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NTWAB Member Natalie Voss Leads Media Eclipse Award Winners With Two
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2020 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories. This year’s awards are highlighted by NTWAB member Natalie Voss becoming the first individual to win two writing award categories in the same year since the late Bill Nack in 1991.
The 2020 Media Eclipse Award winners are as follows:
Feature/Commentary Writing – Natalie Voss, Paulick Report
--"'An Angel On His Shoulder’: This Thoroughbred’s Fate Was Written In Ink,” May 13, 2020.
News/Enterprise Writing – Natalie Voss, Paulick Report
– Multi-part Series: “A Decade In, How Are We Doing With Thoroughbred Aftercare?” Dec. 2, 2019; “Emptying The Ocean With A Teaspoon: The Challenges Of Aftercare,” Dec. 3, 2019; and “Aftercare Should Not Be An Afterthought: Solutions For The Future,” Dec. 4, 2019.
Television – Live Racing Programming – NBC Sports
-- “The Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” Nov. 7, 2020; Billy Matthews and Lindsay Schanzer, producers.
Television – Features – NBC Sports
-- “Riders Up: The World’s First Sports Bubble,” Oct. 2, 2020 on NBCSN; Produced by the Hennegan Brothers.
Audio/Multi-Media Internet – Thoroughbred Daily News -- “To Hell and Back: Belmont Marks A Deserved Triumph for New York City,” Joe Bianca, writer and narrator, Patty Wolfe, producer.
Photography – Alex Evers, Paulick Report
-- “A Derby Without Fans,” Sept. 21, 2020.
Entries were accepted for 2020 Media Eclipse Awards consideration for works which appeared from Nov. 17, 2019 to Nov. 20, 2020.
Feature/Commentary Writing – Natalie Voss
Voss, from Georgetown, Kentucky, has now won three Eclipse Awards. In addition to the two honors this year, Voss won her first Media Eclipse Award in 2016 for News/Enterprise writing for her article on the lurking dangers of concussions for jockeys, which was also published in the Paulick Report.
“I never could have imagined this happening in my wildest dreams,” said Voss. “It’s a tremendous honor to just win one award, but to win two in one year is unfathomable.
“I’m so pleased to see aftercare stories win in both categories this year. I really believe there are just as many compelling stories in that world as there are on the racetrack, and that they are just as much a part of the Thoroughbred industry.”
In “Angel on His Shoulder,” Voss describes the journey and fate of a claiming horse named Inked, and how he touched the lives of his original owner Kirsten Fada, his breeder, Susan Young, and horse transporter Hannah Meier over a three-year period. Each of these women, with no connection to each other at first, helped assure that Inked would have a safe home after the track. Fada eventually adopted him for a second career after an improbable reunion at the Second Stride OTTB program at Moserwood Farm in Kentucky.
Voss capsulizes the anxieties of those following horses who have moved on from their care.
Unless you have an inroad with the horse's connections, you don't know whether he suffered an injury or is enjoying a well-deserved vacation in a grassy field; whether he has moved on to a second career, or if he's at the end of a long trailer ride in a forgotten pen somewhere. It feels wrong to assume the worst, but irresponsible not to consider it. Where the heart is concerned, the brain can run wild with worst-case scenarios you may be powerless to prevent.
For two years, Fada and Young, a thousand miles apart, were each intently tracking Inked’s career. In October 2019, Young found Inked entered in a race at Grants Pass, Oregon and promptly drove four hours from her home to meet the trainer and let him know that she wanted to buy him. Young wanted to send him to his birthplace in Kentucky for a rest before moving him on to an accredited aftercare organization. A short time later, Meier, a part owner of Circle J Transportation, was contracted to pick up a horse at the base of trainer Gilbert Ecoffey in South Dakota. Upon her arrival, she noticed a stocky chestnut in the field that looked awfully familiar. Meier immediately recognized Inked, who had been one of the horses she had worked with under the care of Ecoffey at Grants Pass.
Meier drove Inked to Phoenix Hill Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Meier was hoping that Phoenix Hill owner Kim Dionne would one day call her to take Inked as her own, but she could not work out the logistics due to Covid-19 restrictions. Meier learned a few weeks later that Inked had been picked up and sent to Moserwood, where Fada would re-enter the picture and be reunited with Inked. Young was “floored” to get an email that her gelding had been rehomed in 24 hours. Fada posted a note about her reunion on Facebook and was subsequently connected to Meier. “Soon the three women were sharing memories and photos of their favorite Thoroughbred.”
“When you love a horse that’s no longer yours, there is an incredible anxiety if you don’t have a good way to find out where it is,” said Voss. “When you love racing, there will be one or two horses that will become special to you whether they are in your barn or not. Horses get lost in the ether and you may never see them again. I was struck by the improbability of it all. This is not an accomplished racehorse; he was not easily trackable like a well-known stakes horse might have been, and the stars really had to align so that Inked came back to Kirsten.”
The winning entry can be viewed here.
Honorable mention in the Feature/Commentary category went to 2008 Eclipse Award winner Vinnie Perrone for “The Autumn of King Leatherbury,” which was published in racingbiz.com on Nov. 17, 2020.
Judges in the Feature/Commentary category were NTWAB member Dan Liebman, former editor of The BloodHorse and The State-Journal in Frankfort, Kentucky; Bill Kolberg, former assistant director of publicity at Santa Anita and Del Mar and published author on Thoroughbred racing; and NTWAB member Lynne Snierson, national award-winning turf writer for daily publications in Boston, Miami and St. Louis, and veteran racetrack publicist.
News/Enterprise – Natalie Voss
In her three-part series, Voss explores the achievements and struggles of the Thoroughbred aftercare movement that has reached prominence in the past decade. What began as one article on the phenomenon expanded into a series through the encouragement of publisher Ray Paulick and former Editor-in-Chief Scott Jagow.
“I had some sense before I began the research process that the volume of horses needing aftercare was greater than the current infrastructure could handle,” said Voss, who earned a degree in Equine Science and Management from the University of Kentucky and also worked at the Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park before launching a career in journalism. “But the disparity between the number of horses in need of a second career and the capacity of the various accredited organizations was greater than I’d imagined, and really shows that more needs to be done.”
In part one of the series, “A Decade In, How Are We Doing With Thoroughbred Aftercare?,” Voss traces the evolution of aftercare from increased awareness of the problem through the explosion of social media, to initial “check off” fundraising efforts establish by The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Charities of America, to the great leap forward to the creation of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which established high standards for accreditation and has overseen the distribution of $17.2 million to accredited organizations. The creation of second career incentive programs like Thoroughbred Makeover and The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Incentive Program were also key.
Part two of the series, “Emptying The Ocean With A Teaspoon: The Challenges Of Aftercare,” raises questions about the cost of care for the high number of horses retired each year and the fate of horses that are never raced, and how retirement organizations can handle that load. It also raised questions about the slaughter pipeline and how the economics of that industry impact OTTBs.
Part three of the series “Aftercare Should Not Be An Afterthought: Solutions For The Future,” focused on the reliance on funding, continuing encouragement of horsemen to avoid “one final start” before retirement, and understanding that horses that retire healthy stand a far better chance of a second home that does who are not; and improved communication between racetracks and aftercare organizations on limiting the slaughter pipeline.
The winning submission can be viewed as follows: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Honorable Mention in the News/Enterprise category went to Richard Gross for “Authentic Proves He’s Just That,” a race recap of Kentucky Derby which appeared on the Horse Network website on Sept. 6, 2020.
Judges in the New Enterprise category were NTWAB member Bob Kieckhefer, racing writer for United Press International; Rob Longley, sports columnist, who first covered the Triple Crown in both Canada and the U.S. in 1996 and is currently baseball columnist for the Toronto Sun; and NTWAB member David Papadopoulos, a senior editor at Bloomberg News.
Television - Live Racing Programming - NBC Sports
Incorporating a vast array of technological enhancements over a three-hour broadcast from bucolic Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, NBC Sports has won the Live Racing Television Programming Eclipse Award for its Breeders’ Cup World Championships coverage on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 on NBC.
Held under restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, NBC Sports produced its telecast of the two-day, 37th World Championships following all of NBCUniversal’s health and safety guidelines and protocols.
This was the first horse racing event of 2020 that NBC Sports had its full announce team, as well as much of its production team, on-site. The Saturday Breeders’ Cup broadcast, which included five live races, and culminated with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic capturing the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), delivered viewers unique perspectives throughout the day. Among the many production and technical elements were access to more than 80 cameras — nearly twice as many cameras deployed from the 2019 Breeders’ Cup — including a dedicated camera on each individual Breeders’ Cup horse, starting in the paddock and carrying through to the gate break. For the first time, NBC used multiple live jockey cams during the Breeders’ Cup races; and increased the number of jockey and trainer microphones.
As an added element between the races, NBC joined fan parties of viewers enjoying the broadcast from around the world.
NBC Sports’ coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships was produced by Billy Matthews and Lindsay Schanzer, and directed by Kaare Numme, in conjunction with Jim Carr and Carr-Hughes Productions. The coordinating producer of NBC’s horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland.
“It was gratifying to have most of our team back at the track for the first time in 2020 to culminate an unprecedented year in sports, and to be recognized for one of the most innovative horse racing productions we’ve ever done, in collaboration with Breeders’ Cup and Keeneland,” said Schanzer. “Under the most challenging conditions, teamwork made this presentation a great success.”
The NBC Sports talent on the broadcast consisted of Ahmed Fareed; Jerry Bailey; Matt Bernier; Eddie Olczyk; and NTWAB members Randy Moss, Donna Brothers, Britney Eurton, Nick Luck, Laffit Pincay III, Kenny Rice and racecaller Larry Collmus.
NBC Sports also earned an honorable mention in the Live Racing Programming category for its broadcast of the 146th Kentucky Derby, which aired on Sept. 5, 2020. Hyland was coordinating producer.
Judges in the Live Television Programming category were: Charlsie Cantey, exercise rider, trainer and former racing commentator for CBS, ABC, NBC and ESPN; NTWAB member Dick Jerardi, former writer and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News; and NTWAB member Dave Johnson, track announcer, television analyst and race caller for ABC Sports, and now co-host of Down The Stretch on SiriusXM.
Television Feature – NBC Sports
“Riders Up: The World’s First Sports Bubble,” which aired on NBCSN on Oct. 2, 2020, and directed and produced by the Hennegan Brothers of John and Brad Hennegan, documents the successful collaboration of the management of Santa Anita Park and the track’s world renowned jockey colony to create a safe and healthy environment for a six-week race meeting in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Following approval from the Los Angeles County Health Department and through rigorous testing procedures of isolating the jockeys and essential workers into a “sports bubble,” Santa Anita Park resumed racing on May 15, 2020 after it was suspended on March 27.
Over three weekends in the spring of 2020, the Hennegan Brothers interviewed members of the Santa Anita executive team on its strategy and tactics during the race meeting, and filmed the daily lives of the jockeys riding during the day at of the world’s most picturesque racetracks. “Riders Up” displayed jockeys living in Hollywood cast trailers in the track’s parking lot, and enjoying special evenings of karaoke, poker, movies, and even a 50th birthday party for rider Aaron Gryder.
In addition to Gryder, interviews with Triple Crown wining jockeys Mike Smith, Victor Espinoza, among others revealed their concerns of the new experience, but also brought to light a special camaraderie for the riders, establishing closer relationships inside the closed quarters.
“We were very proud to tell this story of management and the jockeys coming together during this once in a lifetime occurrence,” said John Hennegan. “The seriousness of the safety measures employed by Santa Anita was eye-opening. We were under the same protocols as the jockeys and took every precaution to document this important time in history. Playing a small part in telling a transparent story was extremely gratifying, and was saying to the rest of the world ‘we can do this.’”
The program reveals that during the time of the revised spring meeting at Santa Anita, not one jockey or essential personnel tested positive for Covid-19. A total of 1800 jobs were saved. In July 2020, the NBA, NHL and MLS returned utilizing sports bubbles.
The Hennegan Brothers produced the Eclipse Award-winning documentaries in 2008 “The First Saturday in May,” which aired on HRTV, and in 2015 for “Ironman Perry Ouzts,” which aired on AT&T U-Verse Sports. This is NBC Sports’ sixth Eclipse Award in the Feature-Television category since 1999.
Judges in the Television Features category were Liz Bronstein, television show Runner and executive producer, and creator the Animal Planet 2008-9 series “Jockeys”; NTWAB member Lenny Shulman, Emmy Award-winning writer/producer who also served as BloodHorse Features editor; and Chris Svendsen, producer-director for CBS Sports.
Audio/Multimedia Internet – Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN)
In “To Hell and Back: Belmont Marks A Deserved Triumph for New York City,” writer and narrator Joe Bianca and producer Patty Wolfe collaborated on a Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) multimedia presentation of Bianca’s tribute to the Belmont Stakes, a New York sports institution at Belmont Park for more than 100 years and its importance during a year in which the city was ravaged by the Coronavirus pandemic.
This is the first Eclipse Award for Bianca, from Brooklyn, New York, and the second Eclipse Award for Wolfe, from Orlando, Florida. Wolfe shared the honor in 2018 with Christie DeBernardis for the TDN Multimedia piece on Off the Track Thoroughbred (OTTB) programs.
“Winning an Eclipse Award is an honor like no other in racing and I’m immensely grateful to have been selected this year,” said Bianca, associate editor of TDN. “I want to thank our producer Patty Wolfe and her incredible team of talented editors for illustrating my words so beautifully. Also thank you to our publisher Sue Finley for her steadfast support for my work as we branch out into different types of media at TDN. It has obviously been a very difficult and tragic year, but I’m so proud and thankful to have moved people with one of the inspirational success stories of 2020 in an ode to my beloved hometown."
“This video is a reminder of the things we always had but almost lost,” said Wolfe. “Other professional sports were not competing at that time, and New York had just been through a nightmare with the pandemic. NYRA’s running of the Belmont Stakes in June was momentous. Talking directly into his computer, Joe’s authenticity was compelling as he put the magnitude of the moment into words.”
The video was posted on June 19, 2020, one day before the Belmont Stakes, which was run this year without fans in attendance. Bianca’s narration and text recalls the rich history of Thoroughbred racing in New York and Belmont Park, which first hosted the Belmont Stakes at its current site on the Queens/Long Island border in 1905. With Wolfe weaving together archival racing footage with images of New York City strained by crises over many decades, and now impacted more than ever the current pandemic, Bianca’s emotional words reveal the city’s grit and resilience.
“We’ve proven it time and time again. We bounced back from 9/11 with solidarity and generosity and went about our lives. When outsiders predicted chaos, we took care of our city during the 2003 blackout and again through Hurricane Sandy. Crime plummeted exactly when the city was at its most vulnerable. Yes, there’s bluntness and some rudeness and if you’re a tourist you might’ve been bumped out of the way once or twice by a muttering New Yorker. But there’s also compassion, understanding and empathy. You can’t survive in a city of 8,000,000 without all of those attributes.
Because of that, we get a summer. We get to live our lives with reasonable precautions for the next few months. And amid a sports desert, racing has been an oasis. So it’s fitting that on the first day of that summer, we get: the Belmont Stakes. The first major sports attraction in New York since the pandemic descended upon us.”
The winning entry can be viewed here.
Honorable mention in the Audio/Multimedia Internet category went to ESPN.com for its multimedia presentation of “This House is Condemned” for ESPN Investigates Bloodlines, reported and hosted by 2010 Feature/Commentary writing Eclipse-Award winner Wright Thompson and executive producer Eric Neel, which was posted on Sept. 2, 2020; and to 2019 Eclipse Award Multimedia winner Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) for 2020 HRRN Fantasy Derby, which aired on HRRN on May 2, 2020.
Judges in the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category were Glenn Crouter, former lead television anchor for Woodbine Live Network and sports and lifestyle announcer for Newstalk 1010 in Toronto; Bob Curran, longtime Vice President of Corporate Communications for The Jockey Club and graduate of the St. Bonaventure University journalism program; and NTWAB member Julie Sarno, freelance writer, former editorial staff member of The BloodHorse, staff member at The Meadowlands, staff member and Department Head at Del Mar.
Photography – Alex Evers
Evers, from Hermosa Beach, California, has won his first Eclipse Award for his photograph of the 15-horse-field in the 146th Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs rounding the first turn before a nearly empty racetrack. Due to COVID-19 restrictions instituted by Churchill Downs just weeks before the event -- for the first time -- America’s most historic race was held with no fans in attendance.
A photographer with Eclipse Sportswire since 2010 and other international outlets, Evers’ photo was taken shortly after 7 p.m. ET with a remote Canon 5D Mark IV camera mounted on 13-foot light stand. The image displays a completely empty box area in the foreground facing the Derby field passing by in fading sunset, leaving behind the homestretch of the expansive pavilions and the signature Twin Spires in gathering shadows.
“That was a story that I wanted to tell,” Evers said. “It was a unique day. There was an eerie feeling of emptiness at the track, and I wanted to juxtapose that against this massive group of horses. The elevation of the shot with the ladder was the key. Pulling back wide and showing the rows of empty seats in front of the track as the horses went by.”
Having photographed a dozen Kentucky Derbies since 2006, Evers prepared for the event about one month before by creating “story boards” of shots he wants to use with remote cameras set up at various points at Churchill Downs. Virtually all of those cameras were placed at a low vantage point for racing shots, but the elevated shot along the first turn was the only one used for scenic purposes.
At about 10 p.m. that evening Evers viewed his photo for the first time. “I wasn’t really pleased with my racing shots, but this one on the first turn really stood out.”
Evers describes receiving his first Eclipse Award as overwhelming.
“It’s been a lifelong dream to be recognized for a photograph. It‘s so special to share it with my family. I wish my grandfather were here because he took me to Hollywood Park and we sat in the Cinema Terrace. I used to dress up in jockey silks and go to the track and bother (Hall of Fame jockey and Eclipse Award winner) Chris McCarron.”
Evers added, “I sometimes feel like an ambassador of the sport, trying to show its beauty of those inside and outside racing.”
Evers credits the late Michael Marten, who won the 1995 and 1999 Eclipse Awards for Photography, as a mentor and inspiration.
The winning photograph can be viewed here.
Judges in the category were Mark Abraham, freelance photographer and currently deputy director of the United States Senate Press Photographers’ Gallery; Rob Carr, staff sports photographer with Getty Images; and Mike Kane, veteran Thoroughbred journalist and photographer.
The 2020 Eclipse Awards ceremony will be a virtual event
It will be televised live on TVG and streamed on other outlets on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In addition to Spendthrift Farm, Eclipse Awards sponsors include Keeneland, Roberts Communications, Four Roses Bourbon, Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup, FanDuel, The Stronach Group, TVG, Dean Dorton, Jackson Family Wines, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, and Hallway Feeds.
Edited release
Twitter posts @NTWAB by Dick Downey
Ed Bowen, a longtime NTWAB member, died on Jan. 20 at his home in Versailles, Ky. at age 82. His memory will be honored at the upcoming Eclipse Awards ceremony.
Lexington, Ky. (January 8, 2025) ―The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2024 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories.
The 2024 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, in alphabetical order.
The National Turf Writers and Broadcasters are pleased to announce the organization will support a record five internships at various horse racing media outlets in 2025.
Tim Layden, a member of National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and former NTWAB members Ed Schuyler, Jr. and the late Edwin Pope have been selected to the National Museum of Racing’s Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor.
Outlets are encouraged to apply by Dec. 16.
Lexington, KY, November 8, 2024: The Eclipse Awards for Media are presented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters. Rules governing the Media Eclipse Awards are established by representatives of the three presenting organizations. MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARD CATEGORIES Writing - News/Enterprise Writing - Feature/Commentary Photography Television - Live Racing Programming Television - Features Audio/Multimedia Internet DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS Entries must be RECEIVED by 5:00 p.m. (ET), Friday, November 15, 2024. Entries received after that time will not be accepted. Entries for the Writing, Photography, and Audio/Multimedia Internet, and Television awards will be accepted through the Eclipse Awards Submissions Portal. Instructions are in the link below: https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ ENTRY FEE None RULES Entries should display outstanding achievement in the coverage of North American Thoroughbred racing and must have been primarily published or aired for the first time between November 20, 2023, and November 14, 2024. All submissions are limited only to works pertaining to the Thoroughbred breed , and no other equine breed. Submissions on subjects, topics, and individuals that took place exclusively outside of North America will not be accepted. Print and Internet submissions (news/enterprise writing, feature/commentary writing, and photography) must have been published in a paid-circulation, independent publication OR on the Internet at a website that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation, independent publication, recognized broadcast news organization (e.g., The BloodHorse Interactive, the Boston Globe Online, MSNBC) or on an independent, non-industry supported website. Internet submissions that originate from blogs or social media platforms are not eligible for the competition, unless previously authorized. Television entries must have aired on a commercial, subscription or public television station. Audio/Multimedia entries must have aired on a commercial or public radio station or been broadcast on the Internet at a site that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication or recognized broadcast news organization. Fiction or entries that constitute a commercial application (e.g., advertisements, publicity or promotions) are not eligible in any category. Submissions from recognized Thoroughbred industry outlets will be accepted as long as those submissions appear in a recognized paid circulation publication, website, television, or multimedia outlet. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. Submissions by industry outlets are subject to review by the Eclipse Award Steering Committee prior to official entry into the competition in all categories. LETTERS OF ENTRY Entries must originate with the author (print submissions) or producer (audio/multi-media Internet and television submissions). All entries must include a cover letter, and uploaded in the Submissions Portal from the author (for print submissions), photographer (for photography submissions), or producer (for audio/multimedia Internet and television), stating his/her wish to enter his/her materials; publication/broadcast information (outlined below); and contact information (name, address, telephone, fax, cell phone and e-mail, as applicable). Please indicate the category of each submission in your cover letter. If you are submitting in two distinct categories please include two separate cover letters. The cover letter in the two writing categories, photography and audio/multimedia must be written in a stand-alone Word Document and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. Please include the date that the media organization published the article, in the cases of the writing and photography awards, or the air date of a multi-media/internet submission. DO NOT include information in your cover letter extolling the virtues of your story and the “impact” on the public at large, or the time and effort devoted to writing or producing the entry. The judges will not see your letter, and it will have no bearing on the outcome of the competition. Editors may submit print materials on behalf of authors, provided such submissions include the cover letter described above. All other third-party submissions will be rejected. In the writing categories, submissions by editors on behalf of multiple writers from a publication on a feature subject, special section, or a compendium of stories on breaking news will be rejected. Authors and producers must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. The presenting organizations reserve the right to determine the eligibility of all entries and to disqualify an entry at any time, including after the determination of an award, at its sole discretion. The presenting organizations reserve the right not to bestow an award in a particular category, based on the quantity or (as determined by a panel of judges) the quality of submissions. Questions concerning eligibility should be directed to the address for entries, listed below. By submitting an entry for consideration, the entrant represents and warrants that submission is a factual and accurate depiction of the subject it concerns. LIMITS ON ENTRIES Two per entrant, per category (with an exception for a multi-part series in the writing categories). Entrants in the writing categories are limited to submissions by the individual author, or by the author’s editor, with permission from the author. Upon submission, you will receive an automatic reply from NTRA to notify you that your entry or entries have been received. The NTRA will contact you directly if there are any rules or issues with your submission. It is the obligation of the individual to follow up if he or she did not receive an automatic reply in the writing, multi-media, and photography categories. MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARDS CATEGORIES 1) News/Enterprise and Feature/Commentary Writing There are two categories of competition for Writing awards: 1) News/Enterprise – Submission guidelines for works in this category are the following: timely, hard news articles and expository pieces involving concentrated background research, investigative reporting, or news analysis. 2) Feature/Commentary – Submission guidelines for works in this category are columns, opinion pieces, essays, viewpoints, and biographical profiles. Submissions from industry outlets that are published by a recognized publication will be eligible for the competition in an unedited version in either category. However, standard press releases will not be accepted. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. Please note that competition in the Writing categories is limited to three (3) authors in the byline for single articles or for articles submitted as a multi-part series. -No Q&A submissions will be accepted in either category. Multi-Part Series Rules Within each category of writing, authors may submit a multi-part series of related articles that: A) Have been pre-arranged by the editors and stated in the published work that the articles constitute a specified series; with the same subject matter (e.g., racing surfaces, medication) examined or profiled in each article of the series. Articles submitted under the title “occasional series” will not be accepted. Collections of articles under the title “The Year in Horse Racing” will not be accepted. B) Authors submitting a multi-part series may not submit an additional piece in the same category. They may, however, enter another category, subject to the rules outlined above. Submission in either the News/Enterprise or Feature/Commentary category excludes the candidate from submitting the same written piece in the Audio and Multi-Media Internet category. Books – Excerpts from published books, whether complete narratives or in anthology form, will not be accepted. Authors must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. I. COVER LETTER Please upload a cover letter in the Submissions Portal stating the name, date, and publication of your submission and the category you have selected. Please also send a web link of your article as proof that it was published during the time period of the competition. II. SUBMISSIONS TO THE JUDGES · Authors must submit ONE copy of each submission in common Microsoft Word format. No Zip files will be accepted. DO NOT PLACE A WEB LINK IN YOUR MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT TO THE JUDGES. · Submissions must appear as the article was worded in the PUBLISHED form. · At the top of your submission, you must include the date and time that the article was first published. · All Headlines, Sub-Headlines, Bylines, and Hyperlinks MUST BE REMOVED from the submission. · No publication names are permitted on the submission. · You MUST REMOVE THE NAME OF YOUR PUBLICATION EACH TIME IT APPEARS IN YOUR SUBMISSION, and insert the words “name of publication removed;” e.g. “According to a recent study by the Anywhere USA Times…” must be changed to “According to a recent study by (Name of Publication Removed)…” · Photos, graphs, charts, hyperlinks, or other graphic elements appearing within the article(s) must be deleted. · The author must indicate for which writing category the work is being submitted (e.g., “News Enterprise” or “Feature Commentary” in the cover letter). Submissions Portal Link https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ 2) Photography Photography entries are limited to images for events that took place in North America. Submission must have been published in a paid-circulation publication OR on the Internet at a website that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication, recognized broadcast news organization (e.g., The BloodHorse, the Boston Globe Online, MSNBC) or on an independent news outlet. Photographs from recognized industry outlets that have been published on paid-circulation publications or recognized broadcast news organizations will be accepted. Internet submissions that originate from blogs or social media platforms are not eligible for the competition, unless previously authorized. Submissions from recognized Thoroughbred industry outlets will be accepted as long as those submissions appear in a recognized paid circulation publication, website, television, or multimedia outlet . Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website will not be accepted. I. COVER LETTER Please upload a cover letter through the Submissions Portal in an attachment stating the name, date, and publication of your photography submission. Please also send a web link of your photograph as proof that it was published during the time period of the competition. NOTE: The cover letter is to be sent as a single stand/alone attachment and not an open document in the email part of the submission. II. SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photographers must submit in jpeg format one image of each photo, with NO identifying marks (e.g., photographer’s name). The submission must be accompanied by a single “Web print” in the cover letter of the published photo showing date, publication title, and photographer’s name. Note: No Zip Files will be accepted. Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria: originality, creativity, composition, and magnitude of the moment. Please note that cropping of the original photo by the editor in the picture’s final published form will be accepted. However, photographs that include color enhancement, “Photoshopping” or deliberate alteration of the image will not be allowed in the competition. Submission Portal https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ 3) Television – Live Racing Programming and Features Television entries (features or live racing programming) from a recognized over-the-air, cable, or satellite outlet are to be submitted in via the weblink to the portal listed below. Your link must be accompanied by a letter detailing the name of the entrant, the date each program aired, and the name of the station or network on which it aired. Commercials must be deleted or the entry will be disqualified. However, opening billboards returning from a commercial break will be accepted. An industry outlet may submit an entry as long as that submission has aired on a recognized television outlet. Submissions related to industry promotional projects or from breeding farms will not be accepted into the competition. There are two television award categories: 1. Live Racing Programming entries must be from a live racing program of Thoroughbred horse racing. Programs with the subject matter primarily devoted to morning workouts will not be included. 2. Feature entries may be submitted as either single, stand-alone pieces, a documentary, a historical piece, a news report, or as part of a live-racing program. Entries in the Features category are limited to 120 minutes. “Medley” tapes containing more than two features of any duration, will not be accepted. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT AS WEB LINKS and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ Please be sure your entry is not password protected and that your link will open directly to your submission. 4) Audio/Multimedia Internet Audio/Multimedia Internet entries is one category combining audio (radio, podcasts) with multi-media. It is not two separate categories. All entries must have aired on a commercial or public radio station or been on the Internet at a site that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication or recognized broadcast news organization. Entries airing exclusively on YouTube will not be accepted. Submissions from industry outlets that are published by a recognized publication will be eligible for the competition in an unedited version in either category. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. All entries in this category must be limited to 60 minutes. Entries for live radio broadcasts may submit a compilation of the best work over the course of one program. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT AS WEB LINKS and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ The Audio/Multimedia Internet category may consist of audio only (e.g., a radio or Internet-based broadcast) OR a multi-media, Internet-based submission, whose components include audio. No more than two (2) individual radio or Internet-based audio broadcasts per person may be submitted. “Medley” tapes containing more than three radio shows or Webcasts of any duration, will not be accepted. The Multimedia Internet entries must have one integrated theme and be presented in a Webcast centering on a news event, subject, or feature. To be eligible, the Webcast must include at least two forms of media, one of which must be original audio. The complementary form(s) of media may be video, photographs, graphics, and/or print (e.g., a story or stories). Please note that if the entry includes video, the video must be produced as original content. The entry, in its entirety, must be retrievable from one Internet frame, with links to components of the package being considered part of the frame, provided they link back to pages within the originating Web site and not to other, external Websites. Entries that first appeared over the air or on cable television prior to appearing on the internet will not be accepted. Submission in the Multimedia Internet category excludes the candidate from submitting the same written piece in the News/Enterprise or Feature/Commentary categories. Multimedia Internet submissions must be accompanied by a letter from the editor or equivalent senior official of the website, attesting that the package is the work of the author(s) or organization that submitted it and that it appeared on the website on the date(s) in question. Authors/Producers must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. Audio/Multimedia Internet entries must be submitted as a single URL Web address. Commercial breaks for radio entries must be deleted or the entry will be disqualified. However, an opening “billboard” with sponsor mentions will be permitted. Submissions of Webcasts and Radio Programs must be accompanied by: 1) A letter from the Web producer or equivalent senior official of the Website attesting that the work is that of the author who submitted it and including the date the program was Webcast and the name of the website on which it aired. 2) Program title and air date of the production or webcast. 3) The name of the network, radio station, or web outlet *** NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS Winners will be notified by the NTRA no later than Thursday, January 2, 2025. --Eclipse Awards release
Photos by Skip Dickstein. Award Winners: Team Kenny McPeek, Backside Learning Center, Sean Clancy, Laffit Pincay III, Tom Law, John Cherwa
My fellow National Turf Writers and Broadcasters – I’m excited to see many of you at our 64th annual NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 30 and in the days to follow at our Oct. 31 general membership meeting at Del Mar or during the two-day event there on Nov. 1-2. We have a sell-out crowd of 150 attendees for our Wednesday dinner at The Brigantine as we honor Team Kenny McPeek, the Backside Learning Center, Sean Clancy and Laffit Pincay III. Thank you to our membership for your support, and those who have given their time into making this dinner a success. The awards dinner will be just down the street from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on the outside patio at The Brigantine Del Mar, 3263 Camino Del Mar. We’ll begin with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30, with awards presentations to follow. The Breeders’ Cup Writing Awards will also be presented during the evening. Business/cocktail attire. Valet parking is available at The Brigantine, but due to our capacity crowd, the restaurant suggests Uber or Lyft rides to best accommodate guests. For those not at Del Mar on Thursday, I hope you can join us for our membership meeting at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) via Zoom. Here is the link . The meeting will include an update on happenings for our organization over the past year and will provide an opportunity for us to review applicants to our organization. We’ll have a follow-up from the awards dinner and also address any other items of business. The board is committed to serving the needs of our membership, and we welcome your perspective for the closing months of 2024 and as we head into 2025. If you’d like specific issues to be added to the agenda, please let me or NTWAB Secretary Jennifer Kelly know. For those on-site, the meeting will take place in the auxiliary press box. A complete agenda will be sent next week. Here is a rundown of beneficial media resources available for Breeders’ Cup coverage: · The Oct. 23 Breeders’ Cup pre-entry teleconference: https://www.breederscup.com/notes · Pre-entry past performances: https://www.equibase.com/content/bc/2024preentries.cfm · Breeders’ Cup statistics: https://stats.breederscup.com/ · Breeders’ Cup media center: https://breederscup.com/media-center · Breeders’ Cup trainer bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probabletrainers.cfm · Breeders’ Cup owner bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probableowners.cfm · Breeders’ Cup jockey bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probablejockeys.cfm · Breeders’ Cup contender profiles: https://breederscup.com/horses/pre-entries/classic · Horsemen’s guide: https://members.breederscup.com/documents/championships/HIG.PDF · Breeders’ Cup saddle towels: https://www.breederscup.com/towels Kind regards, Byron King President, NTWAB Oct. 25, 2024
