Call for the Sigma Awards 2024 is open now!!!
The Sigma Awards for data journalism are back again. They are delighted to start the hunt for 2023’s best data projects. The applicant sends their work, The Sigma Awards compile it, review it, and the most outstanding wins.
It’s time to look back at the year that has passed and select the top data-driven journalism the applicants have published. Whether the applicant is on their own, in a small newsroom, or part of a bigger team, they want to know what are the best data projects they’ve worked on this year.
Firstly, for posterity, since all entries submitted to the Sigmas are then compiled in a massive database that helps them –and the data community at large– understand the evolution of data journalism throughout the years, and across the world. That’s also why, thanks to the support of Google, they accept entries in eight languages. The Sigma Awards want to enable everyone, no matter what languages they speak, to contribute to the global records of data journalism each year.
Last year, The Sigma Awards received 638 entries, from 332 organisations in 80 countries. To help them understand the context in which newsrooms operate in different parts of the world, and to better grasp the work behind outstanding pieces of data journalism from countries rarely represented in media awards, they’ve gathered over 35 international data journalism experts from 5 continents.
The applicant has until 17 January 2024 to apply online via the Sigmas online platform. And they have made this special guide for the applicants, which includes everything there is to know about the Sigmas, so no question about the competition is left unanswered.
Data journalism helps people understand the most intricate information about the world. Lately, data, satellite imagery, machine learning and clever use of analytical methods have helped journalists document war crimes, report on conflicts, disclose money-laundering, visualise patterns of global warming, and so much more. The Sigma Awards want to bring light on the teams and individuals who do outstanding work in order to inform people day-in and day-out.
Each year, the Sigma Awards celebrates the best data journalism from around the world. To do that, they invite data teams, big or small, but also individuals or freelancers, to submit the great projects they’ve done throughout the past year.
What’s great about this, is that it helps The Sigma Awards record the evolution of their field. It’s like a yearly scan, they take a picture of data journalism from as many countries as possible, in order to analyse trends and evolutions (they’re data geeks after all). Then their jury and prize committee go through all entries, and winners are selected.
Location:
OnlineBenefits
- There’s a US$5,000 cash prize that will be split among the winners.
- Winning participants will also be invited to Perugia, Italy, to attend and take part in the International Journalism Festival 2024. It’s a great opportunity to come and meet fellow journalists from around the world (and eat gelato or pizza – or both – for four days).
- All winners will get a certificate suitable for framing.
Eligibilities
- It’s free to enter and open to all newsrooms, as well as individuals, around the world.
- The Sigma Awards platform lets applicants enter in either of these 8 languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, and Chinese.
- The applicant can submit as many entries as they want, as single entries or as a portfolio.
- There is no category, just like last year, and no set number of winners.
Application Process
- The applicant has until 17th January 2024 at 23:59ET to apply via the online platform.
- Once they’ve closed entries, they’ll process all the data and their jury made of a team of 20 international experts will review all the entries to help us get to a shortlist.
- By the end of February 2024, they should be ready to reveal who’s made it to the Sigmas 2024 Shortlist. They’ll do the announcement during an online special event.
- The Sigmas Prize Committee, made of 13 incredible minds from the data journalism community, will review each shortlisted entry and decide which one(s) should be celebrated as the winner(s) of the Sigma Awards 2024.
- All the applicants need to do is go to the Sigmas award platform, login to their account (same as last year), or create one if they’re new.
- Then the applicant can fill the online form, step-by-step, save drafts when they want, duplicate entries to go faster (but each project should only be submitted once) and when the applicant is ready just hit submit.
- The applicant will receive a confirmation email once they’ve sent their work.
Application Deadline: January 18, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
