The first European Parliament Prize for Journalism will be awarded this year to journalists who have dealt with major issues at a European level or have promoted a better understanding of the EU institutions and/or EU policies.
There will be four different categories for the prize: written press, radio, TV and internet. The winner in each section will receive €5,000.
Individuals or teams of up to 5 people are eligible to submit articles or reports, whether one-offs or parts of a series. The contributions must be published or broadcast between 1 May, 2007, and 30 April, 2008, in one of the official languages of the European Union. All entrants must be nationals or residents of an EU Member State and registered journalists.
Entries will be accepted from 17 March, 2008, until 15 May, 2008, inclusive.
An independent national jury of three to five members of the journalistic profession will be set up to select winners in each category within the 27 Member States, with an overall jury, led by a European Parliament Vice-President, selecting the four winners on an EU level.
The national jury, which will be chosen in due course, will decide who the winners from Malta are by 15 July, 2008. The prize will be awarded in October 2008.
As specified in the rules, journalists in Malta must submit their entries to the European Parliament Valletta Office by email, registered mail or hand-delivered with acknowledged receipt at 280, Republic Street, Valletta.
The European Parliament Valletta Office is being kindly assisted and supported by the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) and the Journalists’ Committee, who have promised to encourage their members to submit works for this competition.
Given the wide coverage the Maltese media gives to European issues, editors from all media are asked to encourage their staff to submit their work.
Application forms and the full rules of the Prize are available on the website of the Prize www.eppj.eu, on the European Parliament’s website, as well as on the website of the European Parliament Valletta Office. The deadline for submissions is 15 May, 2008.