2022 Rules & Submission Guidelines

Sovereign Awards will be presented in the following media categories:

  • Writing
  • Photograph
  • Digital Audio/Visual and Broadcast

Submissions in any of the Sovereign Award Media Categories must be submitted by the author, photographer or producer, must be of significant Canadian Thoroughbred racing or breeding content and must have appeared for the first time during the period specified below in a public medium recognized by The Jockey Club of Canada. The Jockey Club of Canada has the right to refuse any submission in any category. There is no entry fee for submissions.

The Jockey Club of Canada describes a recognized public medium as meeting any of the below requirements:
– a publication which is distributed using paid and/or requested circulation,
– a recognized industry association publication or website, or
– an outlet which is managed by an independent editorial department or which undergoes a third-party review process.

Examples include, but are not limited to: Canadian Thoroughbred, The Toronto Star, The Edmonton Journal, Horseracing BC, Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Daily News, The Sports Network (TSN).

Works of fiction are not eligible in any category.

Notwithstanding the above-stated conditions for submissions, The Jockey Club of Canada reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify an entry at any time, including after the determination of an award. The Jockey Club of Canada reserves the right to not present an award in a particular category, based on the quantity or quality of submissions, as determined by the judges.

2022 Sovereign Award Media Category submissions must have appeared in a recognized public medium as stated above for the first time between the dates of January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

Submissions must be received by The Jockey Club of Canada office by email before 11:59 p.m. EST December 31, 2022Submissions received after this deadline will not be accepted.

Sovereign Award Media Category Submission Requirements:

A covering letter must accompany each submission and must include the following:

  • A statement indicating the contestant’s wish to submit the body of work for consideration.
  • The specific Media Category in which the work is being submitted.
  • The date published or broadcast.
  • The official name or web address of the medium in which it appeared.
  • The complete contact information including phone number and address of the contestant.

One submission per contestant will be accepted in each media category. In the event that more than one submission is received in any media category, the contestant will be asked to decide which submission should be entered.

How to Enter a Submission for a Sovereign Award Media Category:

Writing submissions must be sent via email to jockeyclubcanada@gmail.com as an attached word document or pasted into the body of the email.  This must be accompanied by a cover letter by the author of the piece, as stated in the submission requirements, and a scanned tearsheet or internet link to the original published piece.
Please include Sovereign Award Media Category – Writing in the subject line of the email.

Photograph submissions must be sent via email to jockeyclubcanada@gmail.com as an attached hi-resolution (300 dpi max) jpeg file.
This must be accompanied by a cover letter by the photographer, as stated in the submission requirements, and a scanned tearsheet or internet link to the original published photograph and the name of the photograph.
Please include Sovereign Award Media Category – Photograph in the subject line of the email.

Digital Audio/Visual and Broadcast submissions can be sent by email to jockeyclubcanada@gmail.com and must be accompanied by a cover letter, as stated in the submission requirements. Please include Sovereign Award Media Category – Digital Audio/Visual and Broadcast in the subject line of the email.

Please contact the Jockey Club of Canada at (416) 675-7756 if you cannot submit your entry via email.

Sovereign Award Media Category Judging:

Judging for the 2022 Sovereign Award Media Category will be preformed by media professionals in the Thoroughbred Racing industry.

The three finalists in each of the media categories will be determined by the judges and will be announced via a Jockey Club of Canada press release and posted on The Jockey Club of Canada website in February 2023. The three finalists will also be contacted by The Jockey Club of Canada via email.

The winner of each category will be announced at the 48th Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony. 

For more information contact:
Megan Allan
General Manager 
The Jockey Club of Canada
(416) 675-7756
email jockeyclubcanada@gmail.com