40th ANNUAL
MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL
EMMY® AWARDS
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD
APRIL 1, 2021 — MARCH 31, 2022
EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE
APRIL 8
DISCOUNTED ENTRY FEE
STANDARD ENTRY DEADLINE
APRIL 22
LATE ENTRY DEADLINE
APRIL 29
WITH LATE FEE
EMMY® NOMINATIONS
AUGUST 2022
Important Notes for 2022
The Board of Governors of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter is pleased to release the Call For Entries for 2022. What’s new for 2022? Here are the highlights of changes and important information for this year’s competition:
NUMBER OF ENTRANTS
Maximum number of entrants on each news/program category is now 12.
"LONG FORM" AND "SHORT FORM" CATEGORIES
The content categories are categorized as "Long Form" (over 10 minutes) and "Short Form" (under 10 minutes).
JOB FUNCTION
When submitting your name, be sure to include an accurate job function. Do not automatically list the title you have listed in your member profile. Be sure to specify the exact role played in the production of each entry to prove eligibility.
DISCONTINUED CATEGORIES
· Health News Story - Single Shift
· Sports Interview/Discussion
· Craft Achievement - Audio
NEW CATEGORIES
· Sports Excellence
· Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - News
· Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - Short Form Content
· Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - Long Form Content
See specific examples of double-dipping in the CONTEST RULES section of this Call for Entries.
Dates and FeeS
- NATAS members who have not fulfilled their annual judging requirement will be charged an additional $50 fee per entry.
April 8: Early entry deadline discounted entry fee
NEWS/PROGRAM CATEGORIES (101 - 603)
$65 / member
$200 / non-member
CRAFT CATEGORIES (701 - 716)
$45 / member
$150 / non-member
April 22: Standard entry deadline
NEWS/PROGRAM CATEGORIES (101 - 603)
$80 / member
$225 / non-member
CRAFT CATEGORIES (701 - 716)
$50 / member
$175 / non-member
April 29: Late entry deadline with late fee
NEWS/PROGRAM CATEGORIES (101 - 603)
$110 / member
$250 / non-member
CRAFT CATEGORIES (701 - 716)
$60 / member
$200 / non-member
Videos must be UPLOADED and APPROVED by the deadline to be eligible.
2022 CALL FOR ENTRIES
EMMY® CATEGORIES
MEMBERSHIP

Mid-Atlantic Regional EMMY® Awards
Contest Rules
- Local station news coverage that may receive national exposure should be submitted to regional Emmy® Award competitions.
- A documentary film that has a limited theatrical release at film festivals (showing on 50 or fewer screens in the U.S. over a one-year period) before telecast or being made available online is eligible provided the program content is produced and intended for the regional or local audience. Documentary films with a theatrical debut more than one year prior to their television or streaming debut will not be eligible.
- Local content that later receives national distribution may be submitted to either a regional or a national awards competition, but not both.
- Local segments that are eligible to participate as entries in National Emmy® Award competitions (i.e. News & Doc) may compete in both regional and national awards competitions under prevailing rules.
- Pornographic, violent, defamatory or offensive content.
- Previously distributed programs, series or related craft content which was distributed and met eligibility requirements during a previous awards year or another Emmy® competition.
- Program length commercials or infomercials.
- Closed circuit content or internal communications.
- No content produced or created for a regional or national Emmy® awards show may be submitted to an Emmy® awards contest. Related craft material is also ineligible.
- Motion picture content that premiered in general release to the public in theaters.
- Compilation reels, “clip shows” or “best of…” programs that were edited from original content.
- Any acquired foreign productions not originated in the United States.
- No entry may be submitted to more than one Emmy® awards competition (Regional or National).
*Exception: Regional Emmy® recipients in the Breaking News and Investigative Report categories are eligible for submission to the National News & Documentary competition under prevailing rules. - Different episodes from the same program or series can only be entered in one Emmy® Awards competition
- Entrants are not allowed to separate content from individual craft achievement and submit in multiple Emmy® Awards competitions.
- If the Chapter deems content ineligible, craft submissions related to that content would also be ineligible.
- The first distribution of the entry is the primary determination of eligibility.
Mid-Atlantic Regional EMMY® Awards
CATEGORIES
#100 SERIES
101 · Overall Excellence
102 · News Excellence
103 · Sports Excellence
104 · Community Service
105 · Interactive Video
#200 SERIES
201 · Evening Newscast — Markets (1-38)
202 · Evening Newscast — Markets (39 and Smaller)
203 · Morning Newscast — Markets (1-38)
204 · Morning Newscast — Markets (39 and Smaller)
205 · News Special
206 · Arts/Entertainment — News (Single Report)
207 · Breaking News (Single or Multiple Reports)
208 · Business/Consumer — News (Single Report)
209 · Crime — News (Single Report)
210 · Continuing Coverage
211 · Daily News Report — (Single Report, Single Shift)
212 · Diversity/Equity/Inclusion — News (Single Report)
213 · Education/Schools — News (Single Report)
214 · Environment/Science — News (Single Report)
215 · Hard News Report (Single Report)
216 · Health/Medical — News (Single Report)
217 · Historical/Cultural — News (Single Report)
218 · Human Interest — News (Single Report)
219 · Investigative (Single Report)
220 · News Feature, Light (Single Report)
221 · News Feature, Serious (Single Report)
222 · News Feature, Multiple Reports
223 · Politics/Government — News (Single Report)
224 · Societal Concerns — News (Single Report)
225 · Team Coverage
#300 SERIES
NON-NEWS
301 · Arts/Entertainment — Short Form Content (Single Report)
302 · Diversity/Equity/Inclusion — Short Form Content (Single Report)
303 · Education/Schools — Short Form Content (Single Report)
304 · Health/Environment/Science — Short Form Content (Single Report)
305 · Historical/Cultural — Short Form Content (Single Report)
306 · Human Interest — Short Form Content (Single Report)
307 · Lifestyle — Short Form Content (Single Report)
308 · Societal Concerns — Short Form Content (Single Report)
#400 SERIES
BOTH NEWS AND NON-NEWS
401 · Arts — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
402 · Diversity/Equity/Inclusion — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
403 · Documentary (Single Program)
404 · Education/Schools — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
405 · Entertainment — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
406 · Health/Environment/Science — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
407 · Historical/Cultural — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
408 · Human Interest — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
409 · Interview/Discussion (Single Program)
410 · Lifestyle — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
411 · Magazine Program (Single Program)
412 · Politics/Government — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
413 · Public Affairs Program (Single Program)
414 · Societal Concerns — Long Form Content (Single Report or Program)
415 · Branded Content
#500 SERIES
501 · Sports Story — News (Single Report)
502 · Sports Story — News Feature (Single Report)
503 · Sports Story — Short Form Content (Single Report)
504 · Sportscast (Single Report)
505 · Sports Program — Live (Single Program)
506 · Sports Program — Post-Produced or Edited (Single Program)
507 · Sports — One-Time Special
508 · Live Sporting Event/Game
#600 SERIES
601 · Commercial — Single Spot
602 · News/Program Promotion/PSA — Single Spot
603 · News/Program Promotion/PSA — Campaign
#700 SERIES
701 · Editor — Content
702 · Editor — News/Sports
703 · Editor — Spot Announcements
704 · Graphic Arts/Motion Graphics
705 · Photographer — Content
706 · Photographer — News/Sports
707 · Video Essay
708 · Video Journalist
709 · Writer
710 · Talent - Anchor — News
711 · Talent - Anchor — Weather
712 · Talent - Program Host/Moderator
713 · Talent - Reporter — Daily News
714 · Talent - Reporter — Features/Human Interest
715 · Talent - Reporter — Specialty Assignment
716 · Talent - Sports
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT
One award, more than one award or no award is given only to the eligible recipient(s) listed on each category. Others who may have contributed to the content and execution of the material presented in the entry may purchase plaques to commemorate their participation.
An entry submitted in a Special Achievement category may not be duplicated in its entirety in any other Special Achievement category
Your linear, live video includes a call to action for viewers to participate in the video content using tools like QR codes or text messages to participate in segments or the overall video. The interaction is incorporated into the live video.
Your live or on-demand video allows viewers to determine what they see next through specific interactions. The interaction could also determine what the content creator does next related to the production for example, creating an alternate ending to the video content.
NEWS CONTENT
News content categories are intended for journalistic material produced by news departments within television stations, newspapers or online news reporting entities.
Producers should be the primary entrants for these categories. Qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry’s award-worthiness. Submitters who created work as part of media pool coverage can only enter their material once and must clearly identify their contributions on the entry.
For single News story entries, the original video and submission length must not exceed 10 minutes
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between elements of a series entry or between excerpts if the original video has been edited to fit the entry time limit for the category.
CHAPTER NOTE: NEWS categories are intended for content that had its origin in a newscast or news feed, and from online journalism organizations such as newspapers that also produce video content. Entries submitted in NEWS categories from non-news organizations, production companies, programming organizations, etc. will be subject to disqualification.
Programming Content
Short Form (non-news)
CHAPTER NOTE: Short Form Content categories in this Programming section are intended for NON-NEWS organizations, production companies, programming organizations, etc. News content entered in these categories is subject to disqualification.
Producers should be the primary entrants for Programming categories. Qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry's award-worthiness. Submitters who created work as part of media pool coverage can only enter their material once and must clearly identify their contributions on the entry.
Short Form content must be submitted in its entirety as originally distributed. The original video and submission length must not exceed 10 minutes. News content is only eligible in the appropriate News categories
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between elements of a series entry or between excerpts if the original video has been edited to fit the entry time limit for the category.
CHAPTER NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, all News and Program entries should be single reports, single stories, or single programs. Series or multiple report entries are only eligible where noted.
PROGRAMMING CONTENT
LONG Form, PROGRAMS, DOCUMENTARIES, BRANDED CONTENT
(BOTH NEWS AND non-News)
CHAPTER NOTE: This programming section is open to both NON-NEWS and NEWS organizations. For example, news organizations that produce programs, documentaries, or long form content on arts, entertainment, health, lifestyle, history, societal concerns, and other topics ARE eligible here- provided it was not part of a newscast. Unless otherwise noted, the original content must have exceeded ten minutes in length. Unless otherwise noted, only single stories/reports and single programs are eligible.
Producers should be the primary entrants for Programming categories. Qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry’s award-worthiness. Submitters who created work as part of media pool coverage can only enter their material once and must clearly identify their contributions on the entry.
Unless otherwise noted, the time limit for any program or long form category is 30 minutes. A maximum of three (3) segments/excerpts is permitted to bring longer programs to the required entry time limit
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between elements of a series entry or between excerpts if the original video has been edited to fit the entry time limit for the category.
SPORTS CONTENT
Producers should be the primary entrants for Sports Content categories. Qualified others may be eligible if their contributions are significant to the entry’s award-worthiness.
Sports News content is only eligible in the appropriate News subcategories.
For Short Form Content and Sportscast entries, the original video must not exceed 10 minutes.
For Long Form Content and Program entries, the original video must be longer than 10 minutes and submission length may not exceed 30 minutes. No more than three (3)
excerpts may be included to bring longer content to the 30-minute entry time limit (exceptions: Sports - One-Time Special and Live Sporting Event/Game.)
Excerpts must be presented in original, chronological order.
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between excerpts if the original video has been edited to fit the entry time limit for the category.
SPOT ANNOUNCEMENTS
For excellence in promotional, commercial or public service announcements. Entries must be regionally conceived, produced and distributed. Spots that contain more than 50% of network or syndicator-provided material do not qualify. Music, graphics and pre-edited video constitute such material. Spots may be 5 seconds to 2 minutes in length. If a campaign is entered, a maximum of five (5) spots may be included which are edited together for a single video upload.
If a campaign is entered, no spots from that same campaign may be submitted in a single-spot category.
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between elements of a campaign.
CRAFT Achievement
For excellence in a specific craft discipline demonstrating the skills of one or more individuals. Each entry may contain a single example of the craft or a composite of material as originally distributed. While craft entrants may submit more than one entry per craft discipline, only one of those entries may be a composite. Elements of the composite may not be separately entered as individual craft entries in the same craft category. Craft awards are intended for hands-on craft persons, not those who supervise craft persons.
NOTE: One (1) second of black must be inserted between elements of a composite.
CHAPTER NOTE: Craft entries are generally intended to recognize the work of a single craftsperson per entry. In rare cases, two, or perhaps a small team of technical (non-talent) craftspeople may have collaborated on a single piece of content in such a way that their contributions cannot be separated and credited to one individual. Such cases of team craft entries may be submitted to the chapter for consideration, in advance of submitting the entry. “Team” talent entries are not eligible.
TALENT CATEGORIES
A segment is an excerpt from a news program (newscast, news special, breaking news, live sporting event/game with the material that doesn’t include the entrant edited out. An entry may include up to five segments. Each segment may include material from only ONE news program: think of this as “five segments equals five changes of clothing” rule. It is allowed, but not required, for the co-anchor’s and reporters’ video to be edited out of a segment. Anchor entries may include examples of studio anchoring, field anchoring, specials, breaking, etc., but NOT reporter packages (if an anchor also does reporter packages, they must enter those in one of the reporter categories.)
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
- Serving as an “overseer” of the content, determining the overall tone, structure, look, sound, and mission of the content.
- Making strategic editorial decisions that have a significant impact on the resulting content.
- Identifying interview subjects and shoot locations.
- Scheduling interviews, shoots, and edits.
- Writing and/or approving scripts.
- Formulating ideas for graphics/animations and working with designers through completion.
- Working with editors to assure the content meets expectations and overseeing necessary changes.
- For studio-based programs or content, the producer would generally fulfill much of the above and/or oversee control room decisions, timing, etc.
FAQs
How do I submit an entry?
First, join NATAS or create an account to access Emmy® Express. From your dashboard, you can submit an entry, request judging, make payments, etc. Be sure to upload and approve the video so it can be viewed by the judges.
Why is there a judging requirement?
It's part of the Emmy process. All entries are judged by trading entries with other chapters. We need judges for our entries so we have to judge entries from other chapters. We need qualified entrants and past nominees/recipients to keep the integrity of the awards process. In the past, many have entered but only few actually judge. If you don’t fulfill the judging requirement each year then you pay more for your entries. Most judging takes 60-90 minutes. Be part of the process - we need you!
Can I add entrants later?
No. You should include all entrants at the time of submission. Each entrant must pay an entry fee to be eligible for a statuette if the entry would win. Only entrants named on the submission will be eligible for a statuette.
When will the Nominees and Recipients be announced?
Entries will be judged through July and Nominees will be announced in August. Look for more information on the four locations of our Nomination Announcement Parties. The 2022 Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Award Recipients will be announced in September.
What are the eligibility dates?
The eligibility year runs April 1-March 31.
Do I have to be a member of NATAS to enter?
No. Membership is not required to submit an entry. However, members receive discounts on every entry they submit. It pays to be a member!!
Can I submit a group name or “News Team” as an entrant?
No. Emmy® Statuettes are awarded to individuals, not groups. We permit up to twelve (12) significant contributors to be listed on the entry. Each entrant pays an entry fee to cover the cost of processing the entry and part of the cost of the statuette. While only 12 entrants can be listed on the entry and are eligible to receive a statuette for a winning entry, additional contributors may purchase plaques and certificates to note their accomplishments. The company/station may also purchase up to three commemorative statuettes for display at their place of business.
Can I submit a URL to view my video entry?
No. I'm sorry we cannot accept a URL and must have the video uploaded through the Emmy® Express system for judging. We do accept the URL for the Interactive Media category in addition to the video.