The contest registration site is located at betternewspapercontest.com. Click "Are you a newspaper?" to go to the login page.

2. Log in

Choose which contest you want to work on (2010 NCPA Best Ad Contest). Two fields — "Newspaper" and "Password" — will then appear below the contest selection. Choose your newspaper from the dropdown list, enter the password "bnc", and click "Submit." If your newspaper is not on the list, contact Holly Johnson.

Your first successful login will take you to the "Change Password" screen, where you're required to change your password before you proceed. Change it to something you can remember easily.

You must also CORRECT YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS on this page. This will ensure that you can retrieve your password if you forget it, and that NCPA can contact you if we have questions about your entries. Click "Submit" when you're done.

If you've logged in before but have forgotten your password, be sure to select your newspaper, then click "Forgot password?" The password will be sent immediately to the email on the "My Account" screen for the newspaper you selected.

When you first visit the "Manage Entries" page, the entry list will be empty. On this page you will find three links: "My account", "Submit entry", and "Logout". If you haven't already, be sure to click "My account" and update your contact information to ensure that you can retrieve your password and be contacted with any questions about your entries. Click "Submit entry", either on the page or in the dropdown "My contest" menu, to go to the entry submission form.

The Submit Entry form is self-explanatory; just fill in the information requested, working from top to bottom. The division you choose will determine the list of categories, and the category you choose will reveal other form fields.

For everything except the Fred Crisp Award, select "General Categories" under Division. The categories drop-down menu will become active for you to choose the appropriate category for each entry.

For PDF categories, you'll select the PDF file to upload. Once you've filled in the form, click "Submit".

If your entry is for one of the categories that require or allow mailed entries, you still need to complete the form above. In this case you won't upload an attachment. When you click on "Submit" you'll be taken to a label page for that entry. For mailed entries, you must print out this label and attach it to your physical entry (see guidelines on submitting these entries in the main contest file).

Labeling must be done correctly. Even though you send the physical tearsheets, the judges will enter their responses online according to the label you've affixed to those tearsheets.

In the list of entries on the "Manage Entries" page, the Actions column at the far right contains three links: "Label", "Edit", and "Disable".

"Label" displays the entry label associated with that entry. You won't need the label for a PDF entry, but you can use this link to update the label if you edit a non-PDF entry, or if you need to reprint the label for some other reason.

"Edit" lets you view and change information in the entry form. If you change an entry in a non-PDF category, you'll need to display and reprint the label (twice) for that entry. You will not be able to edit an entry once it has been confirmed by the NCPA contest administrator, nor after the entry deadline has passed. (Confirmation is done when your entries are submitted to prevent further editing of your entries.)

"Disable" essentially removes that entry from the contest, although you'll still see it in a separate Disabled Entries list. You'll need to disable an entry if you uploaded a PDF file and then discovered that it was the wrong file or decided you want to upload a different one. You cannot replace a PDF file you previously uploaded just by editing the entry. You'll have to disable the entry, then submit a new entry and upload the correct PDF.

"Enable" will appear in place of "Disable" once you've disabled an entry. By clicking "Enable", you can restore a previously (erroneously) disabled entry.

Once you've submitted all your entries, you'll need to print out the "Manage Your Entries" page with the complete listing.

Calculate your fee at $7 for each entry listed.

PRINT TWO COPIES OF THE COMPLETED LIST. Keep one copy for your records. Mail one copy with your check (made out to "North Carolina Press Association") and any non-PDF entries when you send them to the NCPA office. In lieu of a check, complete the credit card information form and send that with your list.