History and Guidelines
2010 Casey Medals Expand to Include
Digital Journalists, Citizen Media
This year’s Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism mark a new era as the Journalism Center on Children & Families enters the 16th year of the national awards competition. The Casey Medals honor exemplary reporting on children, youth and families and are funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. In recognition of significant changes in online news delivery, JCCF revamped several categories and expanded eligibility.
For the first time, citizen journalists and reporters from online-only news sites are eligible to apply in all categories. The “Television” and “Radio” categories are restructured as “Video” and “Audio,” expanded to include both broadcast media and the advent of Web-only audio and video entries.
“It’s clear that 2009 brought innovative reporting on child and family issues across the board in all forms of media,” said executive director Gena Fitzgerald. “We’re thrilled to see this fresh surge in reporting on these critical issues, so we wanted to create innovative categories and fresh change for the digital age.”
First-place winners receive $1,000 and will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in October. Casey Medal Winners are automatically considered for two additional $5,000 awards presented by JCCF’s partner, America’s Promise Alliance. Created to honor the legacy of Tim Russert, the America’s Promise Journalism Awards honor work in two categories: Awareness and Action.
*The deadline for 2010 Casey Medal applications has been extended one week. Entries must now be received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, March 12, 2010.
ENTER NOW: APPLICATION AND GUIDELINES
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HISTORY
The Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism honor distinguished coverage of disadvantaged children, youth and families. More than 4,500 journalists have competed for the Casey Medals since 1994.
The awards were created to inspire and recognize exemplary reporting on children and families. Winning stories offer a fresh take on a significant issue, show enterprise in research and reporting and demonstrate masterful storytelling and impact. Judging is conducted by respected journalists and journalism educators.
First place winners in twelve categories receive a $1,000 prize and are honored at an October ceremony in Washington, D.C. Runners-up and honorable mentions receive a certificate of merit. Categories include newspaper, video, magazine, audio, multimedia and photojournalism. The awards are funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. Winners will be announced in June 2010.
Read our featured First Person narratives by award honorees to learn how they covered their winning stories and their tips for fellow reporters.
AMERICA'S PROMISE JOURNALISM AWARDS
In 2009, America’s Promise Alliance partnered with the Journalism Center on Children & Families to launch its first annual journalism awards for excellence in coverage of youth issues. The America’s Promise Journalism Awards honor those members of the media whose work helped to raise national awareness about the needs of young people and inspire communities nationwide to put the needs of children and youth first.
The Journalism Awards are presented to two entries (print, broadcast or online) selected from the pool of that year's Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism winners. The Alliance’s distinguished panel of judges selects one award recipient for each of two categories: Awareness and Action. Awareness entries are judged based on whether the submission provided a fresh take on an existing issue, or highlighted a topic little-known to readers. The Action Award is given to a piece that inspired action on behalf of young people that led directly to community-wide change.
Each recipient receives a $5,000 honorarium from the Alliance in addition to receiving the Casey medal. Winners are announced at the awards dinner in October.
The awards are sponsored by Alliance Board member Jin Roy Ryu and inspired by Tim Russert, a distinguished Alliance Board Member and tireless advocate for the nation's young people. Russert was on the selection committee for the Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People Competition and emceed the Awards Ceremony honoring the winners. To learn more about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org.
