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The prize is explicitly designed to honour and recognize individual journalists or groups of two or more contributors who have co-authored winning journalistic works, and is not intended to be granted to any institution, commercial or non-profit organization, company, foundation, or other legal entity.
For any award round, the panel will consider journalistic works that were published or aired in the six months leading up to the announcement of a given quarterly call for entries. Applications or proposals for funding unfinished or unreleased journalistic works will not be accepted.
Participation in the contest is limited to journalistic works that have been created in the Georgian language and specifically target a wide Georgian-speaking audience. However, published translations of works authored by non-Georgian journalists, including those from hyperlocal outlets representing Armenian- and Azerbaijani-speaking communities in the country, will be eligible to take part as well.
The jury will only consider entries that fall under the category of informative journalism, excluding submissions such as blogs, editorials, and other opinion-based content.
The contest will be open to in-depth journalism of any genre and form, including online features, radio stories, photo reports, multimedia projects, TV broadcasts, etc. For an entry to be eligible for the award, it will need to meet rigorous journalistic standards and convey socially significant information in an effective, engaging way.
The submitted work can have one or multiple authors. Applicant(s) must be the author(s) of the works and hold the related copyrights and/or moral rights.
The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding journalism on a subject important to Georgian society, including political and social issues taking place in Georgia, civil society development in the Caucasus region, gender equality, human rights compliance in Georgia, Georgia-Russia relations and other topics reflecting Georgia’s place in the modern world.
The winner will be determined based on the following criteria:
Plagiarism, i.e., unauthorized use and representation of another author’s text and ideas as one’s own, will result in removal from the competition. If plagiarism is discovered retrospectively, the award decision will be revoked.
The Estonian International Development Cooperation Centre (ESTDEV), in conjunction with Jamnews, will be awarding three prizes quarterly to Georgian journalists for journalistic work from October 2023 to August 2024, under the project Establishing Journalism Grants and Awards to Encourage High Standards of Reporting in Georgia.
Objective The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding journalism on a subject important to Georgian society, including political and social issues taking place in Georgia, civil society development in the Caucasus region, gender equality, freedom of speech and conscience, human rights compliance in Georgia and neighboring countries, Georgia-Russia and Georgia-Ukraine relations, and other topics reflecting Georgia’s place in the modern world.
Award Three awards of 1,000 euros each are given out each quarter. The award is given for specific work. If there is more than one author, the group of authors divides the prize money among its members at its discretion.
Application Journalists working in Georgia, regardless of nationality, can apply for the award. Authors themselves or professional media organizations and associations on their behalf may submit applications. To apply, the published material in the original language and a summary in English of up 600 characters (also for audiovisual material) must be submitted.
The submitted work must have been published in a Georgian print, audiovisual, or electronic media outlet between April 15, 2023 to October 15, 2023
Author(s) The submitted work can have one or multiple authors. Applicant(s) must be the author(s) of the works and hold the related copyrights and/or moral rights. Applications may be submitted by the authors themselves or by professional media organizations and associations on their behalf. If desired, a journalist or a group of journalists can apply with more than one piece, but a separate application must be submitted for each piece. Plagiarism, i.e., unauthorized use and representation of another author’s text and ideas as one’s own, will result in removal from the competition. If plagiarism is discovered retrospectively, the award decision will be revoked.
Selection Criteria The winner will be determined based on the following criteria:
Award Three winners will be selected quarterly. Each award sum is 1,000 euros. The jury reserves the right not to award all prizes if none of the submitted works meet the selection criteria.
Application Deadline Applications can be submitted by midnight Estonian time (EET) on the 16th of November, 2023.
Determining the Winner The jury consists of 5 representatives from Georgia, recognized in the fields of media, journalism, and civil society, selected by Jamnews, and one expert from Estonia, selected by the Estonian Association of Journalists. The jury selects the winning work by a simple majority.
The award recipients will be disclosed on the webpage
ESTDEV will pay the award to the recipient’s bank account. Taxes are paid by ESTDEV.
Copyrights ESTDEV has the right to publish and distribute the winning works of the journalism award in its publications and on its website and in other notices and advertising materials. Copyright belongs to the author, and the author has the right to receive fair compensation for publishing their material in media outlets, excluding ESTDEV’s publications, website, notices, and advertising materials.
To apply for the prize, please send the application and related materials to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Indicate your name and the name of media outlet your represent in the subject line.
In the past few years, media in Georgia have faced numerous obstacles, including growing constraints on freedom of speech, self-censorship, inadequate professionalism, financial instability, and other difficulties. By establishing a journalists scholarship programme and journalism awards, we can provide crucial support to journalists who persevere in delivering exceptional and ethical work despite the challenges.
This initiative would not only recognize their dedication but also inspire others to follow their suit, ultimately contributing to the advancement of what is a vital component of a strong democracy – a resilient and responsible media landscape.
