Statistics New Zealand is delighted to announce its annual award for the best news or feature story using statistics. This year’s award is for print, radio, television, or online stories that make the best use of official statistics.
| First Prize |
$1,500 plus a data stick |
| Runners-up |
$750 plus a data stick (for a staff writer) |
| $750 plus a data stick (for a freelance writer) |
Stories may be of a general nature but must use official statistics (preferably Tier 1 statistics, see www.statisphere.govt.nz) to inform a story of interest to the public.
Statistics must be used accurately. Stories must be published or broadcast between 1 November 2007 and 31 March 2008, by a legitimate media outlet that carries news to the general public.
Evidence of publication must be submitted with entry, in the form of a copy of the final published story or a tape/transcript of a broadcast story.
Two runner-up prizes will be awarded: one to a staff writer and one to a freelance writer. Staff and freelance journalists will be eligible to win first prize.
The winners will be announced at Bank of New Zealand Freelance 2008,
Closing date for entries: 10 April 2008.
Judging panel
Judges:
Jim Tucker, Journalism Programme Manager,Whitireia Community Polytechnic
Rod Oram, international financial journalist
Geoff Bascand, Government Statistician, Statistics New Zealand.
Contact
Email entries to:
communication@stats.govt.nz
or post to:
Anne Hannah
Communications Team
Statistics New Zealand
PO Box 2922
WELLINGTON
Statistics New Zealand reserves the right to use the image of the winner and details of the winning stories to publicise the award. Entry in the Statistics New Zealand Journalism Award does not preclude entry in other journalism awards.
The judges’ decision is final and no discussion will be entered into. Prizes cannot be exchanged.
The organisers of the Bank of New Zealand Freelance 2008 conference are keen to reward editors who understand the importance of freelancers and go out of their way to look after their writers. So, we are calling for nominations for the editor who is the Freelancers' Choice. The winner will be announced at the conference in May.
From our perspective a good editor is one who inspires and is:
- A good communicator: s/he replies promptly to story pitches, returns calls from writers (within a week, rather than by the end of the millennium), agrees on a well thought out story brief and provides clear guidelines on style and content.
- A supporter: s/he provides positive feedback for work well done, constructive criticism and a bit of writing coaching (within reason) for stories that are off track.
- A fair payer: payments are prompt and reflect the amount of research required, not just the length of the story (word rate). S/he recognises good writing skills and rewards them accordingly because clean copy requires less work for them. S/he seeks to license only the rights that s/he needs - and pays for all the rights licensed.
- Gutsy: stands by you if there's trouble (provided of course it’s not the result of your poor workmanship) rather than hanging you out to dry.
- Has the X-factor: recognises and respects the contribution freelances make to her/his publication, is fun to work for, approachable and easy to talk to. Remembers that sometimes it’s those little things – like a Christmas card - that count for a lot.
In short, a good editor inspires loyalty from writers who then don’t mind going the extra mile to meet a short deadline or dig out some extra info for a tricky story.
Please send nominations for the Freelancers' Choice of the year's best editor to Amanda Cropp (amandacropp@xtra.co.nz) by April 15. Please explain the reasons why you've nominated the editor in no more than 500 words in the text of your email.
The judging panel will be Kim Griggs, Philippa Stevenson and Amanda Cropp |
