Deadline: 24 January 2025
The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting recognizes excellence in reporting on what is being done in Canada and beyond to address the impact and threat of climate change – the policies, practices and people that could potentially be part of the solution to this global crisis.
The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting celebrates innovative work done by Canadian journalists to shine a light on adaptive solutions being tested and implemented to address the environmental challenges affecting the world today and in the future. The award will aim to inspire broader, more prescriptive coverage of the climate crisis they all face by raising awareness about the challenges themselves and the work being done to meet them.
Funding Information
- The award recipient will receive a $10,000 prize.
Eligibility Criteria
- Climate change is a story that matters in many spheres – an all-encompassing issue with a wide scope that can include not just the environment but also science, health, the economy, business, public policy, migration, politics and people on a local, national and global scale.
- This award will be presented to a working journalist or team of journalists (employed full-time or freelance) who have been judged to have done the most to shine a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions in Canadian print, broadcast or online news reporting in 2024.
- Entries involving more than one contributor are welcome and will be judged as a single submission. Submissions are welcome in the following formats: article, column, online piece, editorial, op-ed, radio program, podcast, television program or documentary film.
Judging Criteria
- Judges will consider the following criteria in adjudicating this award:
- How does this work highlight responses and solutions to climate change? Does it shift the narrative from the problem to solutions that empower positive change?
- Does the application describe the creative reporting techniques that were used to explain complicated elements in terms an average reader would understand?
- How does the work demonstrate the success, significance, and/or importance of the specific climate solution being featured?
- What evidence is there to show that the solution is working? In what ways is it not or might it not? What metrics are used and why in assessing this solution?
- What data supports the problem and the solution?
- Is the overall climate data cited accurate and is there sufficient evidence of verification? Is there a sufficient scope and diversity of sources cited?
- Judges will note that false balance can be the enemy of accuracy and truth in reporting on climate change. Trying to balance scientific consensus on climate change with views from climate deniers or others who disagree with scientific findings risks misleading news audiences.
- Is the climate research and data presented in a relatable, understandable manner that news audiences can easily follow?
- Is the work well-written, and does it respect the principles of good journalism?
For more information, visit CJF.
