The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) invites you to enter its prestigious annual Journalist of the Year Awards 2010.

Open to journalists who have written or broadcast on general insurance subjects in the last year, these awards aim to recognise the important contribution that journalists make in promoting a better understanding and awareness of general insurance issues.

The awards

National, regional and trade journalists are eligible to enter the nine categories, each one carrying a prize of £750 for the winner. One highly commended entry in each category will also receive £150.

This year the submission process has changed slightly to help improve the judging.  In order to help the judges understand the background of the article, journalists are now required to submit a supporting statement of up to 150 words to explain why the article deserves to win the award.  This will help to ensure that all factors are taken into consideration during the judging process.  

The individual categories are:

• Trade News Award: open to trade journalists who have written technical news articles in the trade press.

• Trade Feature Award: open to trade journalists who have written an insurance feature article for trade publications.

• Consumer Award: open to national journalists who have produced articles focusing on consumer-facing insurance issues.

• Business Award: open to national journalists who have produced print, broadcast and online articles focusing on general insurance issues affecting business.

• Regional Award: open to regional journalists who produce articles about regional insurance issues. The articles may be consumer or business focused.

• Gary Hyndman Most Promising Newcomer Award: open to all journalists who are just starting out covering insurance related issues.  The Award is named in the memory of the late Gary Hyndman, who sadly passed away in March 2006. Entrants must have been in the industry a maximum of 18months.

• Scoop of the Year: open to all journalists who were responsible for breaking an important insurance news story during the last year.

• Best Interview / Profile Award: open to all journalists who develop the best researched, most informative and most engaging interview with an individual or profile of an organisation within the insurance industry.

• Online Award: Open to all journalists who have embraced online technology successfully to further the understanding of general insurance issues.

Criteria and submissions

The judges will look for entries which raise awareness of general insurance subjects and help the audience to gain a greater insight into general insurance issues.  Originality, style, and quality of research and investigation will also be assessed.

• All entries require one general insurance article and a supporting statement to be provided.  Any other supporting materials sent alongside the entries will be discounted.
  
  
• The Gary Hyndman Most Promising Newcomer Award must be accompanied by a supportive statement from the editor (max 150 words). 
   

Print, broadcast and online pieces produced between 1st February 2009 and 1st February 2010 are eligible for submission. Please download the entry form at www.biba.org.uk   The deadline for submissions is Monday 1^st March 2010.

Only emailed submissions will be accepted. Please click here for entry form and email it, along with your entries, to Becky Pledge at pledger@biba.org.uk

Previous winners

Previous BIBA Journalist of the Year Award winners include, Ellen Bennett, Insurance Times, Stephen Womack, Mail on Sunday, Jonathan Swift, Post Magazine; James Daley, previously The Independent; Yvette Essen, previously Daily Telegraph; Jane Hall, previously Newcastle Journal; Helen Nugent, The Times; Christine Seib, The Times; Jenny Knight, Sunday Telegraph; Paul Charles, BBC Radio 4; Rachel Gordon, formerly editor of Insurance Age and Edmund Tirbutt, freelance, for the Mail on Sunday and Telegraph.                   

I do hope you will take the opportunity of entering these awards and I hope you will be able to join us at the awards ceremony to be held at lunch time on Wednesday 16 June 2010 in central London.

We look forward to receiving you entries.

Yours sincerely,

Eric Galbraith

Chief Executive

020 7397 0201

galbraithe@biba.org.uk