UK's Connect India is inviting applications from Indian journalists

To honour exemplary journalistic efforts in India and motivate further endeavors in this field, the UK’s prestigious Bournemouth University– through Connect India, its global Hub of Practice for South Asia – has announced the second edition of the ‘Journalist of Change Award’. This Award seeks to recognize excellence in journalism that has inspired—or has the potential to inspire— significant social change. Nominations for the Award are currently being invited. The entries should be single-authored reportage that focusses on humanitarian causes or social issues, and has made or can make a positive impact to life or lives in a community.

Bournemouth University is a world-renowned institution with a global reputation for its teaching, research, innovation and media excellence. It is based on the south coast of England, with an ethos of creating a unique fusion of education, research and professional practice. In 2017, the University was named among the top 200 young universities globally by the Times Higher Education magazine. In the Guardian University Guide 2018, Bournemouth University rose 18 places, with the table recognizing it to be fourth in the UK for the value it adds to its degrees.

In the latest Research Excellence Framework, 96% of Bournemouth University's research was rated as internationally recognized or above, with 18% of that deemed to be world-leading. The University’s teaching excellence has been recognized with a Teaching Excellence Framework Silver Award. It was also the first university in England to receive a ‘Commended’ judgment for the quality of student learning opportunities from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the highest award possible.

Connect India is Bournemouth University’s global Hub of Practice for the Indian subcontinent. As the University’s global outreach arm for the region, it works to promote greater interaction and interdisciplinary collaborations between the University and other academic institutions, employers, non-governmental organizations and think-tanks from across the Indian subcontinent.

One of the three Connect India Awards offered by Bournemouth University this year, the Journalist of Change Award 2018 is open for works published in newspapers and newspaper websites, magazines and magazine websites or online-only publications. The winner will be announced and honoured on February 16, 2018 during the Festival of Learning India Closing Event at the British Council in Delhi.The winner will get the opportunity to spend up to a fortnight at Bournemouth University in England, participating in its active programmes and interacting with its scholars and practitioners. The University will cover the travel, accommodation and subsistence for the winner totaling a maximum of £1,000.

Speaking about the Journalist of Change Award 2018, Dr. Sonal Minocha, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Bournemouth University, said, “Our University is recognized as the leading Centre for Excellence in Media Practice in the UK, and has a flourishing culture of conducting and honouring media activities. The Indian media is one of the most vibrant media systems in the world. Despite facing huge pressures it consistently produces some exceptional journalism, not just in English but also in regional media.

The Journalist of Change Award 2018 is our recognition of these exceptional journalistic efforts that we see unfailingly across India each year. We have seen a great number of thought-provoking journalistic feats reported across the full spectrum of Indian media over the last 12 months, so we are looking forward to seeing the entries for The Journalist of Change Award 2018; it will definitely be an enlightening experience for all of those who are involved as always.”

This is the second year that Bournemouth University has held these awards. Last year, the Journalist of Change Award went to Snigdha Poonam of Hindustan Times for her investigation into the Kota suicides. The other notable entries were Rythma Kaul from the Hindustan Times, Nikita Saxena from The Caravan, Priyanka Dubey from The Caravan, Shafaq Shah from The Rising Kashmir and Pallavi Rebbapragada from FirstPost.

Eligibility

• The nominated work must be in an Indian language or English (Indian language submissions must be accompanied by an English translation) and be authored by a single person.
• It must have appeared in print or online outlets in India in 2017.
• It can be a single story (e.g. a feature) or a body of related work (e.g. a multi-chapter online series).
• The full competition rules, terms and conditions are available at http://www.connectindia.co.uk/competition-rules-2018-awards/.

References: Shortlisted candidates should be prepared to provide references at short notice. Further progress in the application process will be dependent on this.

Deadline: All submissions should be received by midnight (IST) on February 2, 2018. 

Submission: All submissions must be done using the form on the website. http://www.connectindia.co.uk/the-journalist-of-change-award-2018/