Q: There are already so many journalism contests. Why is this one any different?
A: The Online Journalism Awards will recognize quality English-language Web journalism from around the world. The awards are administered by two institutions especially well-suited to judge Web journalism: the Online News Association and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. ONA is the world's premier networking group for online journalists. In addition, Annenberg administers other prestigious journalism awards, including the Selden Ring Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Journalism.

Q: How will the judging take place?
A: A two-step process will determine the winners. A set of screeners, working remotely, will narrow down the entries to five finalists in each category. These screeners are online journalists from around the world. Then the judges of the Online Journalism Awards, a group of distinguished journalists, will meet in person to pick the winners.

Q: Who is eligible to participate?
A: The awards are open only to Web sites — or areas of Web sites — where journalists have originated the content or selected and amplified it. The primary purpose of the site must be to inform rather than sell products or promote a business (online retailers and advertising sites are not eligible). Search services and portal sites, as well as wire services, may submit content they created that fits the eligibility requirements. Entries must be from English-language sites only, but the sites may be headquartered anywhere in the world.

Q: What are the dates of eligibility?
A: Only work first published on the Web between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, will be eligible for the 2005 OJAs.

Q: Can individuals enter?
A: Yes, individuals and organizations may enter the contest. Self-nominations are welcome.

Q: Why are only English-language stories eligible?
A: Trying to judge quality journalism across several languages is impossible. So, like most contests based in the U.S., we are looking at stories in English. We are still one of the few American contests that allow entries from other countries, and several bilingual sites will be entering English stories as well.

Q: I am editor of a site in Spain that has both English and Spanish content. Can I still enter?
A: You are welcome to enter stories or packages from your site that are in English.

Q: My content is behind a subscription-only site, so how do I enter?
A: Enter just like everyone else, but make sure you provide a username and password that our multiple judges can access (include it in the additional remarks section of the entry form).