Record submissions in journalism awards

The Institute of Maltese Journalists has received a record number of 54 submissions for the Malta Journalism Awards 2005.

The deadline for submissions was August 1. The 15th edition of the awards will be the largest ever, not only because of the number of submissions but also because there are more categories, a decision that has yielded the desired results as now there will be a wider spread of participants, the institute said. This year the submissions included contributions published in local magazines as well as broadcast on PBS, Super One Television and Net TV, and Radio 101, Super One Radio and Campus FM.

This year's new category, Print Features, has attracted the largest number of submissions. Eleven journalists or contributors submitted 30 works for this category.

Journalists will be competing in 10 categories.

The winner of the Best Journalist of the Year award will be given the opportunity to work with a newspaper or a broadcasting station in the United Kingdom for two weeks. The Gold Award, which has been sponsored by BPC International since its inception, is awarded to that Maltese journalist with a long and exemplary career during which he or she not only did his duty to raise the level of Maltese journalism but was also an example to others.

The finalists in each category will be announced on October 14 and the final night, when the winners of the awards will be announced, will take place on November 14 at the Audio Vision Centre in Hamrun.