Young Journalist of the Year

This award recognises mature judgment and moral resolve in new journalists and photographers. Entrants must have fewer than three years’ experience in full-time journalism.

Criteria

Emphasis will be on news-breaking, writing skills, initiative and investigative skills, development of story ideas, willingness to learn, attention to detail and commitment to training and shorthand. Judges will consider a body of up to five stories or photographs.
Photographers entering this award will be judged on the same criteria, with technical ability replacing writing skills.

What to submit

1.    Your resume or career outline. This doesn’t need to be a full CV. It must include your contact details
2.    Up to five examples of work to support the entry
3.    A background statement describing each example of work

Background statement

This is important. It provides the context for judges to assess the journalistic enterprise you brought to the work.

The statement needs to cover everything that is not immediately obvious from the copy: how the idea or story came about, what you did, any difficulties you encountered and what happened next.

Remember, the editors judging your work do not come from your publication and may not be familiar with local affairs in your state. Do not assume they have in-depth knowledge of the story.

You may include detail that could not be published for legal, moral or ethical reasons if it gives better context to your contribution to the work.
If your work reaches the final rounds of the awards it will be subject to background checks with your editor and colleagues.
You may write a background statement of up to 500 words for each piece of work you submit. It should include details of how your entry meets the selection criteria.  

Who can enter

Any cadet or graded journalist or photographer on a News Limited publication may enter this award. There is no age limit, but you must have less than three years’ full-time experience.

If you have won this award before, you may not enter it again. However, you may enter any other category.

Previous finalists of this award may enter again this year if they still have less than three years’ full-time experience.

Permanent part-time staff are eligible, as are contractors, but casual employees, freelancers and contributors are not. 

Dates for eligible work

All submitted work must have been published in the 12 months from August 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010. Anything published after this date may be entered in next year's awards.

How much work to enter

You may enter only five pieces of work to support your entry. Please do not enter more than five. The judges will assess only the first five.

If you are submitting a long-running series or investigation, choose just five stories that are representative of the entire work. You may use your background statement to explain the rest.

If a single story spilled to more than one page on the day it was published, include all parts of it. There is provision on the entry coupon for up to 12 attachments per story, or work example, to accommodate this.

Who can nominate

It is no longer necessary to seek approval from your editor before entering this award. You may nominate yourself, or someone else. If you are nominating someone else, please complete all requirements of the entry coupon, including your contact details.

How many times can you enter?

Previous winners of the Young Journalist of the Year cannot enter this category again, but can enter their work for other categories.

You may enter more than one category (ie, Young Journalist of the Year and Features Journalist of the Year), provided that different material is submitted for each award.

The same work may be entered in only two of the award categories. The exceptions are Scoop of the Year, where the scoop may be included again in a body of work for another award, and Photo of the Year.

Important note

The prize for this award is a secondment either to the New York Post or to one of our London-based newspapers.
The winner’s travel will be paid, and accommodation, shared with another employee of the same sex, will be in one of the company’s flats in either London or New York.
The length of the secondment will be at least 6-8 weeks but may be up to four months in rare cases, at your editors’ discretion.
The timing of your travel will depend on availability in the company apartments, which are heavily booked. However, you will be allowed to take up your secondment within 12 months of the News Awards.
Unfortunately, partners and children may not stay in the company apartments. If you are unable to travel at the allotted time, your prize may be withdrawn. In some circumstances, a cash prize of up to $5000 may be offered instead, but this is not guaranteed.
At the discretion of the Human Resources director, a per diem allowance will be paid for the duration of the secondment, in addition to your normal salary.
Please ensure you have a current passport before entering this award.

How to Enter

Please read the preliminary instructions provided on the website. There are links there for guidelines for library PDF or page archive retrieval and size of photographic entries.

Entry via the website is preferred.

If you cannot do this, a CD-ROM of your entry is acceptable. Please include on the CD a document giving your name, publication or website, category and contact details. Include a CV or resume, as well as the examples of your work. Send this to: News Awards, c/o Corporate Affairs, Level 5, News Limited, 2 Holt Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010.

You may send your entry in the internal mail, where this service is provided – but email Sarah Cullens cullenss@newsltd.com.au so we know a CD entry has been lodged.

Entries from PNG, Fiji, WA Community Newspapers and some areas of News Digital Media will need to be via CD because they have no access to the entry coupon from the website.

If you have any problems submitting your online entry, call Les Hoffman, on 02 6680 2080 or email hoffmanl@newsltd.com.au.

If you have any questions about the awards, call Lucinda Duckett on 02 9288 3125 or email duckettl@newsltd.com.au.

Closing date

Entries must be received by Monday, August 2. There will be no exceptions.