NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2021 open for entries

The NCTJ Awards for Excellence, which recognise the achievements of talented individuals with promising journalism careers ahead of them, are now open for entries for 2021.

Free to enter, the annual awards are open to students, trainees and apprentices in the following categories:

• News journalism
• Sports journalism
• Top scoop
• Features
• Podcast journalism
• Data journalism *new*

Brand new for this year, the data journalism award will recognise the skills in visualising data, reporting stories from data sets and Freedom of Information requests and developing human interest angles.

Judges will consider a range of elements, including the investigation and interrogation of data, originality and public service value.

All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the ceremony, which will take place in early 2022.

Last year’s awards were hosted by Sky News in a virtual ceremony, which was lived streamed on YouTube and presented by Anna Botting.

NCTJ-accredited course providers are asked to nominate the best student projects from the 2020-21 academic year.

Performance awards will also be presented to the best performing student, trainee and apprentice of the year.

Reporters hired under the Community News Project banner will have the opportunity to be recognised for their exceptional work with the Community News Project award, sponsored by Facebook.

The innovation of the year award, which encourages and recognises innovation in journalism education and training, is also open for entries, as well as the equality, diversity and inclusion award.

Finally, nominations are encouraged for the NCTJ’s chairman’s award, which recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to high standards of journalism training. Nominees could be an editor, a tutor or anyone who has made a meaningful impact on the training of journalists.

The deadline for entries is Friday, 12 November at 5pm. Click here to find out more and enter.