Washington, DC: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a Washington, DC-based advocacy group today announced the establishment of the annual Human Rights & Religious Freedom Journalism Awards, with the goal of recognizing courageous, groundbreaking, and in-depth reporting on pressing issues concerning Indian minorities and marginalized communities. The awards will be adjudicated by an international panel of judges. The panel is seeking submissions for the 2022 awards, from journalists who report on human rights and religious freedom issues in India. Submissions must be received no later than April 12, 2022.
Through the sponsorship of these awards, IAMC aims to enable and amplify journalism that underscores the challenges faced by the communities that are victims of immense persecution in India. In all categories, the independent panel of judges will give weight to the stories that highlight issues that are either missing from mainstream media coverage or covered inadequately; explore new angles on familiar topics, challenge misconceptions, and counter stereotypes about the marginalized communities.
This year there are four categories to choose from:
Best Text Reporting on Human Rights & Religious Freedom
This category honors the best text reportage (1000 words or longer) on unreported or under-reported human rights and religious freedom issues in India. This award includes a cash prize of INR 50,000 and a plaque.
Best Photo Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom
This category honors exceptional photo-journalism on human rights and religious freedom issues in India. Single photos are not allowed in this category. Entrants must submit a piece with a minimum of three and a maximum of 10 photographs. The photos must be accompanied by captions. This award carries a cash prize of INR 50,000 and a plaque.
Best Video Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom
This category is for the best video report on human rights and religious freedom issues in India. The video story must be of 4 minutes to 25 minutes in duration. This award carries a cash prize of INR 50,000 and a plaque.
HRRF Young Journalist of the Year Award 2022
The Human Rights & Religious Freedom Young Journalist of the Year Award recognizes a young journalist (28 years of age or under as of March 12, 2022) in any medium (text, photo, video, or multimedia) who has made a substantial contribution to Indian journalism during 2021 in defense of human rights and religious freedom. Journalists can submit three to five best stories. All media formats are acceptable. This award carries a cash prize of INR 50,000 and a plaque.
IAMC will also honor independent media organizations (news websites, newspapers, or magazines) with the Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism Bravery Award that exhibit exceptional courage in the pursuit of bringing truth to the masses. The selected organization must use media to address social, political, cultural, and economic issues concerning Indian minorities and marginalized communities. This category does not require submissions from news organizations and will be selected by a panel of judges. The winner will be announced during the virtual award ceremony. This award carries a cash prize of INR 100,000 rupees and a plaque. In case of a tie, the award money will be equally shared between the winners.
Journalists who meet the criteria of awards may submit their entries online by Tuesday, April 12, 2022. We will announce the first shortlist on June 5, 2022, and the winners will be announced during the virtual award ceremony on Sunday, June 19, 2022.
For more information, visit: www.hrrfjawards.com
To enter the awards, visit: https://hrrfjawards.com/submission/
For any queries or questions, write to us at contact@hrrfjawards.com
