ONA calls for entries and screeners for the 2022 Online Journalism Awards

Celebrating the 2019 Online Journalism Awards in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Online News Association)

The Online News Association has opened the call for entries for the 2022 Online Journalism Awards (#OJA22), the leading global awards honoring excellence in digital journalism since 2000.

The 2022 OJAs feature 56 awards across 23 categories open for submissions. In all categories, judges will consider the quality of the journalism, digital innovation and the overall impact of the projects on the intended audiences and society at large. Entries are due June 9, 11:59 p.m. EDT (UTC-4).

Much like the web and journalism, the OJAs evolve each year. For 2022, new and updated categories include:

• 3M Truth in Science Award: This award honors science journalism that educates and engages audiences across science-related issues such as health and wellness, climate change, scientific innovation, STEM education and careers and the role of science in society.
• Excellence in Social Media Engagement: This award recognizes projects published on social media platforms that demonstrate outstanding audience engagement. Entries may include reporting repackaged specifically for social media or original content created solely for a social media audience.
• Topical Reporting: Olympics and Paralympics Coverage: This award honors online coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Entries may include profiles, explanatory coverage, features on the host country’s preparation and the politics behind the Games.
• Digital Video Storytelling: This category expands to include eight individual awards, with newsroom size subcategories for each type of work: Short Form, Medium Form, Long Form and Series.

Explore all categories and submit entries by June 9

Cash prizes

Six of the awards come with $57,000 in prize money, courtesy of SmartNews, The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, 3M, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication’s Agora Journalism Center, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and McKinsey Publishing. These awards honor general excellence in online journalism, investigative data journalism, science reporting, community-centered journalism, public service, and climate change.

Eligibility

The 2022 OJAs are open to work published between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. Review the Rules and Eligibility in full before starting a submission.

High-school and undergraduate students may submit entries for the Student Journalism Award, while graduate students may submit to all categories.

Micro newsrooms, organizations with 15 or fewer employees, are invited to submit projects at the highly discounted fee of $50 per entry. For all other projects, entry fees are $125 when submitted by ONA members and $200 for non-members. Student fees are $15 and $30 for members and non-members, respectively.

Audio professionals based in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are encouraged to apply for support from The Podcasting, Seriously Awards Fund to cover submission fees. The Fund reviews applications on a rolling basis.

Selection process and call for screeners

A global group of over 170 digital media professionals serve as volunteer screeners to kickstart the two-step selection process. Screeners review all entries to discover the best work and select semi-finalists. In August, panels of judges convene to select finalists and winners.

Applications to volunteer as a screener are open now through June 9.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities

The ONA community will celebrate award finalists and winners at the 2022 Online Journalism Awards Ceremony, Sept. 24 in Los Angeles, the closing event for the 2022 Online News Association Conference (#ONA22).

Note: The Award for Technical Innovation in the Service of Digital Journalism is not open for submissions in 2022. In response to community feedback, ONA’s Awards and Recognition committee will take the next year to adjust the focus in this category.

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