The Bruce Jesson Foundation presents two awards annually for critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues:
Applications/Nominations for the awards opened on 1 May 2011 and close on 31 August 2011.
Bruce Jesson Journalist Award - $4000
Emerging Journalist Award - $1000
Bruce Jesson Journalism Award
This award is paid in advance to fund the time and costs required for an investigative project. This award increased from $3000 to $4000 in 2011.
Criteria
Criteria for the award are non-political and non-sectarian. The fund is open to anyone proposing in-depth analysis, regardless of the writer's political viewpoint. The criteria are:
1. You propose to produce or publish a work of critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues.
2. The work may take the form of an article, report, pamphlet, book, radio or television programme, film, website or any other publication which is aimed at, and accessible by, the general public of New Zealand or any part of New Zealand.
3. You have provided a detailed budget showing that you are unable to produce the work without advance funding to cover direct costs and/or living costs while researching or producing the work.
4. You have tried, and have been unable, to get adequate funds from all possible sources including, where appropriate, media outlets and other publishers. (This would clearly NOT be appropriate if the work will be critical of such media outlets or publishers).
5. You can demonstrate, at an interview and on the basis of past work and/or references, that you are capable of producing the proposed work with enough accuracy, insight and flair for it to have an impact in New Zealand public debate.
Apply now
Previous winners:
This award was established in 2004. Winners to date have been:
2010: Auckland transport researcher Dr Chris Harris for a study of NZ transport and planning policies in international perspective.
No award in 2009.
2008: Auckland journalist Keith Mexsom for a planned book on the history of Auckland's transport policy.
2007: Auckland freelancer Peter Malcouronne for an upcoming piece for North & South reflecting on New Zealand's economic growth.
2006: Wellington freelancer Amie Richardson for a series of investigative articles on rest homes in the Listener.
2005: Freelance journalist Jon Stephenson for a two-part report from Iraq which appeared in Metro magazine and won France's Prix Bayeux-Calvados.
2004: Wellington researcher Tina McIvor for an investigation into Work and Income’s treatment of beneficiaries judged to be living in marriage-type relationships; and writer Nicky Hager for a planned book on New Zealand foreign policy.
Emerging Journalism Award
This award is paid for already-published work by a print journalism student nominated by the country’s journalism programme leaders. This award doubled from $500 to $1000 in 2011.
Criteria
Outstanding published work of critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing by New Zealand print journalism students which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues. (Exceptional unpublished work may be considered occasionally).
Work must be nominated by a journalism programme leader in a New Zealand educational institution.
Nominate a student now
Previous winners
This award was established in 2009. Winners so far:
2010: Ryan Bridge, Massey University, Wellington, for articles about Porirua as “the rheumatic fever capital of New Zealand” (CityLife, Porirua) and revealing that New Plymouth National MP Jonathan Young failed to disclose his directorship of a superannuation trustee fund to Parliament’s Register of Pecuniary Interests (Daily News, New Plymouth).
2009: Amanda Fisher, Michael Hasumi-Dickison, Motoko Kakubayashi, Chloe Vaughan, Rory MacKinnon and Sarah Taane, all of Massey University, Wellington, for a 3-month investigation into a potential health risk from contamination at the former Masterton gasworks (Wairarapa Times-Age).
Bruce Jesson, 1944-1999
Bruce Jesson grew up in Christchurch and earned a law degree at Canterbury University, but was never admitted to the Bar because he refused to swear allegiance to the British queen. He never trained as a journalist but wrote and edited some of the most original, important and challenging journalism in New Zealand in The Republican, which he published on a hand-to-mouth basis from 1974 to 1995, as a columnist for Metro magazine, and in a series of books including The Fletcher Challenge: Wealth and Power in New Zealand (1980), Behind the Mirror Glass: The Growth of Wealth and Power in New Zealand in the Eighties (1987) and Only Their Purpose is Mad: The Money Men Take Over New Zealand (1999). Some of his collected writings were published posthumously in To Build a Nation, edited by Professor Andrew Sharp in 2005.
He was elected to the Auckland Regional Council as an Alliance candidate in 1991 and chaired the Auckland Regional Services Trust from 1992 to 1995, keeping key assets such as the Auckland port in public ownership in the face of massive pressure by the National government of the time to privatise them.
Bruce Jesson Foundation
Patron: Professor Noam Chomsky Chair: Professor Jane Kelsey Secretary: Dr Joe Atkinson
The Bruce Jesson Foundation was established after Bruce Jesson’s death in 1999 for two main purposes:
1. To promote activities designed to generate critical, informed, analytical and creative contributions to political debate in New Zealand and about New Zealand; and
2. To archive the writings, broadcasts, speeches and other works of Bruce Jesson.
Its two main activities to date have been an annual Bruce Jesson Lecture at the University of Auckland, established in 2000, and the two journalism awards established in 2004 and 2009.
Bruce Jesson Lectures have been delivered by: David Lange (2000), Brian Easton (2001), Chris Trotter (2002), Jane Kelsey (2003), Ani Mikaere (2004), Colin James (2005), Gordon Campbell (2006), Laila Harre (2007), Mike Lee (2008), Robert Wade (2009) and Annette Sykes (2010).
The foundation was chaired by former Prime Minister David Lange from 1999 until his death in 2005; by Professor Andrew Sharp until 2006; and since then by Professor Jane Kelsey.
Current members (May 2011) are: Professor Kelsey (chair; Professor of Law, Auckland University); Dr Joe Atkinson (secretary; Senior Lecturer in Political Studies, Auckland University); Gary Swift (treasurer; Chief Executive, Auckland Council Investments Ltd); Simon Collins (social issues reporter, NZ Herald); Hugh Fletcher (company director); Mark Ford (Chair of Auckland Transport); Dr Joce Jesson (Education Faculty, Auckland University); Jon Stephenson (freelance journalist).
Associate Professor David Robie (director, Pacific Media Centre, AUT University) is a member of the Journalism Awards Subcommittee.
Facebook Page
Website: www.brucejesson.com
BRUCE JESSON FOUNDATION
PO Box 99401, Newmarket, Auckland
Bruce Jesson never trained as a journalist but wrote and edited some of the most original, important and challenging journalism in New Zealand. He published The Republican from 1974 to 1995, worked as a columnist for Metro magazine and wrote important books examining the accumulation of wealth and power in New Zealand.
The Bruce Jesson Foundation promotes critical, informed, analytical and creative activities and journalism that contributions to political debate in New Zealand.
More information