Free Press Unlimited wants to honor journalists who risk everything to bring us the news, media pioneers who pave the way for equality and justice and those who persevere under the most difficult circumstances. The Free Press Awards will recognise exceptional work in the categories Newcomer of the Year and Most Resilient Journalist.
The nominations for the Free Press Awards of 2024 are open! You can now nominate a journalist for the Most Resilient Journalists Award or the Newcomer of the Year Award. The deadline for nominations is 12 August 2024. The nominees will be announced in September 2024.
ELIGIBILITY:
Nominations for the awards will be judged by an independent panel of international experts. Please note the following when nominating:
You can not nominate yourself;
When you nominate someone, make sure this person is aware and gives permission;
Make sure you have sufficient examples of work to upload with the nomination, preferably a minimum of three pieces;
To be eligible for the category of Newcomer of the Year, the nominee should be active as a journalist for a maximum of three years.
BENEFIT:
The winner in the category ‘Newcomer of the Year’ will receive a media scholarship by choice. The winner in the category ‘Most Resilient Journalist’ will receive a cash prize. Read more about the categories Newcomer of the Year and Most Resilient Journalist.
The annual competition is organised in partnership with the UK’s Foreign Press Association (FPA) and is presented at their annual awards event in London.
The competition enables journalists aged 30 and under, from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of less than USD20,000, to send in their best stories to be examined by the judges.
ELIGIBILITY:
AGE: Entrants must be 30 years of age or under on 25 November 2024.
LOCATION: For the purpose of this competition the “developing world” is defined as countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) of US$20,000 or less. Entrants should be from a country that meets the GNI criteria and reporting from/in that country or, if not in their country of origination, in another country fitting the same GNI criteria. To find out if your country qualifies, please see: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
PORTFOLIO: Each entrant should submit a portfolio of THREE published or broadcast pieces of work produced in the 12 months preceding 9 August, 2024 (the 12 months prior to the deadline for submissions).
The entries for the Young Journalist Award can be in any format: print, audio, video, multimedia, or a combination of all four. Applicants can provide URL links to their stories online. If necessary, they can use a file-sharing platform such as Google Drive for scans or PDFs of print articles, and for large audio or video files. A written statement of no more than 200 words per story giving a summary of the content and any impact it had on public debate in the country of publication or broadcast, should also be submitted.
LANGUAGE: Entries can be in any language but should be accompanied by a verbatim English-language translation.
VERIFICATION: Entries should be accompanied by a letter from the applicant’s current editor, on headed company notepaper verifying that it is the published work of the entrant. Where an entrant is freelance, or self-employed, verification can be provided by an editor from one of the publications/websites/broadcasters where the work appeared, or by a journalism academic familiar with the work of the entrant.
BENEFIT:
The finalists will be flown to London, all expense paid to attend the gala award night in London, along with a host of other potential award winners and leading figures from the world of journalism.
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