Media Industry Awards Can Boost Your Career

Media industry awards don't get more lavish than the Emmy Awards. These awards recognize outstanding work in the television industry, at both the network and affiliate station levels. While people outside the TV industry often associate the Emmy Awards with Hollywood, statuettes are also presented for achievements in local news reporting in regional competitions.

The National Magazine Awards are presented to the "Magazine of the Year" and a collection of other winners in a variety of categories. These awards aren't just for traditional printed magazines, but also those that appear digitally. That means printed magazines' websites, editions available on tablets, e-readers and smartphone apps are all eligible. Winners are presented with an "Ellie" or "Digital Ellie", which is an abstract sculpture of an elephant.

The Peabody Awards reward excellence in electronic media -- television, radio and online. They are presented by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Unlike most other media award competitions, Peabody entries are not put into categories. Instead, they all compete against each other. That also means that more awards are presented in some years than in others. The competition is not limited to journalism, but includes entertainment as well.

The top awards for newspapers are the Pulitzer Prizes. They are named for newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer and are presented by Columbia University in New York City. You won't find a glitzy awards ceremony for the Pulitzer Prizes, but these awards are still among the most desired in all media. Awards are presented in nearly two dozen categories -- most are for journalism, but some are for literary works, plays and music.

The Scripps Howard Awards honor excellence in all forms of media -- print, broadcast and online. These awards are presented by the Scripps Howard Foundation, which is part of the E.W. Scripps Company that owns both newspapers and TV stations. The foundation also puts on the popular national spelling bee for students each year. The Scripps Howard Awards are divided into categories, some for specific types of media. Awards come with cash -- generally in the $10,000 to $15,000 range.