Excellence in Religion Reporting Contest

About the Contest

The RNA Contest Committee is chaired by Jeff Diamant.

The RNA Awards showcase religion journalism excellence in the news media with thousands of dollars in prizes. Awards are available for individual reporters as well as teams and outlets. The Excellence in Religion Reporting contest is administered through BetterBNC.

Please note: for logistical reasons, the annual contest is open to RNA members only. Members have been pre-loaded into the BetterBNC awards platform. Instructions for logging in for the first time can be found on the instructions page and below. If you are new to RNA and its contest, please email awards@rna.org to request a complimentary one-year membership, which will allow you to enter this year’s contest. These complimentary memberships are for individuals only, not organizational accounts. Chandler Award entrants can write to awards@rna.org to be added to BetterBNC for free.

For contest categories and detailed entry instructions, please click here.

Click here to enter the BetterBNC RNA awards platform. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2026

HOW TO LOG IN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2026:

1. Click here to go to the BetterBNC RNA contest platform.

2. Click “Enter the Contest Here” at the bottom of the page.

3. Ensure that “Contestant Manager” is selected on the upper left side of the pop up.

4. Under “Media Organization,” find your name. When logging in for the first time this year (2026), use the password bnc. You will be prompted to reset your password on first sign in.

5. If you do not see your name, reach out to awards@rna.org. If you are new to RNA and its contest, please email awards@rna.org to request a complimentary one-year membership, which will allow you to enter this year’s contest. Chandler Award entrants should write to awards@rna.org to be added to BetterBNC for free.