Awards for Excellence

Eligibility

You can enter as a student if:

• You are studying (or have studied) on an NCTJ-accredited course in the 2024-25 academic year

and/or

• You are studying towards the Diploma in Journalism as a distance learner, having started the course no more than two years ago, and are not a working journalist

You can enter as a trainee if:

• • You have completed the Diploma in Journalism and have less than two years’ employment

and/or

• • You are completing (or have completed) an NCTJ journalism apprenticeship during the 2024-25 academic year

and/or

• • You are studying towards the Diploma in Journalism as a distance learner, having started the course no more than two years ago, and are a working journalist with less than two years’ employment

Rules of entry

• The work submitted must have been produced between 1 September 2024 and 31 October 2025
• Only one entry per category can be submitted
• The same piece of work may not be submitted more than once
• Joint projects may only be submitted in the Student Project of the Year and Podcast Journalism categories. If your work has a joint byline or had involvement from colleagues, you must submit a supporting statement to detail what element(s) of the work you were responsible for
• If you have been sanctioned for malpractice by the NCTJ your entry will be disqualified
• Work submitted must be accurate and within regulatory guidelines. Submissions found to be in breach of this will be removed and awards revoked if applicable
• Information contained in the winning entries (excluding personal data) may be used by the NCTJ for publicity, promotions and other activity relating to the Awards for Excellence
• Shortlisted submissions will be published on the NCTJ website

Allowed formats

For all categories, a mix of media may be submitted unless otherwise specified. For example, if supplying three stories, it could be one video, one audio and one written piece.

For all categories, a mix of media may be submitted unless otherwise specified. For example, if supplying three stories, it could be one video, one audio and one written piece.

Video and audio pieces

• The duration must be appropriate to the story being told, the platform being used and the audience. Careful consideration of those issues will help determine the length of the video/audio
• The intended or actual outlet should be identified in the supporting statement
• The upload limit is 64MB per file. If your files exceed this size, please either compress the file or submit a link to your content instead

Written pieces

• Can be submitted as a URL, or as PDFs or Word files
• Can be screenshotted from a website (please ensure content is clearly readable)
• If your work is not published, i.e. showing the date published and your name as the author, please submit a supporting document signed by a course tutor or employer to verify the work was produced by you within the time frame permitted (a template can be found here)

Judging process

The judging panel is made up of editors and senior journalists. The NCTJ will manage any potential conflicts of interest that may arise, for example to ensure panel members are not judging an entrant with whom they are associated.

All decisions of the judges are final and there is no right of appeal.

Enter now