Each year, TMA honors award-winning Texas general-interest news media with the Anson Jones, MD, Awards. Some physician leaders regularly report the news of medicine on their local television station, radio station, or in their local newspaper, so we created this category for you. Winners receive a plaque, and Citation of Merit winners receive a framed certificate. The competition is free to enter, so if you are a Texas physician who regularly reports health news in your local print or broadcast news media, enter your award-winning work today.    

Step One:

 Pick the category that best fits your winning entry. You are a Texas physician who reports health news on television or radio or in the newspaper or other print publication, so “Physician Excellence in Reporting” is your category (or if you are not a physician, use your web browser to go back to the main Anson Jones page to find your correct media category): 

• Physician Excellence in Reporting. This category is for Texas physicians who produce health care news reports for a public audience in general-interest news media. These physicians write/produce news articles or broadcast news stories that air or are published in a general-interest Texas news print publication, radio station, or television station.

Step Two: Read and follow this section carefully (Rules/Deadlines)

• Entries must be RECEIVED in the TMA offices by Jan. 15 each year.
• Material must be published or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 the previous year.
• You must submit FIVE copies/dubs of each entry. We require five because we send entries to 5 judges in different locations. Electronic copies are acceptable as well (in which case we only need one copy).
• All entrants must submit one completed entry form per each copy/dub of an entry (photocopies are ok). That's FIVE entry forms total (remember we ship your entry to 5 judges in different places). Electronic entry forms are acceptable as well (in which case we only need one copy).
• Individual entrants may submit up to three articles/stories or series per year.
• Enter the correct category! No deadline extensions can be granted. Entries will not be returned.
• TMA and its judges reserve the right to disqualify any entries not meeting eligibility requirements.
• Download and print the  official entry form  to accompany all entries (photocopies are acceptable, as are electronic entry forms).
• TMA charges no fee to enter TMA's Anson Jones, MD, Awards competition, however all entry, duplication and shipping costs are the responsibility of each entrant. Multiple entries may be shipped together in one box/envelope.
• You are not required to be a TMA member (though of course it doesn’t hurt if you are!).

  You are eligible to enter IF:

• You are a Texas physician who regularly (i.e. daily, weekly) produces medical/health care news that appears in general-interest news media based in Texas and is intended primarily for a Texas public audience;
• Your entry first published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 this year, for January’s competition deadline;
• You don’t send more than three entries this year. Entries may be the work of an individual or the collective effort of a publication or station. An individual (a person) may enter up to three unrelated articles/stories, or series ("entries"). Therefore a person (entrant) may have his or her name on a maximum of three entries submitted to TMA in a given year;
• Yours is not a "trade publication" that is not intended for a general public audience;
• Your publication is not targeted to the medical profession or allied professions; and
• Your entry is not a public service announcement, promotional spot or marketing effort. 

Judging Criteria – What do we look for?

Entries are judged on the basis of accuracy, significance, quality, public interest, and impact. Judges will name one winner and one citation of merit winner per category, unless the judges determine no entries represent excellence in a given category. Judges may also choose to award a tie. Judging will be performed by Texas Medical Association physicians and other members of TMA's Council on Health Promotion, and respected journalists from the news publishing and broadcast fields. Final winners are determined by the TMA Council on Health Promotion. TMA is not responsible for lost or damaged entries.