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Download the 2010 Legal Resource Guide for News Reporters

Dallas Bar Association
Stephen Philbin Awards
Recognizing Excellence in Legal Reporting Since 1983

AWARDS LUNCHEON - Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Keynote Speaker: KENNETH STARR,
Former Solicitor General of the United States and Current President of Baylor University

Buy your Philbin Luncheon ticket HERE!

Ticket prices: Attorneys/Judges: $35 (Table: $350) Media: $20 (Table: $200)

History.

The Stephen Philbin Awards were created in 1983 to honor the memory of Stephen H. Philbin, a long-time member of the Dallas Bar Association and a partner with the firm of Locke, Purnell, Boren, Laney & Neely. Mr. Philbin died in 1982 from leukemia at the age of 39.

At the time of his death, Mr. Philbin was a leading authority on media law in Texas. He advised major publications and broadcast companies on libel law, regulations and licensing of broadcast properties, and fair comment rulings. Mr. Philbin was a graduate of Harvard Law School, and he received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Yale University.

In honor of Mr. Philbin's contributions to media law in Dallas, an anonymous donor has funded the Philbin Awards, and the Dallas Bar Association has presented the awards annually since 1983.

	A $750.00 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of each category. A $1,500.00 cash prize will be awarded to a grand-prize winner chosen from the entries in all categories. Award winners will also receive plaques recognizing their accomplishment.
	Winners are announced at the Philbin Awards Luncheon, at the Belo Mansion (2101 Ross Avenue in Dallas). The awards luncheon will be held Tuesday,October 12, 2010. To inquire about the luncheon or purchase tickets, contact the DBA Communications Department.

Judging Criteria.

Entries for the Philbin Awards must cover some aspect of the legal system or its participants and should contribute to the public's understanding of the legal system. A panel of judges evaluates submissions for informational value, educational value, creativity, thoroughness, accuracy, clarity, interest, contribution to public debate, and the journalist's resourcefulness, courage, and initiative in pursuing the story. The judges reserve the right to transfer an entry to the appropriate category if the entry is more suitable to the criteria of another category. The judges reserve the right to not select a winner in a category if entries in said category do not meet the stated criteria.

We welcome the submission of entries by non-English language media. To facilitate judging, such entries must be translated into English.

Some past recipients of the Stephen Philbin Awards include:

Rebecca Aguilar, Brent Stanley and Cody Marcom (KDFW Fox 4)
Ginger Allen, Todd Bensman, Josh Brown, Troy Larkins, Daniel Penz (CBS 11 KTVT-TV)
Jim Atkinson, Michael Hall, Alicia Mundy (Texas Monthly)
Max B. Baker (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Brenda Bernet and Dave Sorter (Plano Star-Courier)
John Browning and Jeff Parish (Rockwall County Herald-Banner)
Brendan Case, Reese Dunklin, Brooks Egerton (The Dallas Morning New)
Mark Donald and John Council (Texas Lawyer)
Jennifer Emily (The Dallas Morning News)
Donna Fielder (Denton Record-Chronicle)
Michael Grabell (The Dallas Morning News)
Jay Gray, Mike Heimbach and Raul Rangel (KXAS)
Linda Hwang and Eric Alkire (KDFW Fox 4)
Rick Hadley (WBAP Radio)
Lee Hancock, Kim Horner, Maud Beelman and Kye Lee (The Dallas Morning News)
Byron Harris (WFAA Channel 8)
Diane Jennings, Darlean Spangenberger (The Dallas Morning News)
Thomas Korosec, Christine Biedeman (Dallas Observer)
Julie Lyons (Dallas Observer)
Dan Malone, Howard Swindle and Mark Curriden (The Dallas Morning News)
Laura Miller
Glenn Mitchell, Susan Schewe, Jeff Whittington, Kris Boyd, Maggie Conklin and Brandolon Barnett (KERA 90.1 Radio)
Joylyn Niebes, Laura Oertling, Shelley Hawes Pate, Lisa Poisso (Dallas Child)
Becky Oliver, Joe Ellis, Donna Ressl, Phil Fleming and Michael Tew (KDFW Fox 4)
Richard Ray (KDFW-TV)
Robert Riggs, Alan Berg, and Meridith Schucker (WFAA-TV)
Jason Roberson and Eric Torbenson (The Dallas Morning News)
Brett Shipp, Mark Smith and Kraig Kirchem (WFAA-TV)
K. Shelby Skrhak (The Colony Courier-Leader)
Loren Steffy (Bloomberg News)
Doug Swanson, Steve McGonigle, Holly Becka, Gregg Jones, Jennifer LaFleur, Emily Ramshaw and Ed Timms (The Dallas Morning News)
Kathy Swindle (The Hood County News)
Allen Taylor (Today Newspapers)
Jason Trahan (The Arlington/Dallas Morning News)
Glenna Whitley (D Magazine)
Lisa Whitley (Dallas Business Journal)
Tim Wyatt and Ed Housewright (The Dallas Morning News)

General Rules:
	Entries for the 2010 awards must have been published or aired between August 1, 2009, to August 1, 2010. A series with installments before August 1, 2009, or after August 1, 2010, may be entered in its entirety if at least half of the series appeared within the competition period and no part of the series was entered in last year's Philbin Awards competition.
	Entries for the 2010 awards must be postmarked or hand-delivered no later than August 18, 2010. Entries must be sent to Communications/Media Dept., Dallas Bar Association, RE: Philbin Awards, 2101 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201.

	Each entry must be accompanied by the Philbin Awards Entry Form (PDF available), which must be filled out completely and accurately. Please list on the Entry Form all persons who should share in any award given for the submitted entry (list of names cannot exceed 6).

	Any entry that has been primarily published, circulated, or broadcast in the Dallas-Forth Worth area is eligible for the Philbin Awards competition if it otherwise meets the criteria set forth in these Rules. The Dallas-Fort Worth area, for the purposes of these awards, is defined as the counties of Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson, Ellis, Kaufman and Rockwall.

	No single reporter may submit more than two entries in one category. Entries MUST be sent in separate envelopes.
	No single entry may be submitted in more than one category.

	All inquiries regarding the Philbin Awards competition should be directed to the DBA Communications Department at 214-220-7477.

Award Categories: The Philbin Awards are given in the following seven categories:

	Metropolitan or statewide newspaper: Feature story Any single article published in a newspaper with metropolitan or statewide circulation is eligible for this category. A feature story is typically an in-depth article that thoroughly covers or analyzes an issue or trend.

	Metropolitan or statewide newspaper: Spot news Any single story published in a newspaper with metropolitan or statewide circulation is eligible for this category. A spot news report typically covers breaking or timely hard news.

	*Metropolitan or statewide newspaper: Series* Any series of articles published in a newspaper with metropolitan or statewide circulation is eligible for this category. News articles and feature stories are eligible for this category. No more than six articles, on a single/particular topic, may be submitted for the "series" category. If more exists, select the best 6 items.

	Suburban newspaper: News or Feature articles Any story or series of stories published in a newspaper with circulation primarily directed to a suburb, neighborhood, or other localized area is eligible for this category. News articles and feature stories are eligible for this category. This category is not intended for metropolitan newspapers with neighborhood sections.

	Magazine Article(s) Any article or series of articles published in a magazine primarily circulated in, and/or specific to, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is eligible for this category.

	*Television & Radio* Any report, program or series of reports/programs aired on a television or radio broadcast in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and primarily directed to listeners/viewers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is eligible for this category.

	*Electronic Media* Any digital piece produced for public dissemination on the Internet. The entry may have also appeared in a different medium, but the online version must provide substantial additional or different content, such as additional video, written content, graphics, photos, charts, and similar content. All content should be original to your organization or an affiliate. If the entry also appeared in another medium, please submit a description (100 words or less) of how the online content differs from the dissemination in another medium.

Print & Electronic Media Entry Requirements:

	For each entry, entrants must submit 5 copies of each entry (the article(s)), and 5 copies of the completed and legible entry form (PDF available). For series being submitted, entrants must also submit six copies of a summary of 100 words or less. Print and electronic entries should be sent on 8 ½ x 11 paper, if possible.

	The publication date of the entry must be apparent somewhere on the entry itself, in addition to being listed on the entry form.

	All entries must have actually been published during the eligible time period, and bear the publication's name or website's URL.

	All entries must be clearly labeled. Entry forms must be attached to the entry in some fashion. NO E-MAIL ENTRIES WILL BE CONSIDERED. No entries will be returned to entrants. Electronic media entries must come from Web sites that primarily serve the Dallas-Fort Worth region or must relate to legal issues arising in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. For any entries with online content, all content must be clearly indicated and remain publicly available via a URL accessible during the judging period. Online entries must also be submitted in either hard copy or on DVD/CD format.

Broadcast Entry Requirements:

	Entrants should submit five copies of a DVD, standard-size audiotape or CD containing the entry. Broadcast entries must also be accompanied by five copies of a summary of the entry. Summaries must be printed on 8 ½ x 11 paper and be 100 words or less.

	Broadcast entries must be no longer than 12 minutes in length. If an entrant wishes to submit a report that is longer than 12 minutes in length as aired, the entrant must select a 12-minute excerpt from the report and place that excerpt at the beginning of the video or audiotape for the judges' consideration. Broadcast entries may be a series of reports on a single topic.

	The broadcast date(s) of the entry, as well as the name(s) of reporter, producer, videographer and/or editor, must be apparent somewhere on the entry itself and in the summary of the entry, in addition to being listed on the entry form.

	Only DVDs will be accepted in the television category.

	Only standard-size audiocassette tapes or CDs will be accepted in the radio category.

	All entries must have actually been aired during the eligible time period.

	All entries must be clearly labeled. Entry forms and summaries must be attached to the entry in some fashion. NO E-MAIL ENTRIES WILL BE CONSIDERED. No entries will be returned to entrants. Winners will be announced at the Philbin Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. The Philbin Awards are sponsored and coordinated by the DBA Media Relations Committee. Purchase Your Tickets now for the Awards Luncheon. Contact the DBA Communications Department. LUNCHEON KEYNOTE SPEAKER: KENNETH STARR Kenneth W. Starr, J.D., has had a memorable career in academia, the law and public service. As Solicitor General of the United States from 1989 to 1993, Mr. Starr argued 25 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. From 1994 to 1999, he was appointed to serve as Independent Counsel for five investigations, including Whitewater. He is the author of more than 25 publications and has received numerous honors and awards, including the Jefferson Cup Award from the FBI and the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. Mr. Starr previously taught constitutional law as an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law and was a distinguished visiting professor at George Mason University School of Law and Chapman Law School. On February 12, 2010, he was unanimously elected as the 14th President of Baylor University. -- PAST PROGRAMS -- 2009 PHILBIN AWARDS LUNCHEON -- October 2009 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Susan DeSanti, Director of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission 2008 PHILBIN AWARDS LUNCHEON -- October 2008KEYNOTE SPEAKER: CBS News Foreign Correspondent Kimberly Dozier 2007 PHILBIN AWARDS LUNCHEON -- October 2007 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Court TV Anchor & Former Prosecutor Jack Ford 2006 PHILBIN AWARDS LUNCHEON -- December 2006 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Former U.S. Senator John Edwards

2005 PHILBIN AWARDS LUNCHEON -- October 2005
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III