Online Journalism Awards

The Online News Association (ONA) and the University of Miami's School of Communication (in Miami, Florida, the United States) invite entries for the Online Journalism Awards (OJAs). The prizes awarded total US$33,000, courtesy of the Gannett Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In 2010, 2 new US$2,500 awards support innovative investigative work. The newest category honours Outstanding Use of Emerging Platforms, achievement by an organisation in the use of devices such as smart phones, eReaders, and tablets to tell a story and serve a community. To better reflect work being produced by future journalists, students may now enter in three categories - Multimedia Feature Presentation, Outstanding Use of Digital Technologies on the Web, and Online Video.

The OJAs honour excellence in digital journalism. Past winners have included major media, international, and independent sites, as well as individuals, producing innovative work in multimedia storytelling. The OJAs are open to work first published between July 1 2009 and June 30 2010. Applicants are invited to enter their submissions in one or more of the following categories:

• The Gannett Foundation Award for Technical Innovation in the Service of Digital Journalism honours a person or company that has built a digital tool that significantly enhances the practice of online journalism.
• The Knight Award for Public Service recognises digital journalism that performs a public service for a geographic community through compelling coverage of a vital community issue or event.
• General Excellence in Online Journalism honours a website in each of four size categories that successfully fulfills its editorial mission, effectively serves its audience, maximises the use of the web's characteristics, and represents the highest journalistic standards.
• General Excellence in Online Journalism, Non-English, honours a website using the standards above. The t2 size categories are large and small.
• Breaking News honours digital coverage over a 72-hour period of a breaking-news event or development.
• Specialty Site Journalism recognises niche websites that focus on a single topic.
• Investigative Journalism honours stories that uncover major news based on the reporters' own exclusive investigations or that offer compelling and original analysis and interpretation.
• Multimedia Feature Presentation awards excellence in telling a story to an online audience using multimedia techniques.
• Online Topical Reporting/Blogging recognises beat reporting by an individual or team.
• Online Commentary/Blogging honours a unique and powerful voice of commentary original to the web.
• Online Video Journalism honours excellence in online-originated video journalism crafted specifically for a Web audience.
• Outstanding Use of Digital Technologies recognises achievement by a site in the use of digital techniques to tell a story and serve a community.
• Online Video Journalism awards excellence in online-originated video journalism.
• Community Collaboration Award recognises a news project or website that produces outstanding journalism through strong interaction with the community being served.