Awards Celebrating Excellent Public Interest Journalism Open for Entries  

The fifth British Journalism Awards celebrating the superb campaigning and investigative journalism produced by national, regional and local news media are now open for entries.

Run by Press Gazette, the awards celebrate the importance of public interest journalism and the commitment of news media industry to producing it.

Last year Jonathan Calvert of the Sunday Times was named Journalist of the Year for his work investigating the Fifa bribes scandal and athletics doping while The Guardian won Investigation of the Year for the HSBC files.

The winners will be announced on 6 December at Stationers’ Hall in London. The judges are chaired by Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford and have been chosen for their independence and experience.

Dominic said: “Last year we had more than 200 entries and the judges were amazed by the quality of the work on display. Far from being a race to the bottom, many publishers are responding to the digital media challenges by investing in excellence and focusing resources on campaigning and investigative journalism.

“With the journalism industry currently fighting for an amendment to the Investigatory Powers Bill which would protect sources from state surveillance, this event provides a remind of the important role that journalists and confidential whistleblowers play in society.”

Entries can be submitted to the British Journalism Awards at the discounted early bird rate until 9 September. Entries closed on 30 September.

Work must been published or broadcast between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 aimed at a UK audience.