In the latest Datastories podcast, from the “Exotic European Voiced” due of Bertini and Stefaner, there was some interesting discussion about the rights and wrongs of visualisation contests and the debate touched on the concept of awards. Then, yesterday evening, Enrico posted a blog article about his concern about the focus of storytelling in data visualisation.
Today, almost by celestial design, I want to share details of the Data Journalism Awards, the first international contest recognising outstanding work in the field of data journalism worldwide. One of the three award categories is “Data visualisation and storytelling”.
These awards offer an opportunity for members of this burgeoning field to submit their wonderfully innovative projects and stand a chance of winning $7,500 in prizes.
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.” To recognize 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.
Awards
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:
- Data-driven investigative journalism
- Data visualisation & storytelling
- Data-driven applications
Each of the six winners will win €7,500 a DJA certificate and a digital medal. Two runners up will receive DJA certificates and digital medals.
Who is it open to?
It is important to note that this competition is not just open to journalists. Media companies, non-profit organisations, freelancers and individuals are all eligible for the awards.
Deadline/Timescales
Applicants are welcome to submit their best data journalism projects before 10 April 2012 by visiting the submissions page. Between 11 and 29 April a pre-jury selection will take place and completed by 30 April. Between 1st and 15th May the main jury process will commence in advance of the 16th May award decisions. The 31st May will see the awards ceremony taking place in Paris.
Find out more
You can learn more about the competition and how to apply at datajournalismawards.org or alternatively send any questions you may have to Liliana Bounegru, the DJA Coordinator, at bounegru@ejc.net.
Who is the competition being run by?
The DJA is organised by the Global Editors and is sponsored by Google. The competition is run by the European Journalism Centre.