Enter your best work in the Crystal Mic Awards by Jan. 31

3 days ago

The entry window for the 2025 INBA Crystal Mic Awards, honoring the best radio and television work serving Illinois audiences, is January 1-31, 2026.

Enter your best work now.

Finalists will be announced on INBA.net and social media in early March 2026, and winners will be revealed during an Awards Presentation on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the INBA Best of Broadcast Awards in Champaign/Urbana.

The contest covers work produced between July 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025.

Awards are handed out in four divisions:

Large Market TV
Small Market TV
Large Market Radio
Small Market Radio

Large Market stations include Chicago and St. Louis. Small Market entries are for stations outside the Chicago/St. Louis markets, including border markets that serve an Illinois audience.

Check at the bottom of this page for category details. New categories this year: Best Morning TV Newscast and Best Political Reporting. There are changes in what is required for some submissions, designed to make the categories both easier and more consistent.

Entrants are not required to be INBA members, but membership is encouraged. Check out inba.net for registration info.

Questions? Reach out to Laura Trendle Polus, who is coordinating the contest: lmtrend@ilstu.edu

CATEGORIES

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Station (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Entry should contain parts of locally originated, regularly scheduled newscasts aired on any date during the contest period, minus commercials/PSAs. Other components may include separate examples of spot news, features and other work to showcase overall performance. Entry must contain a written bullet-point description of included items. Editing is allowed for compilation purposes, but all items should be as they appeared on air without additional voice-over or narration. Maximum length 30 minutes.
Compilation category – 1 entry per station

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Digital Presence (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Entry should include addresses of station’s website, social media and apps, as available. Judges will evaluate current content on those channels, but entry may also contain screenshots or links to content presented during the contest period. Entry may contain a written bullet-point description offering context on efforts to add programming, and to build audience and community engagement during the contest period. Compilation category – 1 entry per station

INBA Paul Davis Crystal Mic Award: Best Newscast (Large and Small Market Television Only):

Entry should include one locally-originated, regularly-scheduled evening newscast, on any date during the contest period. Maximum length 50 minutes (after breaks are removed) No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Morning Newscast (Large and Small Market Television Only):

Entry should include one locally-originated, regularly-scheduled morning or midday newscast, on any date during the contest period. Maximum length 50 minutes (after breaks are removed) No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Radio Newscast (Large and Small Market Radio Only):

Entry should include one locally-originated, regularly-scheduled newscast, on any date during the contest period. Maximum length 15 minutes (after breaks are removed) No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Weather Operation (Large and Small Market Television Only):

Entry may include up to four weather blocks from at least two different individuals aired during any date of the contest period. Entry may also include live shots or packages focusing on weather. Maximum length 25 minutes (after breaks are removed) Compilation category – 1 entry per station

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Podcasting (Large and Small Market Television and Radio).

Entry can include one complete podcast or elements of different episodes of the same podcast, produced within the contest period. Editing is allowed for compilation purposes, but all items should be as they aired. Maximum length 30 minutes (after breaks are removed) No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Reporter (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry must include at least three stories produced during the contest period. Stories should demonstrate research and writing skills while also displaying strong reporting and performance. The entrant should be someone who regularly handles daily assignments but may also do occasional special assignments. Editing is allowed for compilation purposes, but all items should be as they aired. Maximum length – 15 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Breaking News (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry must include one or more items, each in its entirety, on the same unscheduled breaking or developing news event, produced within 24 hours of the event and within the contest period. Judges will consider the reporter’s ability to present a clear story with limited access to resources.
Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Investigative Report (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry can include a single in-depth investigative story or a limited series of reports on one issue, produced during the contest period. Judging will be based on research, writing and importance of the issue to the community. Maximum length – 15 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Political Report (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry must include at least two stories produced during the contest period, focusing on one or more political issues/processes. Judging will be based on research, writing and importance of the issue to the community. Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Best Sports Reporter (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry should include up to three items produced during the contest period, focusing on an aspect of sports. This could include packages, live shots, interviews or play by play. Editing is allowed for compilation purposes, but all items should be as they aired. Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Use of Sound – (Large and Small Market Radio)

Entry should include up to two stories, each in its entirety, produced during the contest period. Judging will be based on editing and how sound relates to the writing. Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Use of Videography (Large and Small Market Television, but Radio Stations producing video can also enter. Those submissions may be judged against television entries, depending on the quantity received.)

Entry should include up to 3 stories featuring videography, produced within the contest period. Judging will be based on visual composition, editing and how the video relates to the writing. Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

INBA Crystal Mic Award: Writing (Large and Small Market Television and Radio)

Entry should include up to three stories, each in its entirety, all produced within the contest period. Stories can be submitted as audio or video but the entry will be judged only on the quality of writing and story-telling. Maximum length – 10 minutes No entry limit

Bob Roberts

Retired, WBBM-AM, Chicago

INBA is as much about friendship and as it is about achieving common goals. It provides two things individual newsrooms cannot: in-service training, and the ability to speak out on issues affecting the profession. But most of all, it brings newspeople together.

Alexis McAdams

Fox News National Correspondent

INBA played a huge part in preparing me for my broadcasting career. The INBA conventions connect students with on-air talent and news directors who give feedback on now to improve your work. Through relationships I made at those conventions, I was able to obtain my first on air reporting job.

Jennifer Fuller

Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs, John A. Logan College

INBA is not only a great networking tool, it also provides advocacy and support for journalists in an ever-changing world.

Michelle Eccles McLaughlin

Public Relations Account Manager; Horace Mann Insurance

INBA is an organization that really caters to continuing education for professionals. It offers a relatively inexpensive way to learn new things, reinforce best practices and network.

Ryan Denham

Digital Content Director, WGLT (Normal)

I recently attended my first INBA conference—and it won’t be my last. The combination of professional and student journalists learning together is electric. Everyone learns from each other and walks away with new friends (and LinkedIn connections). I know I did.

Jeff Bossert

Morning Edition Host; WVTF, Roanoke, Virginia

When I was working in radio for the first time, I had no idea whether I could truly handle the demands. But INBA made me curious and want to improve. Even now, when I’ve maybe worked a lot of hours or planned some stories that didn’t come together for one reason or another, what I learn from an INBA conference gets me re-invigorated about the business.

Nora Baldner

Professor; Quincy University

The support INBA gives to student journalists is vitally important as we all discover how technology is changing news dissemination, INBA monitors and actively encourages truth, transparency and accountability from students and their universities.

Molly Jirasek

News Director, ABC57, South Bend, IN

One of my top goals in my career was to get to Chicago. Thanks to INBA I met Margaret Larkin. She remembered our great conversations about Chicago and first alerted me to a job opening in the city I might be interested in. Lo and behold, I got that job! INBA helped me reach my dream.

Aaron Eades

Director of Partnerships, Marketing and Communications for The College of Optics and Photonics at UCF, former Executive Producer at Spectrum News, Orlando; former Morning Anchor at WCIA-TV, Champaign

As a student, it's often difficult to picture what working in the real world will be like. For me, the INBA bridged that gap by giving me the chance to talk to professionals who used to be in the same shoes I'm in now.

Mike Miletich

Capitol Bureau Reporter, WAND-TV, Decatur

Joining the INBA was one of my best life decisions. I met some of the best broadcast journalists while I was still a college student. Plus, I ended up getting a job through the connections I made!

Andrew Tanielian

Freelance Video Journalist

INBA taught me how to network in a meaningful way. The scholarship process taught me how to endure a hard job interview and thrive.

Brian O'Keefe

News Director (Retired), WDCB radio, Glen Ellyn

One of the greatest benefits for me has been getting to see and know other parts of the state. I’m not from Illinois and traveling to spring and fall conventions over the years has transformed dots on a map to memories of places that enhance my story telling process.