The Association of Health Care Journalists has issued its annual call for entries for its Excellence in Health Care Journalism Awards

It's the only contest run by journalists that honors excellence in health care reporting, and it accepts nonmember entries.

AHCJ has announced 10 categories this year:

* Large Newspapers (over 250,000 circulation) and wire services

* Medium Newspapers (90,000 to 250,000 circulation)

* Small Newspapers (under 90,000 circulation)

* General-Interest Magazines above 1 million circulation

* General-Interest Magazines below 1 million circulation

* Trade Publications/Online Journals/Newsletters

* TV/Radio (Top 20 markets, network, syndicated)

* TV/Radio (Below Top 20 markets)

* Beat Reporting (New this year)

* Best Limited Report (New this year)

Reporters may submit as many entries as they would like. All work must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2007.

First-place winners earn $500, a framed certificate and complimentary lodging for two nights and registration for Health Journalism 2008, to be held March 27-30 in Washington D.C. First-place winners will be recognized at a luncheon at the conference.

Entries postmarked by the early-bird deadline of Dec. 7, 2007 are $30 for members and $55 for nonmembers. The final deadline is Jan. 16, 2008.

Entry forms, membership info, categories and the rules are on the AHCJ Web site: www.healthjournalism.org.