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$10,000 is at stake. Check it out:

Since 1953 the Scripps Howard Foundation has honored the best work in journalism through its National Journalism Awards program. The awards honor excellence in 17 categories, including one that you will find of interest. The Web Reporting Award carries a cash prize of $10,000. The postmark deadline is Jan. 31; winners will be announced March 7 and honored at an awards presentation April 18 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Here are details:

WEB REPORTING AWARD

Honors the news organization that demonstrates the best use of new media technologies and innovative techniques to report on a news story or news event while maintaining the highest journalistic standards.

Open to any news organization whose primary function is the gathering and disseminating of news information to the general public. The news story or event must have been originally published online in 2007. Also open to organizations that combine their traditional field with new media efforts or organizations that focus solely on online formats. No college news organization work is eligible.

Entries must provide a URL(s) for judges to view the news story or event. Entry must include a written narrative describing the organization’s efforts, a description of the news story or event and its components, original date published online, as well as justification of why the entry should be presented an award. $50 entry fee. Prize is $10,000 and a trophy. Entry form available at: http://foundation.scripps.com/foundation/programs/nja/nja.html Questions: Sue Porter at 513-977-3030.

And now a friend of mine has launched a new site, dedicated to the incompetence of drivers in this town. This should be fun!

http://www.knoxvilledriverssuck.com/

For anyone who follows what I do at work, my posts have been pretty slim. Between going home for the holidays (note beautiful family tree) and some pretty large endeavors at work, I’ve been keeping busy.

I’m currently hard at work on a new online series that will launch at the end of the month on knoxnews.com. Since it’s prep time for the first installment, there’s a lot of extra work to get finished. I’ll be sure to announce the official launch when it happens, so stay tuned!

And I’m about to launch my professional career in education. This semester I’ll be teaching Journalism and Electronic Media 222 at the University of Tennessee. It’s basically an introduction course in online journalism.

After having spent so many years as a student, I’m anxious about being on the other side of the desk. I went Northwestern for grad school partly so I’d have my Master’s in the bag in case I ever wanted to teach. The time for that has come. I’ve been craving a new challenge, and this will be it!

I’ve recently assumed responsibility for knoxnews.com’s twice-monthly cooking show, Stirring the Pot. I was really excited to get involved with the show, since it resembles things seen on my fav station, Food Network.

Check out my first video, in which STP host Mary Constantine cooks up a healthy dose of quinoa and sundried tomatoes. It’s perfect for anyone looking to watch what they eat in ‘08. And feel free to leave some feedback since it’s my first try at this.

Members of the Great Smoky Mountain Curling Club demonstate their sport on the rink at Market Square. The group is offering free lessons to beginners on Saturday mornings, from 8-10 a.m.

Click here to watch the video.