Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, £1,000 grants is granted to journalists Worldwide.
In partnership with the UK Foreign Press Association, the Young Journalist Award is Thomson Foundation’s annual journalism competition dedicated to finding and inspiring ambitious journalists from across the globe.
Now in its ninth year, the award enables journalists aged 30 and under, from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of less than $20,000, to send in their best stories.
Judges of the award look for stories that are revelatory, prompt public debate and have led to, or have the potential to lead to, positive change in society.
More on the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award
Applicants will still be required to submit a portfolio of three stories and these can be a mixture of investigative pieces and human-interest stories. However, we will be asking all entrants to ensure at least one of the three pieces submitted has an environmental focus.
For clarity, environmental reporting is covering stories about the interaction of people and the natural world and the issues related to that interaction.
Environmental stories should be focused on one or more of the subjects covered by environmental reporting: sustainability, pollution, nature/biodiversity and/or climate change.
Our free online courses in environmental journalism are available to help journalists investigate local stories and understand the environmental drivers behind them.
The portfolio of work submitted for the Young Journalist Award must be in the 12 months preceding the competition closing date,
Benefits for Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award
Three finalists will be chosen by an independent judging panel selected by the UK Foreign Press Association (FPA) and an overall Young Journalist Award winner will be revealed on the night of the FPA Awards on Monday 29th November, 2022. All three finalists will be awarded £1,000 learning bursaries or funds to buy equipment.
The chair of the FPA judges will be Yukiko Kishimoto from Nippon TV and the three external judges will be Doug Wills, managing editor of the London Evening Standard and The Independent, Zahera Harb, director of International Journalism at London’s City University and Sir Clive Jones, a Thomson Foundation trustee.
In the week of COP26 (31 October to 12th November), the foundation will be showcasing a selection of environmental stories entered into the Young Journalist Award.
These will be presented on our website and social media channels. On the night of the FPA Awards, special recognition and an additional £1,000 bursary will be given to the journalist with the best overall environmental story, as chosen by our expert judges, including Patrick Greenfield, environmental reporter for The Guardian.
While the Foundation is optimistic that the FPA Awards ceremony in London will go ahead as planned this year, the unpredictably of Covid-19 worldwide means the foundation will once again be holding a virtual Young Journalist Award, which will be streamed live on the night of the FPA Awards.
See more published opportunities here
