The Canadian Press and the Canadian Journalism Foundation team up to launch
new photojournalism award

TORONTO , Oct. 15 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation and The Canadian Press have teamed up to launch a new photojournalism award in memory of award-winning photojournalist Tom Hanson . The Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award will be administered by the Canadian Journalism Foundation and offers a six-week paid internship at The Canadian Press head office in Toronto for a photojournalist in the early stages of his or her career.

The award is open to any Canadian photojournalist who has been in the business less than five years - from students to freelancers to photographers working at regional publications.

"It's really appropriate that we offer this internship in Tom's name because he invested so much of his own time in nurturing photographers that he thought showed potential," says Graeme Roy, Director of News Photography at The Canadian Press. "We're really pleased to be able to continue this with the help of the Canadian Journalism Foundation."

Applications for the Tom Hanson Award will be accepted starting November 1 and must be submitted by Jan. 4, 2010 . Applicants will be asked to submit a portfolio of their work to a selection committee made up of Canadian Journalism Foundation board members, photographers and photo editors from The Canadian Press and daily newspapers and members of Mr. Hanson 's family. Finalists for the Hanson Award will be interviewed by the selection committee in January with a winner announced by Feb. 1 . The winning applicant will complete the internship between April and September, 2010, and be paid a salary equivalent of the start rate for photographers at The Canadian Press.

Full details about the award can be found at

http://cjf-fjc.ca/awards_tomhanson.htm.

About Tom Hanson

Tom Hanson was a swashbuckling photojournalist whose images from the Oka conflict to the cut-and-thrust of the House of Commons told vivid stories. He was an award-winning photographer for The Canadian Press who travelled around the world and across the country, shooting some of the most iconic news and sports images of the last 15 years.

When Hanson died suddenly at age 41 in 2009, his family, friends, colleagues at The Canadian Press and the country's photojournalism community wanted to find an appropriate way to honour his memory, talent and spirit. The result was the creation of the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award.

For further information: Heather McCall, Program Manager, The Canadian Journalism Foundation; [email protected] or [phone]; Graeme Roy, Director of News Photography, The Canadian Press, [email protected] or [phone]