Apple Awards

The David L. Adams Apple Awards recognize outstanding achievements as the “Best of Show” at the annual CMA Spring Conference held in New York City. Named in honor of David L. Adams, a dedicated and influential figure in the College Media Association and a longtime adviser at Indiana University, the awards commemorate his enduring legacy following his passing in 2007.
Don’t miss the final year of the Apple Awards. With CMA’s contract coming to an end, 2026 is your last chance to compete for one of the program’s coveted trophies.

NYC 2026 Convention Website→

Entry Guidelines

Please read and follow the guidelines listed below for submitting entries. Entries not submitted according to the guidelines will be disqualified. The Apple Awards recognize student-produced and student-published work. Only schools attending the New York City convention are eligible to submit.

Each Apple entry for individual work costs $20.

Each entry must have been produced by students actively enrolled at a college or university.

College Media Association contests recognize excellent STUDENT work. By entering CMA contests, entrants are confirming that the work was created, edited, produced and published by students. Work from joint student-faculty collaborations and work by professional journalists (even if they are currently enrolled in a program) should not be submitted.

Each entry must have been created between Mar. 1, 2025 to Feb. 5, 2026.

Entries are limited. Each media outlet at a college or university may submit only one entry per category.

Two-year schools may enter in the Two-Year Division OR in the school size division most appropriate for the campus size. No work may be entered in two divisions in the same category.

All categories must be submitted online. Online entries can include links, PDF, TXT, GIF, PNG, or JPG files.

College Media Association may post winning entries on the CMA website or for other purposes.

Rules & Instructions

Best Crisis Coverage: This special category recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s coverage of a crisis on campus or in the surrounding area. Submissions may include both traditional and social media coverage from one media outlet. Please limit the number of supporting materials to three URLs or PDFs.
Best Social Media Coverage of a Single Event: Recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s efforts to distribute information about a single event, along with any updates, through social media platforms including, but not limited to, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Submit screenshots (in chronological order) as a single PDF.
Best News Website: Recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s overall website including content, design, reporting, editing and multimedia features. Submit the site’s URL.
Best Feature Website: Recognizes excellence in a media outlet’s overall website including content, design, reporting, editing and multimedia features. Features may include fashion, entertainment, literary, or another focus that’s not predominantly news focused. Submit the site’s URL.
Best Magazine Cover: Recognizes excellence in a publication’s overall design and visuals of a magazine cover. Submit one PDF of the cover only. Judges will consider both design and text.
Best Magazine: Recognizes overall excellence in a magazine’s content and coverage, design, photography, reporting and writing and editing. Submit either the PDF or a link to the PDF.
Best Multimedia Package: Recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s use of several multimedia techniques to tell a story, including graphics, photography, illustrations, audio and video, animation and slideshows. Submit one URL to a package that combines at least two types of media.
Best Newspaper: Recognizes excellence in one issue of a printed newspaper, including design, reporting, news coverage and content, graphics, photography and editing. Submit a PDF or URL link for one issue.
Best Podcast: Recognizes excellence in a publication’s originally conceived podcast based on content, production quality and innovative use of audio. Include a sample of an episode no longer than five minutes and a link to the full podcast.
Best Single-Media Ad: Recognizes excellence in a single display ad for a newspaper or other media organization. Judges will consider design, content and text. Submit one PDF.
Best Multi-Media Ad Campaign: Recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s advertising that integrates multiple ad mediums including online, social media, print, video, audio, etc. Submit no more than three total PDFs/URLs in any combination.
Best Yearbook Cover: Recognizes excellence in yearbook design for covers. Submit one PDF of the cover only. Judges will consider design, photography/illustration and text.
Best Yearbook Spread: Recognizes excellence in yearbook design and content for a single inside two-page spread. Submit one PDF of a side-by-side spread. Judges will consider content, design, photography/illustration and text.
Best Editorial: Recognizes excellence in a news outlet’s editorial based on the quality of writing and the arguments supporting the publication’s position. Submit one editorial, in a PDF or URL.
Best Opinion Column: Recognizes excellence in a single opinion column focused on campus or student issues, or commentary about current events. Submit one column, in a PDF or URL.
Best Newsletter: Recognizes excellence in email newsletters on any topic. Submit up to three newsletters in a single PDF. Newsletters can be all on the same topic (say, news or entertainment or diversity) or any combination of topics.
Best Social Media Engagement: Recognizes excellence in social media engagement campaigns. Submit up to three screenshots of relevant content and a description of the campaign, its challenge and its effectiveness as a single PDF.
Best News Photography: Recognizes excellence in photographic coverage of a news event or issue. Include a PDF of the page or URL.
Best Feature Photography: Recognizes excellence in photographic coverage of a human-interest story. Include a PDF of the page or URL.

Please take a moment to read the instructions on how to prepare your entries prior to entering the contest.

Divisions

Division I: 10,000+
Division II: 3,000 – 9,999
Division III: under 2,999
Two-Year Schools

Eligibility Period

Mar. 1, 2025–Feb. 5, 2026
(all work must have been published between these dates)

Deadline

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
11:59 pm EST

Questions?

Rules, eligibility, deadlines, or contestant info: Contact College Media Association (CMA) Email CMA HQ or (518) 463-8644
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