AddThis SmartLayers

Regional entries welcomed for annual investigative journalism prize

Regional entries are being welcomed for a national award honouring investigative and campaigning journalism.

The Private Eye Paul Foot Award 2019 is now accepting submissions from journalists across the United Kingdom for work undertaken between 1 April 2018 and 30 March this year.

Gordon Blackstock, of Dundee’s Sunday Post, was a runner-up in last year’s contest, which was won by Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman for her coverage of the Windrush scandal.

Gordon had been shortlisted for his splash, below, about hundreds of children being buried in a mass grave at an orphanage in Lanark.

Sunday-Post-orphans-e1505315088403-1

The previous year’s was won by Emma Youle, then of Archant’s investigations unit, for her work exposing the extent of homelessness in the London Borough of Hackney.

Launching this year’s competition, Private Eye editor Ian Hislop said: “The clock is running down and the deadline is approaching fast. There will be no extension, no transition period, no further negotiation and no last-minute deals.

“The Cheque Plan is the only one on the table. On June 25th the money will leave the envelope and go into the wallet of the winning journalist.

“Chexit means Five Grand, a prestigious award and a boozy evening at Bafta. What could be clearer?”

Submissions will be accepted for material published in a newspaper, magazine or website between 1 April 2018 and 30 March 2019, and the deadline for entries is 1pm on Tuesday 2 April 2019. No broadcast material is eligible.

Individual journalists, teams of journalists or entire publications may enter, and entries will be considered for anything from a single piece to entire campaigns.

More information can be found here.