The award was set up to honour Georgina Henry, who was a founding member of Women in Journalism as well as former deputy editor of the Guardian and head of Guardian.co.uk, before her death in February 2014.Eleanor Mills, WIJ chair, said: “Women in Journalism is delighted to be offering the award in the name of one of our founding members, Georgina Henry of the Guardian. Offering a prize for innovation seems a great way to immortalise her memory and give a big break to an enterprising woman journalist.”
Caroline Kean, Partner of Wiggin LLP, said: ‘We have been with WIJ from its beginnings 25 years ago. We are proud to do something that both honours Georgina’s memory and offers opportunities to aspiring journalists – particularly at a time when changes in the industry and threats to press freedom mean that good journalists are more essential than ever.’
The award, for women only, can be entered by sending three examples of work from the past 12 months to gh.wijaward@gmail.com, plus an 800-word pitch for an ongoing journalistic project, explaining what stage it is at, and how it is likely to proceed.The closing date for entries is February 20, 2019.The judges can also nominate candidates.The five judges will be:
- Eleanor Mills, editorial director of the Sunday Times and current chair of WIJ;
- Jane Martinson, columnist , Guardian, Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism at City University and a former chair of WIJ.
- Alison Gow, editor (digital innovation) at Trinity Mirror Regionals and a board member of the Society of Editors;
- Caroline Kean, partner at Wiggin LLP;
- Sue Ryan, manager of Associated Newspaper’s trainee journalists’ programme and a board member of the Society of Editors.
