To Journalism's Many, Many Awards, Add The 'Sexies'

By: Mark Fitzgerald Journalists, who work in a field that never tires of inventing new awards, have another medal to pin on their, er, chests -- the Sexies, or, more formally, the 2008 Sex-Positive Journalism Awards.

The awards are intended "to promote fair, accurate, and non-sensationalized coverage of sexual topics."

Sponsoring the awards are the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom; the Center for Sex and Culture; Babeland, a chain of sex-toy stores; and Miriam Axel-Lute, the former editor of the alternative weekly Metroland in Albany, N.Y.

"There are journalism awards rewarding good coverage of everything from private aviation to colon cancer," Axel-Lute said in announcing the award, "but there was nothing out there to reward writers who went the extra mile to be fair and accurate about something as essential to human identity as sexual expression. The Sexies fill that gap."

Winners will receive a cash prize, the amount of which was not specified in its announcement, and a plaque.

Don't send in your "racy or sensationalistic" stories, the Sexies organizers warn.

"The awards will be something any traditional journalist should be proud to hang on his or her wall-a testament to journalistic standards of fairness and accuracy about a charged and controversial subject," contest organizers said.

Qualifying stories will touch on sexual practice, health, or behavior, but cannot be simply about sexual orientation. They must also be aimed at a general audience.

What contest judges -- who include the syndicated sex-advice newspaper columnist Dan Savage -- are looking for are stories that seek out "sex-positive sources," and ask "hard questions about the motivation and background of sources who rely on sex-negative soundbites."

Entries, the contest adds, "should be able to keep a clear separation between sex crimes, such as sexual assault or pedophilia, and things that merely make people uncomfortable, such as consensual kink, teen sexuality or gay priests; and help readers who may not be familiar with the issues make the distinction."

On a grander scale, the stories will "specifically challenge sex-negative assumptions or practices in society at large or in a specific community."

Sexies will be awarded for articles in news, feature, and opinion. There is also a, um, booby prize: Unsexy for "the most egregious violation of the Sexies' criteria."

The first three categories have four divisions each, the organizers said: "daily general-topic newspaper; weekly or biweekly general-topic newspaper; online general-topic news publication; and sex- or sexual orientation-themed news publication in any print medium."

Articles must have been published in 2007, with series started or completed within the year. Submissions are due by March 23, 2008, and more information is available at www.sexies.org/criteria.html.