The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) is accepting submissions for its 2023 Awards in International Journalism. Now in their 22nd year, the Awards honor excellence in courageous reporting of conflict, corruption, human rights transgressions, and injustice.
The only international recognition of their type for print journalists, the Awards are split into three categories:
Freelance Award: recognizing journalists who travel to the world’s conflict zones, usually at great personal risk, to witness and report on the impact and consequences of these events.
Local Reporter Award: recognizing the often-overlooked work of journalists in developing nations (or countries in transition) who write about events in their homeland.
News Fixer Award: recognizing local journalists and/or experts, hired by a visiting foreign reporter or news organization, whose guidance and local knowledge materially benefited the content, impact, and reach of the stories submitted.
Named in memory of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork – who was killed in 2000 while on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone – the Awards continue to highlight the particular difficulties faced by freelance journalists, local reporters, and fixers, as well as their courageous reporting.
The News Fixer Award, launched in 2016 and presented for the first time in 2017, seeks to highlight the work of some of the unsung heroes of modern journalism. The Award was inspired by the freelance journalist, author, and friend of Kurt Schork, Anna Husarska, and pays tribute to the vital role that news fixers play in coverage from difficult, dangerous, and hostile locations.
Judges for the Freelance and Local Reporter Awards will look for journalistic excellence in applicants’ submissions and evidence of determination and courage in obtaining their stories. The range of skills displayed by a news fixer can be vast and this is taken into consideration by the jury. They will look for evidence of skills such as displaying excellent news judgment, suggesting story leads, and providing logistical support.
Location:
United StatesBenefits
- The three winners – each of whom will receive a cash prize of $5,000
- For the second year, the winners will be invited to participate in a panel discussion at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s flagship annual event, Trust Conference.
Eligibilities
- The Kurt Schork Awards are intended to recognize the work of professional journalists.
- Entrants for the Local Reporter and Freelance Awards must submit three articles each – published between June 01, 2022, and May 31, 2023
- News Fixer Award applicants must submit three references from foreign correspondents with whom they have worked during the same time period.
- articles written for newspaper, magazine, or internet publications, ideally not exceeding 5000 words per article are accepted.
- co-authored entries and past winners of a Kurt Schork Award have included two or even three joint authors are accepted. To submit, one of the co-authors should complete the entry form in his or her sole name and then provide information about the other journalist(s) involved in the supporting statement required for each article.
Application Process
- Entrants for the Local Reporter and Freelance Awards must submit three articles each – published between June 01, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
- News Fixer Award applicants must submit three references from foreign correspondents with whom they have worked during the same time period.
Application Deadline: May 31, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
