EXCELLENCE IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

This multi-platform category recognizes over-all excellence in a BC story or series. Submissions may be from print/digital, radio, podcast, TV or a combination thereof.  Entries should be critical, in-depth and contain original reporting that enhanced accountability for individuals, organizations, governments or corporations in positions of high public trust.

Requirements for Submission

In order to be eligible for a Webster Award you must meet all of the following REVISED general requirements and the specific eligibility requirements for each award.

Judging Guidelines:

  • Impact and Relevance: What was the impact on the community? What changed as a result of the story?
  • Enterprise: What degrees of research, resourcefulness and persistence were exhibited in this work?  Did the journalist use public records, data and confidential sources in this investigative project?
  • Originality:  Did the work contain unique information or official secrets uncovered by this news outlet? Has the ordinary been made new, or the extraordinary understandable?
  • Craft and Creativity: How creatively did the journalist use the unique narrative techniques to tell a complex story?
  • Conflict: Were the elements of conflict clearly and fairly explained?
  • Balance: Was the entry fair to all those portrayed in and affected by the work?

        • You must be a BC-based journalist, or if it is a team submission the majority of those on the team must be BC-based journalists,
        • For a team submission, be prepared to list each person’s name and the name of the city/town where they reside,
        • Submissions must report on stories of interest for BC audiences,
        • Only submissions published/aired between June 1 of the previous calendar year and May 31 of the current calendar year are eligible,
        • Submissions must have been published in journalism sources, including but not limited to, online, print, video, broadcast, podcast, radio, blogs, newscast, etc.
        • Submissions are encouraged from the gamut of media departments/sections, including news, sports, the arts, business, etc.
        • You must complete an online form for each submission,
        • You can enter a story or series in only one category, however you can submit as many different entries as you like,
        • A fee of $25 per submission. Major credit cards will be accepted for payment,
        • Your submission must include a 200-word synopsis about the submission, explaining the story’s background, significance,impact and any other information you consider pertinent,
        • Aside from the synopsis, you must upload your major story to be reviewed, and should you be a finalist or the winner, this will be the story available for the public to access,
        • You may then include up to a MAXIMUM of 4 other uploads, to support your entry,
        • If uploading audio or video, a maximum of a sum total of 60 minutes is allowed for each submission. You may include one file of 60 minutes or several files of segments from your broadcast but do not edit the segments from how they appeared in the original broadcast,
        • For any submissions that appeared in hard copy/print, please upload a PDF showing the actual page(s) published and make sure it can be read,
        • Only one story should be in any PDF uploaded,
        • For online text-based submissions, or regarding submissions in the Multimedia category, please upload a readable screen grab as your story was displayed, or a PDF’d version of this, or if need be, provide a link to the story that is not behind a paywall,
        • For radio/audio/podcast entries, please provide an MP3 audio file no greater than 2GB in size,
        • For TV/Video entries, please provide a video in the following formats: MP4,MPG, or MPEG no greater than 2GB in size

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        Entry Information

        Please enter and review carefully the spelling of all text/names you enter below as this information will be published/printed and used on certificates/trophies should your submission be a finalist or winner.

        Entry Details

        Date aired or published

        Entry Materials

        Main Entry Material

        1. The total length for all audio / video for any one submission should total 60 minutes or less. If exceeding, only the first 60 minutes will be reviewed.
        2. All links and files must be publicly accessible, and not behind a paywall.
        Are you uploading a digital file or sharing an existing web or file link?
        Max size 128MB – for larger files please share via Google Drive, DropBox, MediaFire, Youtube or other preferred sharing platforms.

        Supporting Entry Material

        Do you have additional supporting material that demonstrates journalistic excellence?

        Contact Information

        Address

        Payment Information

        Enter a valid coupon code, if you have already pre-paid the submission fee.
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        SUPPORT THE WEBSTER AWARDS

        Your support today makes a big difference and will help us continue the Jack Webster Foundation and celebrate excellence in journalism to protect the public interest for British Columbians.

        Your donations go to support Student Journalism Awards, Professional Development Fellowships, free Masterclasses for journalists, journalism educators and students, and to support the costs of funding the annual Webster Awards.

        As the Jack Webster Foundation is a registered Canadian charity, tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more. Should you wish to make your donation by cheque, please contact us by sending an email at [email protected].