ONA Weekly #358: Submissions Are Open For The 2021 Online Journalism Awards

By on May 5, 2021

A woman in a patterned dress presents an award to a man in a blue blazer

Submissions are open for the 2021 Online Journalism Awards

It’s one of our favorite times of the year: We are now accepting entries for the 2021 Online Journalism Awards (OJAs), honoring the best in digital journalism from around the world. In all categories, judges will give weight to the quality of the journalism, digital innovation and the impact of the projects. Submissions are due June 10.

The 2021 OJAs feature 45 awards, including four new or updated categories:

  • Topical Reporting: Pandemic Coverage: This award honors journalism—either a single story or a portfolio—that focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses aspects such as science, public health, policy, lifestyle and economic impact.

  • Excellence in Social Justice Reporting: Entries in this category highlight systemic inequities encountered by historically marginalized communities, and may include coverage of social movements, racial justice, migration, access to education, voting rights and more.

  • Student Journalism Award: This award reimagines recognition for student work with two subcategories: Student Portfolio and Student Team Portfolio. Honorees will demonstrate excellence in using digital storytelling and technologies to inform audiences across a breadth of topics and issues.

  • Breaking News: This award has been streamlined with two subcategories for newsroom size: Small/Medium and Large. It previously included separate subcategories for Small, Medium and Large newsrooms.

This year’s OJAs also include five awards with a total of $40,000 in prize money, thanks to the generous support of SmartNews, Journalism 360, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication’s Agora Journalism Center and McKinsey Publishing. These cash prize awards honor general excellence, immersive storytelling, public service, engaged journalism and climate change reporting.

The awards are open to work published between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021. Review the Rules and Eligibility in full before starting a submission.

A global group of journalists and digital media professionals will screen all entries to discover the best work and select semi-finalists. Screeners represent all parts of the industry, from local reporters and newsroom leadership to product managers, audience engagement specialists, designers, data journalists and more. It’s one of ONA’s most popular volunteer opportunities: Apply by May 26 to become a 2021 OJA screener.
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Connect with fellow community engagement professionals

On Friday, May 14, ONA and Gather are hosting a free meetup for community engagement professionals working in small to medium-sized newsrooms. This will be a participatory event (and not a webinar), so everyone will have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation around leveling up community engagement, how to get buy-in in a small organization and more. We hope participants will leave with new ideas, new peers and inspiration for new collaborations.

The meetup will be hosted by ONA Board Member Ashley Alvarado, who is director of community engagement at Southern California Public Radio. Register here.
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Why inclusive style guides are essential for shaping coverage

Language shapes audience perception in both subtle and explicit ways. In recognition of this, the Marshall Project recently solidified and released their policies on how to refer to those who are or have been incarcerated.

The most notable point is their focus on “people-first” language—for example, they do not call people “inmates” or “convicts” but instead use “people in prison” or “incarcerated people.” This is because a word such as “inmate,” though it refers to physical location, is “widely perceived as an assignment of guilt.” Plus, of 200 people who responded to their questionnaire, the fewest number of people preferred “inmate” when compared to other options.

The Marshall Project’s style guide is part of a growing number of such efforts to be precise and non-stigmatizing when covering certain groups. The AP Style book recently changed “anti-Semite” to “antisemite” because the hyphen helps legitimize a form of pseudo-scientific racial classification.

Many other style guides are available to address various dimensions of diversity and identity. There’s the Global Press Style Guide for best practices when referring to people from around the world, the Disability Language Style Guide, Trans Journalists Association style guide and more. Take a look at this collection from The Open Notebook for further resources.

We’re always on the lookout for helpful resources and tips. If you have other examples to share, please reply directly to this email.
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Stat of the week

The 2021 report from Reporters Without Borders finds that journalism is at least partially blocked in 73% of the 180 countries surveyed. Few know more about the importance of press freedom than Maria Ressa, whose organization, Rappler, was investigated by the Filipino government following its reporting on Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency. Listen to her fireside chat.
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Important dates

Note: All ONA events are currently happening online, and open to all regardless of where you’re located.
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Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:
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On our radar
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Join as an ONA member or make a donation to help sustain ONA’s mission to inspire and support innovation in digital journalism. If you’re looking to promote an event, product, job opening or other opportunity, explore options to reach the ONA community.

We also rely on philanthropic and corporate support. Contact Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Jessica Strelitz at jessica@journalists.org to learn about the many ways to invest in our mission.