The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) has opened the call for entries for its 2012 annual awards in international journalism.
Named in memory of an American freelance journalist who was killed while working in Sierra Leone in 2000, the awards recognise the work of reporters who strive, as Kurt Schork did, to bring truths about the human condition to wide public notice through brave coverage of conflicts, corruption, human rights transgressions and other key issues.
Uniquely, the awards honour often unsung local reporters in developing nations or countries in transition who write about their homelands' troubles, and the freelance journalists who travel to the world's hotspots, often with little protection, to record the impact and consequences of events. Each year, a winner is selected in each of these two categories and presented with a US $5000 cash prize at a prestigious ceremony in London (UK).
Entrants can submit up to three articles each – published between 1st June 2011 and this year's deadline: 31st May 2012. Judges look for writing of a high journalistic standard and for evidence of special determination and courage in obtaining the story. Details about eligibility and entry criteria, together with an online submission form, can be found on the KSMF website: www.ksmfund.org .
This is the 11th year of the awards programme which attracts entries from all around the globe. In 2011, journalists from 40 countries submitted articles, reporting on a wide range of topics, from wars and gang conflicts to political rape and state corruption.
Thomson Reuters Foundation has been hosting the Schork Awards in the Thomson Reuters London HQ since 2009.
Kurt was on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone when he was killed. It is an honour for Thomson Reuters Foundation to be one of the sponsors of these awards that recognise the work of very brave reporters worldwide.
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