Opportunities for student journalists that aren’t the Guardian Student Media Awards
Since 1978, the Guardian Student Media Awards have been the Holy Grail for student journalists across the country. Not only have the awards proved to be a stamp of approval on the CV of any winner or nominee, they have drawn attention to the best players in the game, encouraging everyone to step up the quality and ambition of their projects. Now, with this year’s awards cancelled and their future in question, it looks like that focal point could be lost.
But while the GSMAs undoubtedly have the most recognition, there are many other opportunities out there. One of the main missions of The Student Journalism Handbook is to highlight opportunities for student journalists to be rewarded for the great work they do. Too often prizes go unnoticed due to under-publicization, and are dominated by the same group of people.
This post will be continually subject to edits as new opportunities arise, and will include prizes, funding opportunities, and competitions.
Open only to publications who are members of the Student Publications Association (see this page if you’re not sure whether yours is), these awards are perhaps the natural successor to the GSMAs. They serve the same purpose as a focal point and many of the categories are similar, though with more focus on pieces of work rather than individuals, which makes it easier to submit collaborative projects. See last year’s categories here.
When: Opens March, closes April.
Student Radio Association Awards
Another big set of student media awards, but with a focus on radio. These are definitely worth getting involved with, due to their connection to Radio 1. Individuals, groups, and stations can all enter. Have a look at the full rules here.
Royal Television Society Student Awards
Any and all things audiovisual can be rewarded in this set of awards. So if your student journalism has led you to produce a documentary, filmed report, or even an animation or drama, you could be in with a chance of gaining approval from a prestigious society.
The website page for these awards is currently down. This post will be updated with more information when it is restored.
Amnesty Media Awards (student category)
Specifically formulated to honour journalists uncovering human rights abuses, these prestigious awards have a student category, the prize for which includes two weeks of work experience at The Observer. Previous winners have covered everything from child prostitution to detention centres; the only requirement is that your work is concerned with human rights issues, and it can be in TV, radio, print, or online form.
When: Opens May, closes August. This year’s deadline is 1st August.
Mind Media Awards (Student category)
If you write or broadcast about mental health, entering this is a great chance not just to get some recognition, but to boost the signal of your project and reach more people who would benefit from it. Along with the prize for student journalism, there is also a category for bloggers, which might be of interest to young writers.
Fee: Free (for student and blogger categories)
Words by Women Awards (student category) (women only)
These newly minted awards have already made a splash by pushing for more recognition for female journalists. The entry process is refreshingly simple, and the student journalist category provides a great opportunity for young women to meet female journalists who are excelling in their careers.
When: Opens early in the year, closes February.
Asian Media Awards (Young Journalist category)
These awards are for those serving the Asian community through their media output, and there is a category specifically for journalists under 26. If you think your work can stand up to the big-hitters, you might also want to take a look through the full list of awards in case you feel you could enter any of the others such as best blog.
When: Closes August 25th, nominations usually open in April
NCTJ Awards for Excellence
You must either be on an NCTJ-accredited course or have completed one in the past two years to enter these. Aside from the awards which are automatically awarded to the best exam-scorers, you can submit entries to best scoop, news, sports, and features writing. Have a look at the full info here.
When: Closes September 16th
This may well be the highest value award for young journalists out there. Along with a £25,000 prize, the winner completes a year of fellowships at the Times, the Observer and the New Statesman. To enter, you have to submit a detailed proposal for a 5,000-word essay on a political theme. Competition is fierce, so it’s worth looking through the information about past winners and Antony Howard himself on the award’s website.
When: Opens March, closes May.
This competition is the big one when it comes to fashion journalism. Anyone can enter any time before turning 25 by writing a collection of pieces to fit a brief. You can win a cash prize and, more importantly, a foot in the door at the legendary magazine and a published article in its pages. The 2017 competition is not yet open, so take a look at last year’s brief to get an idea of what kind of thing is required.
When: Opens February, closes April.
Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism
For this you need to submit a piece of previously unpublished arts criticism, regarding any recently released piece of art, literature or performance. You can win £2,000 and publication of your piece in The Observer. More details here.
When: Closes November (2016 prize not yet open - check back for updates)
Hugh Cudlipp Award for Student Journalism
Any student journalist with a public interest story to tell can win £1,000, and the story can be told through a variety of media. The piece has to have been previously published, and must demonstrate “lucid and graphic” communication, but otherwise the requirements are few. See some of last year’s guidelines here.
When: Opens December, closes February.
Cassandra Jardine Prize (women only)
A prize for young women writers, awarded for a feature article on any subject. The winning piece is published on the Telegraph website and cash prizes are awarded to the winner and runners-up. Have a read of the diverse previous winning entries here.
When: Opens February, closes March. Winner announced in May.
The David Welch Student Sportswriter of the Year Award
A similar format to the Vogue Talent Contest, this award requires three pieces written to a specification. It’s a chance to get some sports reporting experience at The Telegraph along with the recognition of winning.
When: Early in the year, closing in February.
The Philip Geddes and the Ronnie Payne prizes are only open to students at the University of Oxford who are in their second year or higher. They are awarded for outstanding work in student journalism and can be used for funding any journalistic project, from developing an app to starting your own magazine, or supporting an internship. The Geddes prize has also provided the funding for The Student Journalism Handbook!
When: Opens in February, with interviews in March.
The Georgina Henry Women in Journalism Prize for Innovation (women only)
This award is an interesting double-purpose fund. The winner can be a highly regarded and established journalist seeking to expand on a current project (2015′s winner was Laura Bates), but they can also be someone just starting out in journalism who needs to pay for living expenses during work experience. See more information here.
When: Opens in January, closes in February.
Ideastap, like the GSMAs, is sadly no more. But its legacy lives on in its continuing competitions on the Hiive website. The innovators fund usually comes round twice a year and offers individuals and groups £500 for a creative project – that’s enough to kickstart a student magazine, or expand a website. Join Hiive and keep an eye on the competitions to see when it next opens.
Owners of The Guardian, The Scott Trust offers bursaries for young journalists studying at City, Goldsmiths, or Sheffield.You must demonstrate financial need to be eligible, and they are always particularly seeking those from socially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The bursary pays for the whole course and provides £6,000 to live on, and you are given several weeks work experience within the Guardian Media Group. See details of last year’s scheme here.
When: Opens in February, closes in April.
The Journalism Diversity fund
Like the Scott Trust, this bursary operates on a slightly indistinct definition of helping those who are “underrepresented” in journalism. BME students of NCTJ-accredited courses are potential beneficiaries, but the fund’s website stresses other forms of social diversity: “We have had candidates who have rightly stated that their social class, their disability, individual circumstances [...] or their sexual orientation makes them diverse.”
When: Ongoing. See website for application details.
This postgraduate bursary offers not only a £6,000 reduction in tuition fees but a mentor from within the Stationers’ Company. A range of publishing, journalism, and digital postgraduate degrees are eligible for the bursary, look at the full list here.
The chunks of £1,500 funding which this award offers can be used for a range of courses, from MAs to vocational training. Even the subject area is wide; as long as you want to study something related to publishing, printing, packaging or graphic arts, you can apply. Another bonus is that the application form is quicker and easier to complete than many other methods course funding.
When: Opens in January, closes in May.
Winners can be awarded between £1,000 and £3,000 off the course fees on a Brighton Journalist Works NCTJ course. All you need to do to enter the first stage of applications is write a short piece about what inspired you to become a journalist.
When: Opens November, closes June.
Press Association Training Course Bursaries
If you are from a minority ethnic background or financially disadvantaged, this is an amazing opportunity. Not only do you receive expenses for completing an NCTJ course, you secure training with Press Association and the chance to gain permanent employment there.
When: Opens February, closes April.
