet one of his crappy columns won an award. The rest of us submitted some good stuff (in our respective opinions) and got nada.

 

[I Should Coco]

Lots of good comments here.

My current shop's philosophy echoes what murphyc said ... we haven't done the statewide contests in several years because, with funding and staffing so tight, there's much better usage for the entry fees and time it takes to get the entries together.

However, when I was younger in the 1990s, there was a statewide award I won which did mean a great deal to me -- and the company -- back when I was a news editor and reporter. The publisher actually brought in a catered meal for the newsroom after our li'l daily paper in Podunk, Michigan, won for reporting that has an impact in the community.

In a career with its fair share of lowlights, I still remember that one fondly.

 

[kingcreole]

Awards mean a lot to the higher ups. I think they view the lowly sporto's first-place win in the state contest for sports columns as their award.

To me, I've learned through the years that awards are like music. Someone can read your story and think, "Wow!" Someone else can read it and think, "What utter crap." I learned that through the years of winning awards in state contests but rarely getting a sniff in the chain's contest. Plus, a guy I used to work with used to rake in awards. But he was notorious for doing only the bare minimum. He never came up with feature ideas on his own, rarely followed up gamers, etc. But he could hit a column out of the park.

 

[BrianGriffin]

Whenever I win an award, the plaque usually ends up on a brag wall my mom has set up for her three kids. So every time I need to do a new resume, I'm calling mom and asking her what it says on the plaques, because I honestly don't remember.

They mean enough for me to want to put them on a resume. They don't mean enough for me to actually want to keep the award or remember what it is.

 

[Matt Stephens]

It definitely feels good to win them and they look good at your desk, but do they matter in the grand scheme of things? That's a question more focused at employers, IMO.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

They definitely matter... After the inevitable comes and you lose your job, you can burn them to stay warm...

 

[flexmaster33]

Yes, mine are in a stack out of sight on a high shelf in our laundry room

My thoughts..."Great, some guy in South Carolina liked my story/page or photo...whoopee."

The best part is that our paper does a small write up of our paper's winners, so the following week, I'll be out and about covering things and a few people might come up and say congratulations.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Mine are in a box in the basement. The over/under on me taking them out again is never...

 

[podunk press]

I'm competitive, so I love to win them. But, deep down, I know they don't matter. I've won more than a dozen, and I frame them and hang them up in my office at home.

It makes me look considerably more important/talented than I really am to friends and family. Plus, I'm a journalist, which means I'm poor and can't afford wall art. :'(

 

[Stitch]

You could work at my old paper, which is just above Podunk where the ME is proud of awards and hiring copy editors with graduate degrees, including one with a PhD. No matter how many awards or accolades a staff has, mistakes such as "pubic school" still slip through, which kills any credibility awards bring.

 

[Justin Biebler]

When they stopped giving us a little bump in our paycheck for the awards, I stopped entering them.

 

[WriteThinking]

Awards are subjective, of course.

Of course, so are hiring decisions.

Yes, awards matter, and, given a choice between having them, or not having them, it is definitely better to have them.

 

[Batman]

Since I've only worked at one shop my whole career, listing awards does keep me from being able to write out my resume on a post-it note. That's a plus.