Broader Scope for Dart Awards

New criteria open the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma to the full spectrum of news media. The deadline for entries is January 29.

For the first time, the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma are now open to the full spectrum of news media.  In addition to our longstanding commitment to newspaper and radio, the Dart Awards now invite entries from North American television, online-only news publications, web-based productions, independent productions, magazines and magazine websites.

This broader scope enables the Dart Awards — founded in 1994 — to reward and inspire innovative, effective, ethical and in-depth trauma reporting across media boundaries. Judges will select up to four award winners, each of which will be recognized with a $5000 prize.

The Dart Awards continue to recognize exemplary journalism on the impact of violence, crime, disaster and other traumatic events on individuals, families or communities, focusing on the experience of victims and survivors, and contributing to public understanding of trauma-related issues.

They will remain a team prize, recognizing and rewarding news organizations that make the special commitment necessary to produce this extraordinary journalism.  The judging process will continue to include a victim advocate and the president-elect of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies alongside journalists.

The application deadline for this year’s Dart Awards is January 29, 2010.  Dart Award winners, honorable mentions and finalists will be announced in April 2010.  Travel and hotel expenses for winners to attend a ceremony at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism will be covered by the Dart Center.

Please review the full application guidelines and send any questions and inquiries to Kate Black, assistant director of programs.