Tag Archives: freelance writers

Opening Your Awards Program to Non-Members

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As media businesses struggle to address shrinking budgets, many are increasingly turning to freelance talent.  They produce great material but often are restricted from participating in local and regional awards programs because they’re not full time employees of a media organization or members of the organization sanctioning the contest.

BetterBNC allows contest administrators to open their contests to non-members and freelancers by using the platform’s Open Call™ feature.  Open Call is being used by dozens of contests today to welcome entries from anyone meeting their contest criteria.

It’s great for writers and other creatives who aren’t affiliated with a particular organization and, for many contests, it’s simply an easier way to operate.

SanDiegoPressClubTerry Williams from the San Diego Press Club and the San Diego SPJ Chapter says Open Call gives her much needed flexibility.  “I use open call because I have only a few administrators who enter for their writers,”  she explains.  “To keep it simple, I have everyone use the open call option and those few admins use it too, changing the entrant as appropriate.   Also, I don’t have to set up the publications – it gets done automatically as people enter.”

To participate, the entrant simply creates an Open Call account through www.betterbnc.com and then they’re able to see all Open Call contests which are available and determine which they’re qualified to enter.  The individual can also use the platform’s Scrapbook feature to save material they may want to use as an entry in the future.   Click here for the details on the easy four step process:

  1. Create our Open Call Contestant Account
  2. Select Contests to Enter
  3. Make Your Entry
  4. Manage Your Entry

Open Call contestants then have the option of saving material in a BetterBNC-housed Scrapbook for future contests and also managing your own contest profile page.

If you are a contest administrator interested in using Open Call for your awards program, contact Paul Jeffko in our BetterBNC office today at 360.427.6300 or email paulj@smalltownpapers.com.

Expanding BetterBNC Media Contests to Freelancers

BetterBNC is making it easy for media contests to invite freelancers to participate using the platform’s Open Call feature.  Contest administrators can choose to make their contest Open Call and freelancers and contestants entering contests on their own behalf, rather than through a media organization, create their own account with BetterBNC then enter the Open Call contests for which they’re eligible.

Freelance writers, photographers and creatives say Open Call is opening new recognition opportunities for them.

“I haven’t entered many journalism contests in the past because you have to work for a newspaper or magazine to qualify for many of them,” said Seattle-based freelance magazine writer David Hanson who published a book, Breaking through Concrete, documenting a dozen urban farms.  “Having one place where I can have an account and see contests my work qualifies for is really great.  Putting my work in front of new audiences across the country is a great way to market myself as a writer and identify organization’s I’d like to work with in the future.”

BetterBNC also makes it easier than ever before to enter contests by providing a scrapbooking feature.  Contestants can save work they want to enter into contests in a scrapbook account then simply upload it directly into an entry when the time is right.

Contact BetterBNC today for more information – carter@smalltownpapers.com.