College of Journalism launches second student innovation award

We are delighted to announce the 2013 BBC College of Journalism Student Innovation Award, which is officially launched at the POLIS International Journalism Conference today.

This will be the second year of the award that champions the most innovative students at UK journalism schools. Last year, we at the College and the panel of judges were hugely impressed by the quality of entrants and standard of work.

As we all know, the world of journalism is changing. New technology, social media, data analysis and the way the mainstream media engages with its audiences has revolutionised the way we find, verify and tell stories.

Some of the most creative material is coming out of the UK’s journalism schools and we want to reward that. We’re looking for the most talented of the next generation of journalism students who are using genuinely new ways of working.

The criteria are deliberately broad, designed to encourage students to produce a piece of fantastic original journalism using the very latest skills and techniques. This could mean a visionary form of crowd-sourced newsgathering, excellent multimedia and multiplatform working, info-graphics, data analysis or a clever use of social media. In short, anything that illustrates journalistic ingenuity.

As well as being innovative, each piece must demonstrate first-class public interest journalism. We want to see, at its heart, reporting that embraces the truest form of journalism: the fourth estate holding power to account and exposing wrong-doing at all levels. The latest advances in journalism need to keep this at their very core.

The competition is open to all students on an accredited journalism course in the UK. The closing date for entries is 23September.

The award will be judged by a panel of senior media industry figures and presented at a major BBC College of Journalism event. The winner and shortlisted candidates will have their work shown on both the College of Journalism and BBC Academy websites.

How to enter

You must email your entry, marked 'Student Innovation Award', to charles.miller@bbc.co.uk or post it to Student Innovation Award, BBC College of Journalism, Room BC2D1, BBC Broadcast Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ.

The entry must include both your piece of journalism and a 500-word explanation of the methods used to produce the work and why it is so innovative.

Closing date

The competition is open to entries now - we need to receive them by 23 September.

Judging

The award will be judged by a panel of senior figures in the world of journalism, including experts from the BBC and the wider media industry, academics and renowned innovators in this field.

If you have any queries about the award, please contact charles.miller@bbc.co.uk.

Terms and conditions

1. To the extent that it applies, this award complies with the BBC’s code of conduct for competitions and voting. You can read more about it here: BBC Competitions Policy.

2. Entry is open to all UK residents (including Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) who are studying on an accredited journalism course in the UK, except anyone who is a close relative of a BBC employee or anyone connected to the award. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested.

3. Entrants must submit their piece of journalism, either via post or email. This could be an online link, hard copy, DVD, video or audio files.

4. Entries can be submitted from 05/04/13. Entries received before this date will not be considered.

5. All entries must be accompanied by a 500-word explanation of the innovative methods used to produce the piece of journalism.

6. The closing date for entries is 23/09/13. All entries which are postmarked 21/09/13 or before will be accepted. Entries will not be returned so please remember to keep a copy.

7. Entrants can only enter individually. Only one entry per person is permitted. If you submit more than one entry, only the first entry received will be considered.

8. By entering for this award, entrants warrant that they have legal capacity to enter this Award and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.

9. The BBC will ask for your name, address, email address, college and the course you are studying. This data will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The BBC will only ever use your personal details for the purposes of administering this award and will only keep your personal details for as long as is necessary to do this. Please see the BBC’s Privacy Policy.

10. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: innovation; original journalism; the type of newsgathering methods used; clarity of storytelling.

11. Entries will be judged through the following process: longlisting; shortlisting; judging panel.

12. A selection of entries may be broadcast on television and online throughout the competition. A selection of entrants may also be interviewed by the BBC and these interviews may also be broadcast on television and online. This will not be a part of, or have any influence on, the judging process.

13. The winner will be awarded the title ‘BBC College of Journalism, Journalism Student, Innovation Award’.

14. The names of each entrant whose entry is broadcast or used online will be made public. Entrants must agree to take part in any post-award publicity if required.

15. The awards are for your personal use only and cannot be used in connection with any commercial promotions, marketing or advertising in accordance with the BBC’s Fair Trading Policy.

16. The BBC’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted. 17. Entries must be completely original and entirely the entrants’ own work. Entries must not include any third-party material (eg archive footage) or infringe the rights of any other party. Entrants must be responsible for all of the creative ideas and entrants must do all their own filming and editing.

18. Entries must not breach any copyright, third-party rights, privacy or defame any company or individual. The BBC accepts no liability if entrants ignore these rules and entrants agree to indemnify fully the BBC against any claims by any third party arising from any breach of these rules.

19. Branded products and logos should not feature prominently in the entry, unless there is an editorial justification for them. The entry must not give undue prominence to trademarked products, including toys and recognisable film characters.

20. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive or any other unsuitable material. Entries must be suitable to be broadcast by the BBC to audiences of all ages.

21. Entries must not mention or show surnames, school names, school uniforms, sports club names, addresses, telephone numbers or details of specific places that could identify anyone without that person’s permission.

22. If the entry features any people other than the entrant, they should be aware they were being filmed and permission should be obtained from all involved for the entry to be submitted in the competition (or their parents/guardians if under 18). If it can be reasonably interpreted that the people are not aware of being filmed or are embarrassed in any way, the BBC reserves the right to disqualify the entry.

23. If you would like to include music in your entry, you must only use music which has been written and performed by you. You must not use music which has been recorded commercially by other people (eg. that is on a CD or has been downloaded from the internet). If you do, your entry will be disqualified.

24. In consideration of the BBC agreeing to assess entries, each entrant - by entering the competition - licenses the BBC (for itself and those authorised by it) the exclusive right to use an entry for communication to the public (which includes broadcasting and internet use) and all other rights for the purposes of the competition. This right shall subsist until the end of the competition.

25. Entrants retain the copyright in their entry but grant to the BBC a perpetual non-exclusive royalty-free licence to broadcast the entry across all media including any online platforms and publish the entry online.

26. Entrants permit the BBC to edit or change entries in any way it may in its sole discretion consider necessary for the purposes of use in the competition and the broadcasting or online use.

27. The BBC reserves the right to disqualify any entry which breaches any of these terms and conditions or to withhold or withdraw the award if in its opinion entries do not reach the required standard.

28. The BBC reserves the right to cancel this award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside its control. In this event, a notice will be posted on the BBC Academy and College of Journalism websites.

29. The BBC, its sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem with any server, internet access, system, the post or otherwise which may result in any entry being lost or not properly registered or recorded. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

30. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.