For the First Time, Web-Only Newsrooms Enter the Pulitzer Contest

Rod Davis of VoiceofSanDiego.org

In December, the folks who award the Pulitzer Prize, considered the highest honor in print journalism, announced that for the first time ever they would accept submissions from web-only news operations.

Now some of those web-only newsrooms are taking the Pulitzer board up on its offer. Editor & Publisher reports that at least five web-only newsrooms, and perhaps more, are planning to submit articles for the Pulitzer contest.

Under the contest rules, web-only enties must come from from U.S. newspapers or news organizations that publish at least weekly, that are "primarily dedicated to original news reporting and coverage of ongoing stories," and that "adhere to the highest journalistic principles.” Nothing from magazines or broadcast websites will be accepted.

The five submitting sites include the St. Louis Beacon, ProPublica, VoiceofSanDiego.org, MinnPost.com and the Center for Independent Media.

The deadline for submissions in the contest's 14 categories is Monday. Winners will be announced April 20.

You can read about VoiceofSanDiego.org here, and see a "Working Journalist" profile of VoiceofSanDiego reporter Rob Davis here.