The Young Journalist Award has been recognizing exceptional young talent in the media profession since 2013. It provides a platform for talented journalists to showcase their investigative reporting skills and hold those in power accountable.
The competition takes place annually and is organized in partnership with the UK’s Foreign Press Association (FPA) and takes place at their awards event in London. It gives valuable opportunities for journalists aged 30 and under, from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of less than USD 20,000, to submit their best stories.
The entries undergo a thorough review by the foundation and a panel of independent and expert FPA judges. This ensures that the competition maintains a fair and rigorous evaluation process to select a winner.
The Young Journalist Award offers young journalists the chance to showcase their investigative journalism skills and address important issues. It empowers them to hold power accountable and raises awareness about crucial matters. The award celebrates their talent and promotes the significance of investigative journalism in driving positive change
Benefits
The three finalists of the Young Journalist Award will receive travel arrangements to London to participate in the prestigious gala award night. This event brings together numerous potential award winners and influential figures from the field of journalism.
Eligibility
The eligibility Criteria for the Thompson Foundation Young Journalist Award are as follows:
- Entrants must be 30 years of age or younger as of November 20, 2023.
- Applicants should be from countries referred to as the “developing world” based on a Gross National Income (GNI) of US$20,000 or less. The work submitted should be produced in the entrant’s home country or, if reporting from another country, it should also meet the GNI criteria.
- Entries can be in any language but must be accompanied by an English-language translation of the content.
Application requirement for the 2023 competition
To apply for the Young Journalist Award 2023 competition, read the following requirements:
- Portfolio: As an entrant, you need to submit a portfolio consisting of THREE published or broadcast pieces of work. These pieces should have been created within the 12 months leading up to the award deadline, which is at midnight GMT on August 11, 2023. You have the choose any format for your entries, including print, audio, video, multimedia, or a combination of these formats.
- Reporting Location: It is important that all entrants report from their home country as defined by the Gross National Income (GNI) criteria. If you are reporting from a different country other than your country of origin, that country should also meet the same GNI criteria. This criterion helps ensure that the competition is open to journalists from countries with a specific economic profile.
- Collaboration Explanation: If you collaborated with colleagues or external organizations on the stories you are submitting, please provide an explanation of the collaboration. This allows the judges to have a clear understanding of your role and contribution to the collaborative efforts.
- Written Statement: For journalists entering for the FPA award, a written statement of no more than 200 words per story is required. This statement should summarize the content of the story and highlight its impact on public debate in the country where it was published or broadcast
- Entrants should explain any collaboration they had with colleagues or external organizations on the submitted stories.
- Plagiarism checks will be conducted, and any entrant found to have submitted work that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.
- Verification: Entries must be accompanied by a letter from your current editor on official company letterhead, verifying that the submitted work is your own. If you are a freelancer or self-employed, verification can be provided by an editor from one of the publications, websites, or broadcasters where the work appeared, or by a journalism academic familiar with your work. Verification letters should be shared with the organizers through a link to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar platforms. Alternatively, you can email the verification letter to AWARDFPA@THOMSONFOUNDATION.ORG with your name clearly marked in the subject line. Please note that verification letters will only be accepted via email, while all other materials should be provided using the online entry form.
To apply
Click on the Young Journalist Award application link. You can read through the details or scroll to the bottom and click on next to start your application.
Overview
Types of opportunity: Young Journalist Award 2023
Deadline: August 11, 2023.
Open to: Journalists aged 30 and under.
Duration: 12 months.
Location: London.
Organizer: The Thompson Foundation
Inquiry
- Watch the video of Yashraj Sharma https://youtu.be/3dkexzey9Ho His stories cover a remarkable range of topics and are truly impressive.
- For any queries relating to your Young Journalist Award entry, please email: awardfpa@thomsonfoundation.org
- For more information, you can visit the Thompson Foundation’s official website
Very awesome that young journalists are being recognised and appreciated for their good work…
Simply amazing…
Amazing. Every workman that’s dedicated to their call should be recognized and given their flowers. This is beautiful!!!