Call for Submissions for the 2020 Jack Webster Awards Now Open

New Category Added This Year

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 17, 2020 /CNW/ - The Jack Webster Foundation is now accepting submissions for the 2020 Webster Awards.  The awards recognize excellence in journalism in B.C. and all B.C.-based journalists, reporting for news organizations on stories for B.C. audiences, are eligible to apply.  Submissions will be accepted online here until midnight on October 18, 2020, PDT.

New this year for a Webster Award is the category Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Reporting.  This new category recognizes outstanding journalism that has inspired truth and reconciliation and real, impactful and positive change for BIPOC people/communities and/or for LGBTQ2 people/communities and those with disabilities.  Stories via their submissions must also demonstrate that this piece of journalism has helped to build a bridge of understanding between communities as the intention of the award is to help build stronger communities across British Columbia by fostering a better understanding of each other via journalism.  This award has been under development for a while however given the social-climate challenges of late locally and globally, it was decided to add this category this year.  Numerous individuals and groups were consulted in the development of this category and its criteria however, the Foundation would like to also recognize the very careful and thoughtful input from Manuel Fonseca, Director of OMNI Television, national multicultural and multilingual network, owned by Rogers Sports & Media.

For all Webster Awards, only submissions published or aired between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020 are eligible, and they may be submitted by a journalist or team of journalists at http://www.jackwebster.com/awards/info.php.   Only online submissions will be accepted.

Submissions are encouraged from print, radio/podcasts, television/video and online sources that cover news, sports, the arts, business, community issues, and more. 

A story or series may only be entered in one category, and applicants should make sure to include URLs of relevant digital material to used to enhance the reader/viewer/listener experience of submission (blogs, podcasts, social media, etc.).

An entry fee of $25 per submission will be charged and is payable by credit card.  Three finalists in each category will be announced in November and the winners will be announced during the online Webster Awards, December 8, 2020, 6 – 7 p.m. Pacific Time.   More information about the online awards will be announced soon.

This year's Jack Webster Awards are made possible by BCGEU, BCIT, FortisBC, Global Container Terminals Inc., Google, LNG Canada, Port of Vancouver, and UDI.  Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the Jack Webster Foundation.

The Jack Webster Foundation was established in 1986, upon the retirement of its namesake, who was Western Canada's best-known and most influential reporter in order to foster and celebrate excellence in journalism, protect the public interest for British Columbian's and create a community where trusted outstanding journalism thrives.

SOURCE Jack Webster Foundation

Janet Mitchell, Executive Director, Jack Webster Foundation, T 604-603-4218, E [email protected] W www.jackwebster.com