Attn: Graduating Students
From: Dean Huff
Re: Year-end Awards for M.S. & M.A. Students
April 22, 2013
http://bit.ly/CUJ_Awards13
Each year on Journalism Day the school confers awards on several top-performing students. Each prize winner will receive a certificate and some will receive additional cash prizes (this depends on how the awards were originally set up). Below you will find the descriptions of this year’s awards.
These awards are open to any M.S. students graduating in this cycle (May 2013, Feb. 2013 and Oct. 2012). Some awards are also open to M.A. students – noted in each award description.
There are two broad categories of awards: those for which students can submit entries that are judged by faculty juries and those decided by the professors teaching the course for which they are awarded – no submissions are accepted for these.
Please note: The Blood award is run by an alumni committee and has already accepted submissions.
Another prize, the Harron Award, is decided by a faculty committee from nominations provided by the J-school community – see separate announcement). All M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, and Ph.D. students are eligible.
For juried awards, you may submit applications for no more than two categories (the Blood Award is not part of the limit), and each application can contain only one story, or segment of a Master’s Project/Thesis. Submissions must conform to the parameters (word count; video length; type of work) listed in the award description below.
The decisions of the faculty judges are final, and their deliberations are confidential.
To submit, please complete this form. In addition, for audio & video submissions, please also bring five copies of a labeled disk to Lauren Mack in 207A by Tuesday, April 30, at noon. If you are coming after business hours, please drop off the entries through the slot of the gray box outside of the DOS offices (Huff/Sotomayor).
If you are entering more than one category, you must complete a separate form for each entry (note: no more than two categories per student, not including Blood).
You can also read about how students graduate with honors in this DOS Blog post about year-end awards and grading.
FAQs about all this at the end of this post.
If you have any questions, please address them to dos@jrn.columbia.edu.
Regards,
Dean Huff
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS (descriptions below):
- Blood Award for reporting (closed)
- duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award - (M.A. eligible)
- Hechinger Education Journalism Award - (M.A. eligible)
- Horgan Prizes (3) for science reporting (M.S. Science Writing seminar only)
- Journalism Editorial - (M.A. eligible)
- Mencher Award for superior reporting
- Wechsler for local reporting - (M.A. eligible)
- Wechsler for national reporting - (M.A. eligible)
- Wechsler for international reporting - (M.A. eligible)
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
- Best M.A. Thesis (M.A. only)
- Balakian Award for writing about literature - (M.A. eligible)
- Baker Award for City Newsroom
- Baker Award for CNS
- Baker Award for New York World
- Baker Award for Magazine Workshops
- Greer Award for financial writing (one M.S. & one M.A.)
- Peter Keller Award for Editing
- Joan Konner Broadcast Journalism Award
- Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing (All Book seminar students eligible)
- Nelson Award for national affairs reporting
- Digital Media Workshop Award
- Nightly News Workshop Award
- Photography Award
- Radio Workshop Award
- Best Performance in Law Class
- Taylor Award for best international student (M.A. eligible)
- Video Storytelling Workshop Award
- Louis Winnick Prize for RWI Writing
AWARD WITH NOMINATIONS FROM J-SCHOOL COMMUNITY
- Harron Award or excellence in reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (see separate announcement) [Whole school eligible]
2013 STUDENT PRIZES IN DETAIL
AWARDS TAKING SUBMISSIONS
THE RICHARD BLOOD AWARD
The Richard Blood Award is given to the student – judged by a panel of the former professor’s students – to have written the best investigative, hard-news or news feature story (closed).
THE DUPONT/JUDY F. CRICHTON AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The duPont/Judy F. Crichton Award is named in commemoration of the former duPont-Columbia Awards juror, who during her career served as one of the first female documentary producers at “CBS Reports;” and who became the founding Executive Producer of PBS’ show, the “American Experience.” It honors student video work that most encapsulizes Judy’s ideals of hard-hitting journalism, long-form narrative storytelling, and historical perspective on issues of concern to American culture and history. Entries can be posted on Vimeo or Youtube, or on DVD’s There is no time limit on material. Questions? Contact Abi Wright, Director of the duPont Awards: awright@columbia.edu.
THE FRED M. HECHINGER EDUCATION JOURNALISM AWARD (M.A. eligible)
This award is given to a student who produces outstanding work in education reporting. This award was established by the Hechinger Institute on Media and Education at Teachers College, in honor of The New York Times education editor, Fred M. Hechinger. Stories are accepted in television, digital media, radio and print. There is no length restriction. Judges will be looking for insight and excellence in reporting and writing.
HORGAN PRIZES
There are three Horgan awards given to the students who have produced the best stories focused on science, health or the environment in the M.S. science writing seminar. No length restrictions.
JOURNALISM EDITORIAL
This award recognizes excellence in editorial writing. Opinion pieces such as editorials, commentaries, and essays with a strong point of view are eligible. Entries must not exceed 1,000 words.
MELVIN MENCHER REPORTING AWARD
The Melvin Mencher Award was established by the students, friends and associates of Professor Melvin Mencher, the man who wrote that text book, who retired in 1990. The award recognizes superior reporting on local government activity (including education, social services, politics, health, etc.). Only print entries of no more than 2,000 words will be considered. Print Master’s Projects are welcome but must be excerpted or condensed so that they fit the word limit.
THE JAMES A. WECHSLER MEMORIAL AWARDS (M.A. eligible)
The first James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who, in the judgment of the Faculty, submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant local issue. The awards were established by the Pisces Foundation in memory of the former editor and columnist at The New York Post. The second James A. Wechsler Memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant national issue. The final James A. Wechlser memorial Award is presented to the student who submits the best story (no more than 750 words) on a significant international issue. Word counts are non-negotiable and submissions with a higher count will not be considered.
AWARDS NOT TAKING SUBMISSIONS:
BEST M.A. THESIS
This award honors the best M.A. thesis as determined by the deans.
THE NONA BALAKIAN AWARD (M.A. eligible)
The Nona Balakian Award was established in 1992 to honor the student who shows the most promise for achievement in writing about literature. Ms. Balakian, a 1943 graduate of the Journalism School, was an editor at The New York Times Book Review and had much influence on American arts and letters for more than four decades. Students are nominated by faculty and then the nominees will be asked to submit work samples. Book reviews, profiles and articles about the literary world are acceptable.
THE RICHARD T. BAKER AWARDS
The Richard T. Baker Award for outstanding performance in the Newspaper workshops – City Newsroom, New York World, Columbia News Service – was established in honor of the late Dick Baker, a J-School graduate and long-time professor who also served as acting dean, associate dean, historian and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes. The second Richard T. Baker Award is for outstanding performance in the Magazine workshops.
PHILIP GREER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD (one M.S. & one M.A.)
The Philip Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund Award, presented for the first time in 1988, was established in honor of the late Mr. Greer, a financial correspondent and columnist for the New York Herald-Tribune and The Washington Post, to recognize the outstanding students in financial writing.
THE ROBERT HARRON AWARD
The Robert Harron Award is presented to the student who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, the former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends. (Call for nominations)
THE PETER KELLER PRIZE FOR EDITING
The Peter Keller Prize is presented to a student who shows great promise in editing. This award is made possible by a gift from Lisa Keller Yakas and Saky Yakas.
THE JOAN KONNER AWARD
This prize is presented to the student who has produced the most thought-provoking and original television and radio reporting.
THE LYNTON FELLOWSHIP IN BOOK WRITING (All students in the Book Writing Seminar are eligible)
Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing is given for outstanding work in the Book Writing seminar.
THE LARS-ERIK NELSON PRIZE
The Lars-Erik Nelson Prize was established by the New York Daily News, in honor of Lars-Erik Nelson, its distinguished Washington columnist, who died in 2000. It is presented to a student for best reporting or opinion piece in the National Affairs Reporting seminar.
THE DIGITAL MEDIA WORKSHOP AWARDS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Digital Media Workshops.
THE NIGHTLY NEWS AWARD
This award is given for outstanding performance in Nightly News Workshop.
THE RADIO WORKSHOP AWARD
This award is for outstanding performance in the Radio Workshop.
BEST PERFORMANCE IN THE LAW CLASS
This award is for outstanding performance in the Law Class.
THE HENRY N. TAYLOR AWARD
The Henry N. Taylor Award was established in 1962 by friends of Henry Taylor, a journalist who was killed on assignment in the Congo at the age of 31. The award is given at the end of each school year to that member of the International Division who has demonstrated the qualities of a superior journalist. The award includes a grant providing for travel in the United States before returning to his or her homeland.
THE VIDEO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
This award is for outstanding performance in Video Storytelling Workshop.
THE LOUIS WINNICK PRIZE FOR RWI
This award in memory of Louis Winnick, is given to the best story done in RWI in the previous calendar year. The story must demonstrate outstanding reporting and writing, along with great precision and accuracy in grammar.
FAQs ABOUT AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Over the years, students have asked questions along these lines: