First Data Journalism Awards: €45 000 in prizes

29 Feb 2012

PARIS, FRANCE: The Global Editors Network (GEN) has announced the launch of the annual Data Journalism Awards (DJA), the international competition recognising outstanding work in the growing field of data journalism. The GEN initiative is supported by Google and is organised in collaboration with the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

In an age of overwhelming abundance of data, journalists and media organisations are learning to separate signal from noise in order to provide valuable insights to society. From The Guardian to The New York Times, La Stampa to Die Zeit, journalists and media organisations are experimenting with new ways of using data to improve reportage of complex issues and to give readers direct access to the sources behind the headlines. As Tim Berners-Lee says, "data-driven journalism is the future."

The DJA

To recognise and showcase outstanding work, as well as highlight best practices in this fast-growing field, the first international Data Journalism Awards (DJA) has been established this year. The DJA is organised by the Global Editors Network and is sponsored by Google. The competition is run by the European Journalism Centre.

First Data Journalism Awards: €45 000 in prizes

A jury of data journalism experts and editors from all over the world, including from organisations like New York Times, Reuters, and Les Echos will award a total of €45 000 (over US$55 000) to six winners. The jury is headed by Paul Steiger, founder of ProPublica.

There are three award categories awarded at both (i) national and international and (ii) local and regional levels to give a total of six prizes. The three categories are:

1. Data-driven investigative journalism
2. Data visualisation & storytelling
3. Data-driven applications

How to apply

The competition is open to media companies, non-profit organisations, freelancers, and individuals. Applicants are welcome to submit their best data journalism projects before 10 April 2012 at http://datajournalismawards.org/submit-your-work/.

Find out more about the competition and how to apply at datajournalismawards.org. If you have any questions about the competition get in touch with Liliana Bounegru, DJA Coordinator (ten.cje@urgenuob).