The fifth British Journalism Awards for public interest journalism are now open for entries.
These awards were launched by Press Gazette in the wake of the hacking scandal and Leveson report to celebrate and promote journalism which is interesting to the public and in the public interest.
They are open to all journalists wherever they work and entries are encouraged from broadcasters, national and regional press, magazines, specialist media and digital journalists.
The winners will be announced on 6 December at Stationers’ Hall in London.
Last year Jonathan Calvert of the Sunday Times was named Journalist of the Year for his work investigating the Fifa bribes scandal and athletics doping, The Guardian won Investigation of the Year for the HSBC files and Vice News won the award for Digital Innovation.
This year there is a new category for Specialist Journalism which aims to recognise great public interest journalism in specialist and B2B media. This category is also open to specialist journalists on general interest publications who aren’t covered by other awards.
More than a dozen new judges have joined the awards this year including: former Sunday Mirror editor Eve Pollard, TV director and presenter Henry Bonsu, launch director of London Live Vikki Cook, former editor the Daily Record and Sunday Mail Peter Cox and former Sunday Mirror editor Bridget Rowe.
The judges are chaired by Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford and have been chosen for their independence and experience.
Ponsford said: “Last year we had more than 200 entries and the judges were amazed by the quality of the work on display. Far from being a race to the bottom, many publishers are responding to the digital media challenges by investing in excellence and focusing resources on campaigning and investigative journalism.
“With the journalism industry currently fighting for an amendment to the Investigatory Powers Bill which would protect sources from state surveillance, this event provides a remind of the important role that journalists and confidential whistleblowers play in society.”
Entries can be submitted to the British Journalism Awards at the discounted early bird rate until 9 September. Entries close on 30 September.
Work must been published or broadcast between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 aimed at a UK audience.
All awards finalists will receive a complimentary invite to the British Journalism Awards reception.
Full list of British Journalism Awards categories:
- Business, Finance and Economics Journalism
- Sports Journalism
- Science and Technology Journalism (includes health and environment)
- New Journalist of the Year (for journalists who have been in the industry for less than 36 months)
- Digital Innovation
- Foreign Affairs Journalism
- Campaign of the Year
- Investigation of the Year
- Photojournalism
- Local Heroes Award (for local and regional media)
- Politics Journalism
- Popular Journalism (for work in the tabloid tradition aimed at a mass audience)
- Journalist of the Year
- Scoop of the Year
- Specialist Journalism
- The Marie Colvin award – for raising the reputation of the craft of journalism over the course of a career in the tradition of the late great Sunday Times foreign correspondent
See all the previous British Journalism Awards winners.
The British Journalism Awards 2016 are supported by:
