Journalism Prize
2018 Winner - Rachel Savage. Read her pieces here at The Independent
2019 Winner - Lemma Shehadi. Read her pieces here at The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/author/lemma-shehadi?CMP=ILC-refresh
2020 Winner - Thomas Graham. Read his pieces here at The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/author/thomas-graham
2022 Winner - Eleanor Myers. Read her pieces here at The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/author/eleanor-myers?CMP=ILC-refresh
2024 Winner - Samuel McIlhagga
In honour of a distinguished foreign correspondent and writer, The Independent in association with the Rupert Cornwell Trust has established the Rupert Cornwell Prize for Journalism. A bursary of £5,000 is being made available to one individual to fund a suitable journalistic project. Although the remit is quite wide, it must be a foreign assignment in one of the broad regions that Rupert Cornwell covered in his long career – North America, Europe or the former Soviet Union, but not in an area that is involved in conflict.
The application should comprise the following:
- A ‘pitch’ of around 800 words detailing how the funds will be used; the volume and type of material that will be generated; and its worth as journalism
- Where appropriate, a selection of three published articles or other pieces of work (but equal consideration will be given to applicants with little or no established track record)
- A personal or professional reference
In the spirit of the earlier part of Rupert’s career in particular, applicants need not have studied journalism, but should possess enquiring minds, a gift for storytelling and an elegance of prose style. The following formal eligibility criteria will apply;
- Applicants should be under 30 on 1 January 2024
- They should be based in Britain or America (but need not be US or UK nationals)
The journalism produced should satisfy these criteria:
- It must be in English
- It must be substantially the written word as articles, with use of other media also encouraged
- Originality
- It may constitute one article, but will more likely constitute a series of articles
- It should be completed within six months of the start of the project at most
- The funding may be “staggered” as goals are met
- Overall it should amount to about 10,000 words, plus other material as appropriate
There will be a panel of judges drawn from Rupert’s many colleagues and chaired by Susan Cornwell, former US congressional correspondent for Reuters. The deadline for applications is 5 July 2024.
The work is intended for publication by The Independent and all copyright will rest with The Independent. No additional fees or expenses will be provided, and travel costs are included in the Bursary.
This is an excellent chance for an aspiring journalist to prove their worth and make a worthy and original contribution, and we hope will prove a boost to a promising talent.
Please send applications to: Sean O'Grady at the Independent S.O'Grady@independent.co.uk
Further details here: http://www.rupertcornwell.com
The Independent’s contributor terms which will apply to the award are here; http://www.independent.co.uk/service/external-contributors-policy-7905982.html