Deadline: March 26, 2018

The Global Editors Network is now accepting applications for the 2018 edition of the Data Journalism Awards. Over the past seven years, the Global Editors Network has organised the Data Journalism Awards competition to celebrate and credit outstanding work in the field of data-driven journalism worldwide.  Data journalism teams from around the world are invited to apply.

The Global Editors Network (GEN) is committed to sustainable journalism, empowering newsrooms and media innovators through a variety of programmes designed to inspire, connect and share. It is a non-profit, non-governmental association.

Categories

There are 12 categories this year, catering for both large and smaller newsrooms.

1. Best data journalism team: Based on quality of content, frequency and variety of approaches covered. A maximum of ten examples per entry. Open to organisations/teams only from any country in the world.
2. Best individual portfolio: Based on quality of content, frequency and variety of approaches covered. A maximum of ten examples per entry. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
3. Chartbeat award for best use of data in a breaking news story, within first 36 hours: Best data-driven journalism project around a breaking news story within the first 36 hours of the story breaking. Based on quality of content, frequency and variety of subjects covered. This award is sponsored by Chartbeat. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
4. Data journalism website of the year: Best data-driven journalism website, based on quality of content, frequency and variety of approaches. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
5. Data visualisation of the year: Best interactive or static visualisation based on one or several datasets. May be self-contained or combined with a story, but must accomplish a journalistic purpose and use data significantly. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
6. Innovation in data journalism: Awarded to the entry which leverages new technologies and innovative techniques to either visualise data or tell a data journalism story (AI, bots, automated process, etc.). Judges are not looking for large amounts of money spent, but for imagination in the way the story is uncovered and told.  Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
7. Investigation of the year: Best data-driven investigation, which uses data collection and analysis to disclose or bring light on a topic of public interest. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
8. News data app of the year: Best data journalism application. Interactivity is essential and the project should provide both explanation of the topic and user engagement. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
9. Open data: Using freedom of information and/or other levers to make crucial datasets open and accessible for re-use and for creating data-driven journalism projects and stories. Publishing the data used for the project will be an advantage for applicants in this category. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
10. Public choice: An entry of high excellence selected out of the 2018 Shortlist by members of the public.
11. Small newsrooms (one or more winners): The Data Journalism Awards jury will have the option of conferring “Small newsroom” awards on one or more entries of high merit from any category.

 These prizes are dedicated to teams from organisations employing 30 editorial staff or less (overall number of editorial staff, not just those working on the project). Winners will be picked by the jury out of the shortlisted projects released in April 2018. Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
12. Student and young data journalist of the year: This award will bring light on the outstanding work of a new talent in data journalism, for projects done while they are still studying or early in their professional careers. Open to all data journalists under the age of 27 (including students).

• The Data Journalism Awards 2018 will deliver a $1,801 (US) cash prize and a trophy to each winner of the twelve categories above.

Eligibility

• Open to individuals and organisations worldwide of all sizes.
• The awards are given to examples of data-driven articles or investigations, data-driven applications and storytelling projects that use data visualisation, to cover topics relevant to the general public and aiming at having an impact on society.
• Media companies, non-profit organisations and freelancers or individuals are all eligible for the Data Journalism Awards. Works produced by individuals or teams of staffers from media companies and non-profit organisations, as well as freelancers or individuals are all eligible for entry.
• Works that are the result of a collaboration between organisations may also be submitted. Works produced by staffers or freelancers collaborating with government agencies, business or trade organisations with a stake (financial or of other nature) in the issue at hand are not eligible. In other words, the awards are not given to business data visualisations or projects produced for branding purposes.
• Works that include significant input from members of the jury or the pre-jury will not be accepted for entry into the competition.

The Data Journalism Awards administrators have the final authority to determine whether an entry is eligible or not.

Other requirement

• All work must have been published or aired between 10 April 2017 and 26 March 2018.
• All submission forms must be filled in English. Entries in languages other than English will be accepted provided that they are accompanied by thorough explanations of the work in English and a translation if possible. Words included in graphics, databases and web applications must also be translated. Radio material must be transcribed in English and video material must contain English subtitles. If a work originally published in a language other than English passes the pre-jury selection stage, applicants may be asked to provide additional information and translations.
• Entries are allowed to have been published on any other media platform: online, radio, audio, broadcast, print or a combination of platforms.
• Entries are allowed to be an individual work or a series of works.
• There is no limit to the amount of entries that can be submitted by one applicant.

There are no submission fees.

Application

The finalists shortlisted for awards will be announced in April 2018, and the winning projects will be revealed at the 2018 ceremony and gala dinner in Lisbon on 31 May 2018, during the GEN Summit 2018.

To submit an entry, fill the Data Journalism Awards application form

For more information, visit Data Journalism Awards Competition.