by Jerry Connors, secretary, USHWA

Harrisburg, PA — The deadline for entries for the 2010 John Hervey Awards, which honor the best of harness racing journalism, is Friday, December 3.

Actually, the “Hervey Awards” are given just for the written word; the Smallsreed Awards are given for top photography, and there is likely to be a new name for the Broadcasters Awards, for audio and video. But they are frequently referred to en masse as “the Hervey Awards.”

Entries will be accepted in six categories — news/commentary writing and feature writing, audio and television, and race and feature photography.

The deadline of December 3 is for receipt of submissions to the committee for materials that were published or aired between December 1, 2009 and November 30, 2010. There are no entry fees. Judges in each category will select a winner and, where appropriate, up to two honorable mentions.

Winners will be saluted at the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s annual Night of Champions banquet on Sunday, February 27 at the Marriott North in Fort Lauderdale Fla. Winners will receive a plaque/trophy as well as two tickets to the Night of Champions banquet; there are no cash rewards.

Rules are available by request to Ken Weingartner, chair of the Hervey Committee, at ken.weingartner@ustrotting.com. Entries should be sent to Ken Weingartner, Hervey Awards, 4-D Broad Street, Freehold NJ 07728. (If using an overnight service, please indicate that no signature is required.)